Blackmagic Design Announces New 3 Gb/s SDI Super Tough Battery Converters

NAB 2012, Las Vegas, USA - April 16, 2012 - Blackmagic Design today announced two new Battery Converters that feature a built in rechargeable battery and a super tough aluminum design. Battery Converters include the latest 3 Gb/s SDI technology for the highest broadcast quality conversion and are available in two models, Battery Converter SDI to HDMI and Battery Converter HDMI to SDI, priced at only US$295.

Battery Converters will be demonstrated at the Blackmagic Design NAB 2012 booth at #SL220 and are available now from Blackmagic Design Resellers worldwide!

Blackmagic Design's new Battery Converters are a truly portable converter solution, featuring a built in lithium polymer battery for more than 2 hours of operation. Similar to Mini Converter Heavy Duty converters, Battery Converter is made from aircraft grade aluminum, making it super tough and lightweight, yet it easily fits into the palm of your hand. Robust, compact and battery powered, Battery Converters provide the highest quality SDI conversion for remote locations, on outdoor sets or at live events!

Battery Converter features an LED indicator that displays the remaining battery level, which is vital when working in the field. They can be easily recharged from any 12V source, even while the converter is in use.

Battery Converters can be used as a regular converter to provide additional reassurance in mission critical environments where the internal battery acts as a back up in the event of a power outage or should power be disconnected!

Designed for crowded live production environments, all connections are recessed into the super strong aluminum chassis for protection, labeling is laser etched to reduce damage from rough handling and non slip rubber feet grip to surfaces!

Battery Converter SDI to HDMI is perfect for monitoring at live events and Battery Converter HDMI to SDI is ideal for connecting low cost HDMI cameras or computers into ATEM live production switchers. Battery Converter is an ideal alternative to the Blackmagic Design ATEM Camera Converter when longer distances are not required between cameras and the switcher and customers need a lower cost alternative based on regular copper SDI connections.

Battery Converter is compact in size, yet packed with powerful features including the latest 3 Gb/s SDI technology with low jitter for the longest SDI cable lengths. Battery Converter auto switches between SD, HD and 3 Gb/s SDI video formats, plus features balanced analog and AES/EBU switchable audio, 1/4″ jack audio connections and embedded SDI or HDMI audio for perfect digital audio quality.

"When we designed Battery Converters we had live production environments in mind, so we knew that in addition to being battery powered they had to be rugged, yet compact and lightweight for carrying in camera bags," said Grant Petty, CEO, Blackmagic Design. "By combining our incredibly robust Heavy Duty Mini Converter machine grade aluminum chassis with the convenience of battery power, we have created the ideal live production 'go anywhere' SDI converter."

Battery Converter Key Features

-Built in Lithium polymer battery.

-2 hours of operation.

-Re chargeable from 12V source, while being used.

-LED indicator to display remaining battery life.

-Solid aluminum chassis.

-Recessed protected connections.

-Laser etched labeling and non slip rubber feet.

-Auto switching SD, HD and 3 Gb/s SDI .

-Supports all video formats up to 1080p60 including 1080psF to HDMI 1080p conversion. 8 channels of embedded SDI and HDMI digital audio.

-SDI loop through and dual SDI outputs.

-Software updates via USB 2.0 from any Windows or Mac OS X computer.

-12V power supply included with international adapters.

Availability and Price

Battery Converters are available now priced at only US$295 from Blackmagic Design resellers worldwide.

Press Photography

Product photos of Battery Converters and all other Blackmagic Design products, are available at www.blackmagic-design.com/press/images.

About Blackmagic Design

Blackmagic Design creates the world's highest quality video editing products, color correctors, video converters, video monitoring, routers, live production switchers, disk recorders, waveform monitors and film restoration software for the feature film, post production and television broadcast industries. Blackmagic Design's DeckLink capture cards launched a revolution in quality and affordability, while the company's Emmy award winning DaVinci color correction products have dominated the television and film industry since 1984. Blackmagic Design continues ground breaking innovations including stereoscopic 3D and 4K workflows. Founded by world leading post production editors and engineers, Blackmagic Design has offices in the USA, United Kingdom, Japan, Singapore, and Australia. For more information, please check www.blackmagic-design.com.