AJA updates ColorBox with firmware v2.0 for Colorfront Engine support, the latest ORION-CONVERT and BBC HLG LUTs, and introduces new user overlay features and expanded test patterns. ColorBox is shown on a DIT cart, above.
What is AJA ColorBox?
ColorBox is a compact, high-performance conversion, look and color management device for cine production, live events and broadcasting.
Key modes include AJA Color, Colorfront and NBCU. ColorBox also offers licensed upgrades for advanced color-management, including Colorfront Engine, the ORION-CONVERT algorithm, and BBC HLG LUTs.
ColorBox is controlled with a web browser user interface that includes video preview. It doesn’t need an Internet connection.
ColorBox supports Standard Dynamic Range (SDR), High Dynamic Range (HDR), and Wide Color Gamut (WCG) signals using 12G-SDI and HDMI 2.0 single wire connections for 4K/UltraHD HDR up to 4:2:2 10-bit 60p or 4:4:4 12-bit 30p.
ColorBox V2.0
AJA Video Systems ColorBox with v2.0 firmware supports low latency in-line HDR/SDR algorithmic and LUT color transforms for live production, live event, in-studio, and on-set applications. The update introduces an add-on license to expand ColorBox’s Colorfront Engine video processing options with all-new TV Mode and Live Mode.
Adding support for the latest v1.6 BBC HLG LUTs, the release also has an ORION-CONVERT update with a gamma compensation function to ensure compatibility between different color transform philosophies. Many additional customer requested features are included in the release at no charge, such as support for frame line overlays, graphics, and five additional built-in test patterns.
Colorfront Engine Support for New TV and Live Modes
ColorBox’s new Colorfront TV Mode is an intuitive color processing engine aimed at broadcast production. When licensed, it provides operators access to new Brightness, Highlight, Super Highlight, and Colorfulness tools that enable greater control over critical elements in color conversions. Users gain access to more controlled corrections within the guardrails of Colorfront’s perceptual processing algorithm, which will maintain perceived color, hue, and saturation without hard clipping artifacts.
New TV Mode also introduces Sony S-Log3 conversions as part of the license upgrade. These had been popular in current live production applications. The same license also enables Colorfront Live Mode, which includes several camera log formats beyond SDR, HLG and PQ—such as the recent ARRI Log C4 color space. These new Colorfront Engine capabilities mirror those available with the newly announced FS-HDR v4.2 firmware update.
User overlays
Composition requires framelines. Is that C-stand in the shot or not? Giving the DP, camera operator, director, DIT and everyone on set the ability to see framelines is essential. ColorBox v2.0 has a new User Overlay feature, providing the ability to import and overlay custom images onto the output. Those images can be framelines or any other image, such as a logo. These images are imported as .png files to the new Overlay library and recalled along with, or without, the already available overlay information.
Price and Availability
ColorBox is available today from AJA’s worldwide network of resellers for $1,995 US MSRP, with optional licenses for Colorfront at $995 US MSRP, the ORION-CONVERT pipeline at $695 US MSRP and the BBC HLG LUT pipeline at $145 US MSRP. For rack mounting, the new AJA 1RU Utility Rack accessory is available for $120 US MSRP.
The firmware v2.0 update is now available for free via AJA’s support page. To learn more, visit www.aja.com/colorbox, or go to AJA’s What’s New Page.
NAB 2023 visitors can try AJA ColorBox in person in the West Hall, booth #2600.
Read FDTimes April 2023 Issue 120 for complete details—publishing Thursday April 13 at 9:15am. Articles include ColorBox with ORION-CONVERT, BBC HLG LUTs Test Patterns, etc. Also updates to AJA FS-HR v4.2.
