3ality Digital acquires Element Technica

[Joey R.]

I was wondering the same Tim. Thanks for asking the "tough" questions

So what can one expect as far as a timeline to start seeing these new HYBRID products.. for lack of a better word. I always liked ET's mechanical design better aesthetically, but it appeared 3Ality had more precise control...
that said ET pricing was more competitive - so BTTOM LINE QUESTION for many of us is... can we expect increases or decreases in pricing? What will carry over and what wont?

When? thanks!

Anthony/Tim,

There is nothing really tough about the question but its a fair one to ask, especially if there is a customer already working with both or have been on the fence for either. There will be no "hybrid" products in the immediate future. Instead what you will see is integrated products. The big difference being that we are only looking to "integrate" our control systems and AKS into the 3ality camera platforms. For the ET side we will be integrating the SIP into our electronics so that the SIP can then overlay rig metadata (IO+C+HIT) and soon see the SIP also working wonders with our lens control for super quick alignment. The distinction being, we are not working on a new "hybrid" camera platform at this time. We need to focus on our core products.

At the end of the day you can still use what you are use to, or you can use the best of what we have. If you want the Atom rig with no lens control and no SIP and only need IO+C then by all means go for it. But as feature work and broadcast become ever more demanding we will work hard to make sure that the process becomes more automated, efficient and scalable.

As far as products are concerned, nothing goes away. 3ality purchased a manufacturing company when they purchased us. We will continue to manufacture. You will all see more products come to market and sooner now with the integration of both companies.

Worry not. It will all be ok.

 

[Jason Goodman]

Anyone else interested / hopeful for a more indie minded line? Something that isn't attached to a truck that has focus control, but otherwise manual configuration that makes good 3d feasible for professional indies? I wonder if the acquisition may help this along, or if a product like this might be seen to "cannibalize" the fully automated systems currently being made?

It's definitely exciting times for the high end pros, either way. I am excited to learn and hope it doesn't take too long for the democratization of 3D to begin in earnest... like RED has done for high end digital cinema!

I would say this is unlikely. 3ality and Element Technica have historically been focused on high end markets, high end products and pushing the envelop of both. The manual type of rig Jeffrey describes is not in line with what these markets and productions have been lead to believe they need. While simplifying the rig both mechanically and electronically does have many benefits for many types of productions, it contradicts the raison d'être of the SIP and all its associated hardware and personnel. If you are looking for a rig with a tactile and ergonomic fully mechanical design, offering optional motorization and smaller crew requirements, 21st Century 3D BX3.5 does what you describe and is a lower cost option.

 

[Doug Horton]

After doing two ET features, one on R1/Quasar, and one on Atom/EPIC, and now currently working on my first 3ality feature using the full array of 3alty rigs, I couldn't be more excited. I'm learning every day the advantages of each rig, and am extremely excited to see the development and fusion of what I love about each product. Oh how exciting 2012 will be.