Thunderbolt devices make surprise CES appearance

MOTU HDX-SDI

Mark of the Unicorn first confirmed they would be developing a Thunderbolt product back at last year's NAB show, but since then it's been pretty quiet on that front. CES 2012 saw them backing up their claim with a brand new video capture device which takes advantage of Apple and Intel's speedy port technology.

OK, so this isn't exactly a brand new device, rather MOTU has added a Thunderbolt port to the existing HDX-SDI HDMI and analogue video interface. But why mess with a winning formula? The new hardware still captures uncompressed HD with 10-bit color depth and 1920x1080 resolution (for compressed workflows, they say, users can choose ProRes, ProRes HQ, Avid DNxHD, or the codec of their choice). Add in Thunderbolt connectivity and you've got a super-quick and powerful video workstation in the making.

Pricing and availability (some time in Spring) is still to be confirmed, but you can ensure you're first in line by pre-ordering the MOTU HDX-SDI HDMI and analogue Thunderbolt interface here.

Intensity Shuttle

Blackmagic Design was also in attendance at CES this year, launching a new Thunderbolt-friendly video capture device. The Intensity Shuttle with Thunderbolt, as with MOTU's interface, takes an already great video capture device and adds the new port. So now you can capture directly from the your camera's CCD via HDMI or analogue then offload it to your workstation even faster than before.

Availability and pricing is still sketchy, but going on the list price for the USB 3.0 version (around £140), the updated model looks like it will be one of the lowest-priced Thunderbolt video capture devices around. You can pre-order the Blackmagic Design Intensity Shuttle Thunderbolt device here.

In other news, after a long wait, AJA's Io XT Thunderbolt I/O will finally be shipping before Spring! This is great news for editors who are looking for a professional video capture device. The main selling point for this is the two Thunderbolt ports, allowing you to connect to your Thunderbolt-enabled Mac with one, and use the other to daisy-chain storage or displays.

For further information on the MOTU HDX-SDI HDMI and analogue Thunderbolt interface or the Blackmagic Design Intensity Shuttle Thunderbolt device, call us on 03332 409 306, email broadcast@Jigsaw24.com or browse our full broadcast and post-production range. You can also keep up with the latest news by following @JigsawVideo on Twitter or 'Like'-ing our Facebook page.