AJA launches ColorBox

AJA have debuted ColorBox, its portable device with LUT processing capabilities that delivers accurate colour space conversions for live broadcast, live events, on-set production and post-production.

ColorBox enables DITs to load, modify and save looks, and create reference images for dailies, to ensure colour accuracy across all production processes and creative stages of production and post-production. 

ColorBox arrives as more productions are standardising on 4K UltraHD HDR, with colour and LUT management proving essential to creating and achieving looks for live and scripted content.

ColorBox offers five modes, with one active at any given time. These are: 

●    AJA Color Pipeline (ACP)

●    Colorfront

●    ORION-CONVERT(Optional license - watermarked preview)

●    BBC HLG LUT (Optional license - watermarked preview)

●    NBCU LUT

ColorBox offers SDR/HDR/WCG color transforms for many applications. Its features include pre-processed image capture or post-processed output capture for reference stills with overlaid metadata, such as video payload IDs, pipeline configuration, and customisable user text. 

These frame captures can be saved locally and exported to the configuration PC running the web browser-based ColorBox user interface. 

12G-SDI and HDMI 2.0 outputs provide up to 4K/UHD video for local monitoring, and an additional 12G-SDI loop through output is available for connecting the unaltered source to other devices.

“The new Colorfront Mode in AJA’s new ColorBox offers state of the art conversions between SDR and HDR content,” says William Feightner, CTO, Colorfront. “As opposed to traditional LUT-based processing, the Colorfront Engine’s Human Perceptual Model algorithm assures flawless artifact-free conversions. This ensures the preservation of creative intent.”

Pablo Garcia Soriano, Cromorama’s founder and head of color, adds: “Now with the implementation of ORION-CONVERT in AJA’s new ColorBox we can finally use optimised floating point processing that provides greater precision than can be achieved using standard LUT solutions.”

AJA president Nick Rashby, said: “Reliable, high-end colour processing and display have become essential to creating scripted and live content that resonates with audiences, and AJA developed ColorBox in response to this demand. Drawing on an extensive engineering background in HDR and conversion technology, as well as third-party partnerships with experts in colour science, we’ve delivered a flexible image processing toolset in this device. ColorBox streamlines color management and display for environments ranging from TV, episodic, film, live event and commercial production to creative, editorial, and finishing studios, and we’re thrilled to bring it to market.”

ColorBox is available now for US$1,995 (£1,730) with optional licenses for the BBC HLG LUT pipeline and ORION-CONVERT pipeline.