Blackmagic Design NAB 2017 Software Updates for URSA Mini Pro and Video Assist

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by Olaf von VossMay 10^th, 2017

Alongside the major announcement of DaVinci Resolve 14, Blackmagic Design also revealed some nice software updates for their URSA Mini Pro and the Video Assist line of products at NAB. Let’s have quick look at what’s new.

Blackmagic Design URSA Mini Pro

The Blackmagic Design URSA Mini Pro has one feature you probably didn’t know about: it actually has Bluetooth built in. Blackmagic Design will release a software update in June which will enable you to connect an app to the camera via Bluetooth.

You will be able to edit metadata without having to touch the camera, among many other features. The app also allows you to control multiple Mini Pros, making it possible to pull off a whole live setup with multiple cameras but limited crew. I would personally prefer one skilled operator behind each camera, though.

The company will also release an accompanying API, making this announcement even more exciting if you happen to be gifted with coding skills. By giving you access to the whole source code of that app, Blackmagic allows you to dive in and learn how they handle the Bluetooth control protocol so you can program your own custom app tailored to your needs. Very nice move I would say, and I’m curious to see the kind of results we will get from this.

Blackmagic Design Video Assist

Two upcoming software updates have been announced at this year’s NAB show. Version 2.4, available as of now, enables multiple language support for the Video Assist line of monitors/recorders. You just have to hook up the device to your computer via USB in order to choose the preferred language.

The next update, version 2.5, is a little more exciting and is all about scopes: waveform, RGB parade, histogram, vectorscope, you name it. It’s even possible to keep a smaller version of the live image on screen or, what’s even better, you can blend the opacity of the scopes over the live image.

Unfortunately, Version 2.5 will only support the Video Assist 4K model and you’ll have to wait a bit longer as it will only be available from June. Although it’s a great update for the 7″ model and really expands the fields of application for this recorder/monitor, I’m not really sure what this means for the 5″ model. Maybe version 2.4 is the last update for the little one in the current lineup.

Read all about these updates here: URSA mini pro | Video Assist

Are you a proud owner of a Blackmagic Design URSA Mini Pro or a Video Assist? Can you see your workflow benefitting from these updates? Share your thoughts in the comments below!