Blackmagic Design URSA Mini Firmware 4.0 Public Beta – Exclusive First Impressions

News

by Johnnie BehiriAugust 16^th, 2016

The Blackmagic Design URSA Mini Firmware 4.0 is finally available for download as a public beta, and we were lucky enough to download and install it on both our 4.6K and 4K URSAs before its official release. This massive yet FREE update was first announced during NAB 2016, and will allow users to control their camera in a more precise and intuitive way.

By the time you read this news piece, Sebastian will have already arrived in Switzerland and performed his first test flying the URSA Mini 4.6K on the new DJI M600 drone.  We managed to update the camera just before his departure, although we encountered some difficulties and needed 3 attempts on 3 different computers in order to succeed. (I can confirm that the problem was due to a faulty USB connector. Blackmagic Design sent us a replacement camera and the update went without a snitch.) Interestingly, the process was very straight forward with the URSA Mini 4K. Please share your experience with us in case you’re having some troubles too.

Moving on, kudos to Blackmagic Design’s software developers for managing to create a neat and clear user interface which almost makes you believe you have a brand new camera to play with.

The new layout is nice and logical, with very easy access to all major parameters. The new Heads Up Display includes most if not all settings needed for daily operation, saving the camera operator so much time from fiddling with the menu.

As the list of improvements is very long and we could have dozens of pictures to demonstrate those changes, I’ll leave you to read what is new (see below) and urge anyone who has the URSA Mini to download the update and experience the (Black) magic by themselves. If you are a professional working with the URSA Mini in either 4K or 4.6K, don’t forget to share your experience working with the new firmware with us. Your feedback counts and will be shared with the relevant people at Blackmagic Design. To get the new Blackmagic Design URSA Mini Firmware 4.0 public beta, please click here. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! 

Blackmagic Design URSA Mini Firmware 4.0 Features

Here is the full list of what’s new in Blackmagic Camera Setup 4.0 Public Beta for URSA Mini 4.6K and 4K: 

Blackmagic URSA Mini 4.6K and 4K 

• New URSA Mini OS.

• New heads up display.

• New menu system to allow faster operation.

• New monitoring options separately configurable for different SDI outputs.

• Added ability to load 3D LUTs (Look Up Table) for monitoring.

• Added ability to save and load camera settings presets.

New Heads Up Display Features

• Swipe up or down to show and hide the heads up display.

• Added pan-able focus zoom.

• Added ability to change frame rate directly from heads up display.

• Added ability to change iris from heads up display on electronic lenses.

• Added ability to toggle timecode or duration from heads up display.

• Added ability to toggle favorite off-speed frame rate quickly.

• Added ability to change shutter angle from heads up display.

• Added flicker free shutter angle suggestions.

• Added manual shutter angle option for up to 2 decimal places.

• Added indicators for genlock, timecode status, and sensor window in heads up display.

• Added ability to change ISO from heads up display.

• Added ability to change white balance from heads up display.

• Added white balance presets including daylight, tungsten, fluorescent, mixed lighting, and overcast.

• Added tint control.

• Added auto white balance feature.

• Added audio input and headphone level control from the heads up display.

• Added media status page for formatting cards and media information.

• Added ability to toggle battery indicator from heads up display.

• Added monitoring option controls from heads up display including zebra, focus assist, frame guide and grids.

New Metadata Features

• Improved slate and metadata functionality.

• Added lens data information to slate metadata.

• Added auto-fill lens metadata from electronically controllable lenses.

• Changed slate shortcut from a single tap to a sideways swipe on the LCD.

New Record Features

• Added additional ProRes resolutions for URSA Mini 4.6K including 4.6K 16×9, 4.6K 2.4:1, 4K DCI, 3K Anamorphic, 2K 16×9 and 2K DCI.

• Added additional RAW resolutions for URSA Mini 4.6K including 4.6K 2.4:1, 4K 16×9, 3K Anamorphic, 2K 16×9 and HD.

• Added option to select the preferred card for recording.

New Monitor Features

• Improved screen colorimetry for the built in LCD.

• Added ability to switch 3D LUT on and off for each output individually.

• Added ability to switch false color, zebras, focus assist, frame guides, grids and safe area guide on or off for each output individually.

• Added clean feed toggle for each output.

• Added program tally indicator for the built in LCD and Front SDI when using ATEM.

• Added monitoring option for tally, crosshairs and centre dot as part of grids.

• Added 14:9 frame guides.

• Added configurable safe area guides.

• Expanded options for focus assist to include red, green, blue, black and white as well as peaking.

• Added option for viewing codec and resolution setting instead of meters on the built in LCD.

New Settings Features

• Added ability to program function buttons as a preset for frame rate, iris, white balance, ISO or shutter angle.

• Added ability to program function buttons for Up or Down frame rate, iris, white balance, ISO or shutter angle.

• Added ability to program function buttons as a toggle for clean feed, display LUT, frame guides, focus assist, false color, zebra, grids, safe area guides, off-speed and color bars.

• Added flicker free shutter frequency selection for 50Hz or 60Hz.

• Added support for drop frame timecode.

• Added ability to trigger color bars from camera.

• Added factory reset function.

• Added hardware ID display.

• Added software version display.

New Presets Features

• Added ability to create up to 12 global camera settings presets.

• Added ability import and export camera presets to CFast media.

New 3D LUT Features

• Added ability to monitor with 3D LUTs.

• Added ability to import 3D LUT from CFast media.

• Added ability to store up to 6 custom 17 point or 33 point LUTs into the camera’s internal flash memory.

• Added the ability to export one of the camera’s 3D LUTs to CFast media so you can pass the 3D LUT to a colorist or editor.

• Added ability to delete 3D LUT from camera’s internal memory.

New General Features 

• Improved timecode functionality for external timecode and jam timecode.

• Improved white balance performance.

• Added option for single clip or all clip playback.

• Added loop playback feature.

Blackmagic URSA Viewfinder

• Improved colorimetry for viewfinder.

• Improved proximity sensor sensitivity.

• Improved proximity sensor timeout settings.

• Improved frame guide appearance.

• Added support for URSA Mini OS metadata settings.

• Added support for new frame guides, safe area guides and grids.

• Added menu items for configuring overlay settings.