Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive

Design is integrated throughout Blackmagic Design’s entire development cycle, leveraged at every stage of the creation process, collaboratively and fluidly across disciplines. Hardware and software are developed in unison, informing each other dynamically to create consistent, memorable experiences across various product categories.

This non-linear process also drives product cycles that are faster, more flexible and more efficient than many other brands in the space. On-going consultation with industry leaders and extensive observation of the ways in which people work and the environments they operate in allows us to deliver more carefully considered, empathetic solutions attuned to specific workflow needs.

The development of an immersive, stereoscopic video camera system began in with a simple question: how do we replicate the three-dimensional depth and perspective of natural human vision mechanically, optically and ergonomically?

Unlike traditional ‘3D’ cameras, which offer a disconnected, passive viewing experience through the use of expensive, complex mirror rigs, URSA Cine Immersive leverages a pair of bespoke lens arrays, each with its own proprietary Blackmagic 8K image sensor and independent ND filter.

Meticulously engineered and calibrated to precisely simulate human binocular vision, its fixed focal length, extremely wide field of view and crystal clear image quality offers viewers a sense of viewing autonomy, fully immersing them in any given scene.

URSA Cine Immersive revolutionises the way we consume visual media. It democratises previously unattainable experiences, affording anyone the opportunity to play an integral part in cinematic storylines, discover exotic travel destinations, or take part in exclusive live events first-hand and in vivid detail.

Whether it’s watching the Super Bowl from the sideline, climbing Mt Everest or accompanying Taylor Swift on a world tour, URSA Cine Immersive will allow people to experience things they could previously only dream of, unencumbered by physical limitations or carbon footprints of excessive international travel.

The purposeful aesthetics of URSA Cine Immersive evolved naturally from the specific functional requirements of this unique format. Personified by the integrated stereoscopic optical system the facetted surfaces ensure the camera body is not captured by the two extremely wide-angle custom lenses.

Four ‘time of flight’ sensors on the perimeter of the camera turret alert filmmakers to close objects and movement likely to cause discomfort to viewers. Behind the lenses a tapered, protruding enclosure houses a custom dual ND filter system for instant, simultaneous adjustment to changing lighting conditions.

Magnetic encoders and electronic control loops create a more compact system, allowing for better integration in the URSA Cine platform, with less mechanical parts ensuring on-going reliability.

The modular architecture of URSA Cine - the first digital film camera with ultra-fast high capacity Cloud Store technology built in - is designed to cope with ultra-high resolution images and extremely high frame rates, ensuring the speed to market and manufacturing viability of URSA Cine Immersive.

With dual 8K image sensors and the exponential processing demands of such large volumes of video data, enhanced thermal management was required to effectively dissipate potentially damaging levels of heat, without the need to re-design the original URSA Cine chassis and hardware.

The removable Blackmagic Media Module houses 4 cutting-edge 2TB M.2 cards for a massive 8TB of storage, enabling high-speed continuous recording at the highest resolutions and frame rates for over 4 hours. Each module has integrated heatsinks that counteract heat and ensure ongoing stability.

Typical 3D video is captured with complex ‘mirror rigs’, which are extremely expensive, laborious to set up and susceptible to small disturbances. As a practical filmmaking system this is highly problematic and generally leads to more passive viewing experiences.

Developed in collaboration with Apple, URSA Cine Immersive is the world’s first commercially available camera system capable of producing content for Vision Pro spatial computers. A fully self-contained, ‘plug and play’ solution featuring integrated dual lenses and proprietary 8K image sensors, it’s unique design is driven by comprehensive anthropomorphic research and biometric data.

The inter-axial pitch between lenses mimics the natural inter-pupillary distance of human eyes and leverages a fixed focal length replicating the range of vision required to immerse a viewer thoroughly in their environment.

To create a truly immersive camera system in commercial production volumes at a reasonable cost, innovative engineering strategies were required to overcome various technical and practical hurdles.

‘Regular’ cinema cameras - with a single image sensor and detachable third-party lenses - limit critical engineering tolerances to a single, linear dimension that is easily accounted for with accurate processing and lens mount shims. URSA Cine Immersive required a completely new assembly and calibration method to deal with the optical challenges that increase exponentially with a multi-axial tolerance stack of stereoscopic lens systems.

To achieve a fully immersive experience, sub-pixel sensor alignment through X (Tilt), Y (Yaw) and Z (Clocking) axis’ creates undistorted, crystal-clear, natural-looking 8K images in each eye that are virtually indistinguishable from reality.

URSA Cine Immersive is one of the most significant innovations in video technology since the invention of film, ushering in a new creative era for cinematographers. Opening a vast array of untapped perspectives and non-linear narrative techniques that simply weren’t possible before, it inspires profound and unique experiences that will transform audiences from detached external ‘viewers’ into active participants, fully engaged within the world of their story.

Live broadcasters will challenge traditional perspectives, creating experiences that draw viewers deep into the heart of the action for unprecedented viewer access and involvement.

Consider riding with Oscar Piastri as his McLaren hurtles around Monaco, or witnessing the NBA finals from courtside with Jay-Z and Beyonce.

Documentary makers could explore the Amazon, side-by-side with viewers surrounded by the jungle. Perhaps they could travel back in time, walking among the dinosaurs or participating in major historical events.

URSA Cine Immersive encourages inclusive, visually rich and emotionally engaging story-telling techniques, enabling audiences to walk in other people’s shoes. It builds stronger emotional connections to real-world issue like climate change and mental illness, while indigenous, local or marginalised communities can preserve and share their cultures in a more meaningful way, generating awareness and empathy through first-hand, intimate engagement with audiences.

By faithfully simulating real-world experiences, URSA Cine Immersive reduces emissions from global travel and transportation while reducing strain on over-touristed landmarks, sacred sites and nature reserves. Via seamless virtual conferences, exhibitions and site visits, business travel – and its associated environmental impact - is also minimised.