Codex and the ARRI Alexa Family - From Camera to Post
"The Alexa's dynamic range and film-like image quality, coupled with the in-camera Codex recording to 120FPS, is remarkable." Robert Richardson, ASC
Codex has worked closely with ARRI during the development and launch of the Alexa family of cameras. The Codex Onboard Recorder was the first recorder to be certified to record ARRIRAW from the Alexa back at the beginning of 2011 and has since been used on hundreds of feature films and commercials worldwide.
ARRIRAW has become the output of choice for feature films, including The Avengers and Skyfall and Codex recorders have become the recording standard. The ARRI Alexa features a 35MM CMOS bayer sensor. The sensor data is output over T-link to the Codex Onboard Recorder, where it is recorded on a Codex Datapack or Capture Drive. ARRIRAW is 12 bit logarithmic raw Bayer data. The resolution for 16:9 is 2880 x 1620 and for 4:3 it is 2880 x 2160. ARRIRAW can be output and recorded at up to 60FPS for 16:9 and up to 48FPS for 4:3 to an external recorder.
Fast forward to 2013. ARRI and Codex announce the new Alexa XR (extended recording) Module. Building on the success of the Alexa/Codex combination, Codex and ARRI have developed a module that incorporates Codex recording technology directly into the camera. This alleviates the need for cables between the recorder and camera, makes the camera package smaller, and further simplifies ARRIRAW recording. It also enables higher speed ARRIRAW - up to 120FPS for 16:9 and up to 96FPS for 4:3. These developments are bound to intrigue cinematographers and further cement the Alexa/Codex/ARRIRAW workflow as the standard for digital production.
Click here to download the Codex Overview brochure.
Click here for more information about the ARRI Alexa camera and ARRIRAW.
And Codex is not just a recorder - it's an entire workflow to get your images from camera to post. Use a Codex Vault or a Codex Transfer Station to QC your camera originals, manage your metadata, archive your data and produce dailies. And having been the leader in RAW recording for years, it should be obvious that with Codex, "It just works".
The Alexa/Codex/ARRIRAW workflow has been used successfully by the world's leading cinematographers - Robert Richardson, ASC, Roger Deakins, ASC, BSC, Seamus McGarvey, ASC, BSC... the list goes on and on. Seamus McGarvey used Alexa and Codex on The Avengers, his first digital project and had this to say:
"The Avengers was the first movie that I shot digitally. Fortunately, shooting ARRIRAW with the
combination of ARRI Alexa cameras and Codex Onboard Recorders made the transition easy. Everything worked flawlessly and the images look amazing."
Alexa XR and XT
With industrial and engineering design by Codex, the XR Module is an integral part of the new ARRI Alexa XT camera, replacing the previous SxS Module. The XR Module provides several recording options in a single package. ARRIRAW at up to 120FPS (16:9) can be recorded onto a high performance Codex Capture Drive. In addition, Apple ProRes or Avid DNxHD can also be recorded to a Codex Capture Drive, making longer recording times possible (up to 2.1 hours of ProRes 4444 at 24FPS or up to 15 hours of ProRes Proxy). With an SxS adapter, Apple ProRes or Avid DNxHD can be recorded to an SxS Pro card.
The following video was Captured on Codex with an ARRI Alexa XR at 120fps
The Codex XR Capture Drives are identical in form to the current Codex Capture Drives and are compatible with the Codex Vault, Codex Capture Drive Transfer Station and the Codex Capture Drive Dock (USB-3). These provide production-proven options for offloading and moving material from production into post.
The Codex Vault is a modular solution for secure cloning of data, archiving to LTO-5 tape and creating dailies deliverables, with full production reporting. It can run off a battery, making it ideal for on-set or near-set applications. For more information on the Codex Vault, click here.
The Codex Capture Drive Transfer Station is a dual dock that connects to a Mac Pro over a high speed SAS interface for cloning, archiving and dailies creation. For more information on the Codex Capture Drive Transfer Station, click here.
And the Codex Capture Drive Dock (USB-3) allows fast copying of the ARRIRAW data from a Capture Drive onto a laptop over USB-3, along with transcoding for dailies. For more information on the Codex Capture Drive Dock (USB-3), click here.
ARRI Alexa XR Module - video close-ups
A brief video walk-through and introduction to the ARRI Alexa XR module.
> ARRI Alexa XR
> XR Module - Loading and Unloading Capture Drives
Codex + ARRI Workflow
It starts with the stunning images from the ARRI Alexa, recorded on the most reliable recorder on the market. Use Codex for your entire production pipeline, from camera to post, with either the Codex Transfer Station, Codex Capture Drive Dock, or the Codex Vault.
ARRI Alexa XR/XT Workflows
Alexa XR/XT Transfer Station Workflow Download 480KB PDF | View Full screen
Alexa XR/XT Capture Drive Dock (USB-3) Workflow Download 370KB PDF | View Full screen
Alexa XR/XT Vault Workflow Download 540KB PDF | View Full screen
User Guides
22 Nov 2012 ARRIRAW Document Set
12 Nov 2012 4:3 & 16:9 ARRIRAW Quick Settings
22 Nov 2012 Recording 4:3 ARRIRAW
19 Dec 2012 Recording 4:3 ARRIRAW - Pocket Guide
22 Nov 2012 Recording 16:9 ARRIRAW
19 Dec 2012 Recording 16:9 ARRIRAW - Pocket Guide
Alexa XR Module Specifications
MAIN FEATURES
- Upgrade for ALEXA, ALEXA Plus, ALEXA Plus 4:3, Alexa M and Alexa Studio
- Replaces SxS Module with new Alexa XR Module
- Provides In-Camera ARRIRAW, ProRes and DNxHD recording
ARRIRAW RECORDING
- Records ARRIRAW onto Codex XR Capture Drives
- ARRIRAW 16:9 at up to 120 FPS
- ARRIRAW 4:3 at up to 96 FPS (with the release of Alexa SUP 9.0)Capture Drive holds 50 minutes of ARRIRAW 16:9 at 24FPS or 10 minutes of ARRIRAW 16:9 at 120FPS
ProRes AND DNxHD RECORDING
- Record onto either Codex XR Capture Drives or SxS Pro Cards (with SxS Adapter)
- Capture Drive holds 2.12 hours of ProRes 4444 HD 16:9 at 24FPS
Codex Onboard S Specifications
VIDEO INTERFACE
- 2 x 4:4:4 Inputs, 2 x 4:2:2 Inputs, 2 x 3G-SDI
- 1 x 4:4:4 Output, 2 x 4:2:2 Outputs
RECORDING FORMATS
- ARRIRAW
- Canon CinemaRAW
- Uncompressed HD
- Wavelet Encoded HD
SUPPORTED VIDEO FORMATS
- 2048/1920 x 1080 I/PSF 10-/8-BIT YCBYCR 4:2:2 OR 12-/10-/8-BIT RGB 4:4:4 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97, 30 FPS
- 2048/1920 x 1080P 10-/8-BIT YCBYCR 4:2:2 OR 12-/10-/8-BIT 4:4:4 DUAL-LINK 47.96, 48, 50, 59.94, 60, 100, 119.88 FPS
- 1280 x 720P 10-/8-BIT YCBYCR 4:2:2 OR 10-/8-BIT RGB 4:4:4 59.94, 60 FPS
- ARRIRAW 1620P (16:9) 12-BIT BAYER 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97, 30, 48, 50, 59.94, 60 FPS
- ARRIRAW 2160P (4:3) 12-BIT BAYER 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97, 30, 48 FPS
- Canon CinemaRAW 4096/3840 x 2048P 10-BIT BAYER 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97, 50, 59.94 FPS
- Canon CinemaRAW 4096/3840 x 1080P 10-BIT BAYER 50, 59.94, 100, 119.88 FPS
AUDIO INTERFACE
- Embedded Digital Audio I/O (8 channels)
- 3.5mm Stereo Headphone Monitor
SUPPORTED AUDIO FORMATS
- 16/24-Bit at 48 KHZ, HD-SDI Embedded
NETWORK INTERFACE
- 1 x Gigabit Ethernet
CONTROL/SYNC INTERFACES
- 1 x Genlock
- 1 x LTC Timecode
- 1 x GPI Record Trigger
- 1 x RS-422 Control
RECORDING MEDIA
- Solid State 512 GB Capture Drives
CONTROL SURFACE
- Configuration and Recording Using Tactile Control Panel
USER INTERFACE
- Interface Can Be Operated Locally Or Remotely From A Computer
ENVIRONMENTAL
- Power: 12 - 34 Volts DC Lemo
- Size: Width 5.47"/139 mm, Length 7.39"/187.6mm, Height 3.26"/82.8mm
- Weight: 2.4lbs/1.1Kgs
- Operating Temperature: 5-40 Degrees C
Click here for supporting documentation - datasheets, user guides, manuals.
Codex ARRIRAW sample footage
The footage on these downloads set was originated on an ARRI Alexa Plus camera with Leica lenses, and captured using a Codex Onboard recorder.
All files have been generated using Codex software and contain the following file types:
Footage 1
ari - RAW sensor data files containing extended metadata at the original 2880x1620 capture resolution. These files are natively supported by many post-production tools.
mov - Debayered files compressed as ProRes 422 for editing. A colour corrective LUT has been applied.
dpx - Debayered files in the original native LogC gamut. Select frames from each clip are included at 2880x1620 resolution both with and without sharpening.
alexa-ari+mov.zip (3.2GB Zip)
Footage 2
dpx - Debayered files in the original native LogC gamut. All material is included at 2048x1154 resolution with sharpening applied.
alexa-dpx.zip (3.4GB Zip)
All material copyright Codex Digital Ltd 2011. All Rights Reserved.
IMAGE GALLERY
Click on the thumbnail images below to download in high-resolution. These images are maximum quality RGB jpgs at 300dpi. Please contact Codex for additional information or alternative versions of any of these images.
ARRI ALEXA XR
ARRI ALEXA AND CODEX ONBOARD S RECORDER
