AJA ColorBox

ColorBox from AJA is a compact, high performance converter for color managed workflows designed to specifically meet the conversion needs of broadcast, live events, and on-set applications.  Supporting Standard Dynamic Range (SDR), High Dynamic Range (HDR), and Wide Color Gamut (WCG) signals, it utilizes 12G-SDI and HDMI 2.0 for single wire 4K/UltraHD HDR up to 4:2:2 10-bit 60p or 4:4:4 12-bit 30p with a unique color processing pipeline.

Built around a 33-point 3D LUT processor with tetrahedral interpolation, AJA Color Pipeline provides additional 4x 1D LUTs and 2x 3x3 matrices that are each individually configurable even as Proc Amps or RGB Color Correctors. Easily manage color processing options via the web user interface, which can be accessed directly from a wired Ethernet connection or through a wireless connection via a third party WiFi USB adapter.

ColorBox also includes processing pipeline modes from Colorfront and NBCU LUTs, as well as the powerful AJA Color Pipeline. ColorBox also expands its capabilities by offering licensable upgrade options for advanced color managed workflows, including the Colorfront Engine, BBC HLG LUTs, and ORION-CONVERT. ORION-CONVERT’s unique real time floating point math approach to color transforms produces higher precision results to get “access to the colors between the colors.” This enables pixel perfect color transforms and round tripping where maintaining colors is paramount. 

ColorBox also offers a sophisticated test pattern generator and frame store, bringing useful tools to your workflow, including the ability to capture up to a 4K image as a 16-bit .tiff file for the highest quality reference stills. ColorBox can even overlay information onto the image, including helpful user definable text fields and user loaded overlays. These captures can be saved locally on ColorBox or onto connected PCs running applications like Pomfort’s Livegrade Pro/Studio, Assimilate Live Looks, and QTAKE Video Assist software.

Hardware

ColorBox features elegant design, with the front panel offering:

• USB OTG (on-the-go) port, configure initial IP address or connect third party WiFi adapter
• Select Button, manually bypass video processing
• Power Button, save power when not in use
• SDI Lock LED, indicates lock to supported SDI input format
• Status LED, indicates various ColorBox states

The rear provides:

• 12G-SDI Input
• 12G-SDI loop through output
• 12G-SDI Output
• HDMI 2.0 Output
• 4-pin mini-XLR power
• 1x GigE port
• The ultra quiet fan and properly positioned vents draw cool air through the front of the unit and exhausts warm air out of the back.

Integration Across Broad Applications

ColorBox offers key applications for modern workflows, including:

4K/UltraHD SDR and HDR pipelines for live television and concert production. OB trucks and other live event infrastructure can easily use ColorBox to convert SDR signals to HDR and HDR to other delivery formats. The licensable Colorfront, ORION-CONVERT and BBC HLG LUTs options as well as the free built-in Colorfront transforms and NBCU LUTs provide all the necessary tools to manage HDR workflows. For hardware based control, SKAARHOJ and CyanView have integrated native control of ColorBox into their control panels.

On-set look management and color grading for DITs or anyone in charge of ensuring that the content captured on-set will meet the needs of the Cinematographer, Director of Photography, colorist, costume and lighting designers, and editors on the production. A DIT can easily manage workflows to load multiple looks, make adjustments as needed and save reference images (up to 4K) for dailies, postproduction, and later use. Pomfort’s Livegrade Pro and Studio, Assimilate's Live Looks and Live Assist, as well as QTAKE Video Assist software integrate easily, offering native control of ColorBox in real time.  The unique full frame processing capability of ColorBox eliminates partial frame LUT processing.

Monitor Calibration. Wherever the highest quality display calibration is required for a production studio, rental house, production or postproduction facility, ColorBox can help. ColorBox features an extensive API that allows third parties, like Light Illusion's ColourSpace and Portrait Displays' Calman, to control the ColorBox Frame Store and its ability to output 12-bit RGB test patches for high quality monitor calibration applications.

Compact Form Factor
ColorBox is just 4in. x 7.5in., requiring a small footprint on your desktop or you can rack mount up to four ColorBox devices in just 1RU with AJA’s 1RU Utility Shelf for easy addition to both production and post installations, in DIT carts, fly away kits, and equipment racks. It is also lightweight at just 1 lb. making it perfect for DIT and mobile applications.

Pipelines
ColorBox comes with a range of Pipelines to choose from. Select any particular Pipeline for your production needs. Some Pipelines are designed specifically for live broadcast or live event needs. Others, like the AJA Color Pipeline, offer great flexibility for more control over each step of a transform for any application. Pipelines like Colorfront, ORION-CONVERT, or BBC HLG LUTs will display a watermark over the image until a license is applied offering you the ability to evaluate the color science prior to purchasing the optional license. ColorBox offers unique image processing capabilities with an unrivaled array of options for a device of its type with full 12-bit 4:4:4 up to 4K 30p and 10-bit 4:2:2 up to 4K 60p. Full bypass nodes are also offered for both 12G-SDI and HDMI 2.0 outputs, for quick comparisons.

These are the five Pipelines available:

• AJA Color
• Colorfront (requires License to remove watermark for some features)
• ORION-CONVERT (requires License to remove watermark)
• BBC HLG LUTs (requires License to remove watermark)
• NBCU LUTs

Powerful AJA Color Pipeline (ACP)
AJA Color Pipeline provides users with the most advanced color management tools available for a device of its type.  With 7 nodes of real time processing plus Overlay, the pipeline offers capabilities only seen in software based color correction applications. These nodes give you full control over color space, video level, and dynamic range conversion to get the most out of your color managed workflow.  Dynamic nodes are controllable by third party applications.

• 7x processing nodes plus Overlay
• Pipeline processes in 12-bit RGB
• 1x 3D LUT, user configurable as 3D LUT or Dynamic
  • 33pt. 3D LUT processor with tetrahedral interpolation
• 4x 1D LUT, user configurable as 1D LUT, Dynamic, or Color Corrector
  • Supports 10 or 12-bit 1D LUTs
• 2x 3x3 Matrices, user configurable as 3x3 Matrix, Dynamic, or Proc Amp
• Supports industry standard file types, no conversion to proprietary format required
• Configurable Color Space, Range, and Transfer Characteristic
• Full frame LUT processing
• Full bypass node for 12G-SDI and HDMI 2.0

This toolset enables workflows to be set up and easily replicated utilizing ColorBox preset import and export capabilities.

33pt 3D LUT Processor with Tetrahedral Interpolation
This primary 33pt. 3D LUT uses tetrahedral interpolation for the highest accuracy conversion. 3D LUTs provide full volumetric non-linear color adjustment and a 33pt 3D LUT is a requirement for HDR workflows. Very useful for calibration purposes as the controls can respond to all possible calibration errors. Similarly, high end movie and television productions depend on 3D LUT processing for look generation, distribution, and management.  When set to Dynamic, the 3D LUT is fully controllable through third party software like Pomfort Livegrade, Assimilate Live Looks, and QTAKE Video Assist.

1D LUTs
Flexibility is key in production and post, with four 1D LUTs it is easy to manage your color processing pipeline to get the best possible image. 1D LUTs are commonly used as “shaper LUTs” wrapping around the 3D LUT.  The front shaper 1D LUT allows you to map perceptually significant values, typically the darker part of the color space, to use more of the 3D LUT transform data set resulting in a more effective use of the 3D LUT to produce a better image. The backside shaper 1D LUT is usually the inverse of the front, mapping pixel values into the original dynamic range. 1D LUTs can also be effectively used as log-to-linear and linear-to-log transforms. In the AJA Color Pipeline, 1D LUTs can even be set up as RGB Color Correctors for color correcting a source before 3D LUT processing, this is a common workflow in live production applications.

3x3 Matrices
ColorBox’s two 3x3 Matrices provide the operator a means to perform different color processing tasks outside of a LUT using their own 3x3 matrix files. 3x3 Matrices are commonly used for color space conversion, for example between RGB and XYZ or YUV, BT. 709 and BT. 2020, or other color spaces with different primaries.  A 3x3 Matrix can be used to color balance a signal if the white balance is off.  They can also be used for look creation such as film emulation.  In the AJA Color Pipeline, 3x3 Matrices can even be set up as Proc Amps for adjusting a signal’s Gain, Black level, Hue, and Saturation before 3D LUT processing, this is a common workflow in live production applications.

Colorfront Pipeline
The ColorBox HDR/WCG capabilities leverage video and color space processing algorithms within the Colorfront Engine, specially licensed by AJA from Colorfront, and developed by Colorfront’s CTO Bill Feightner and Lead Engineer Tamas Perlaki.  Colorfront offers a color processing pipeline with set and forget SDR and HDR transforms designed for use wherever HDR productions are performed. The Colorfront pipeline includes:

• Built-in SDR, HLG, and PQ transforms
• Licensable upgrade to access the full TV Mode and Live Mode
• Optimized transforms designed for broadcast
• Maintains perceptual integrity
• Full bypass node for 12G-SDI and HDMI 2.0
• Support for ITU BT.2408, Operational Practices in HDR Television Production

NBCU LUTs Pipeline
NBCU LUTs, developed by NBCUniversal Media, LLC in collaboration with Cromorama, enable a workflow for single-master live production of simultaneous HDR and SDR content.  Designed for television broadcasters, NBCU LUTs include SDR, HLG and PQ LUTs that maximize the dynamic range and color volume in HDR, without compromising core SDR broadcasts.

• Imperceptible round-tripping of SDR BT.709
• Conversions designed with a knee that is natural with latitude for live video shading
• Scene-light and Display-light conversions
• SDR, HLG, and PQ conversions
• Utilizes 33 point Tetrahedral 3D LUT Interpolation
• Proc Amp and Color Corrector
• Full bypass node for 12G-SDI and HDMI 2.0
• Support for ITU BT.2408, Operational Practices in HDR Television Production

NBCU LUT Conversions

• 1-NBCU_SDR2HLG_DL_v1.1, SDR UpMap to HLG using Display Light
• 2-NBCU_SDR2HLG_SL_v1, SDR to HLG using Scene Light
• 3-NBCU_HLG2SDR_DL_v1.1, HLG to SDR using Display Light
• 4-NBCU_SDR2PQ_DL_v1, SDR UpMap to PQ using Display Light
• 5-NBCU_PQ2SDR_DL_v1, PQ to SDR using Display Light
• 7-NBCU_HLG10002PQ_v1, HLG 1000 Nits to PQ

This toolset enables HDR workflows to be set up and easily replicated utilizing ColorBox preset import and export capabilities.

Licensable Options
ColorBox offers a number of ways to further enhance your workflows with SDR/HDR WCG transforms from key third party developers and broadcasters. Paying only for what you need makes ColorBox very cost effective.

Colorfront Pipeline Options
Colorfront’s new TV Mode and Live Mode are now available in both FS-HDR and as a licensable option in ColorBox. TV Mode is an intuitive color processing engine aimed at broadcast workflows that contains the built-in SDR, HLG and PQ transforms.

When licensed, it provides operators access to new Brightness, Highlight, Super Highlight, and Colorfulness tools that enable greater control over critical elements in color conversions. With them, get controlled corrections within the guardrails of Colorfront’s perceptual processing algorithm, which will maintain perceived color, hue, and saturation without hard clipping artifacts. TV Mode also includes Sony S-Log3 conversions as part of the license upgrade, which have proven advantageous in modern live production applications. 

The same license also enables Colorfront Live Mode, which includes several camera Log formats beyond SDR, HLG and PQ like the new ARRI LogC4.

Optional License $995 US MSRP

Colorfront Engine TV Mode
Colorfront Engine TV Mode provides specific conversions and simplified controls for highlight and roll-off management in live television broadcast productions.

• SDR, HLG, PQ, and Sony S-Log3 transforms
• Highlight and roll-off management with Brightness, Highlight, and Super Highlight
• Colorfulness control for managing the Hunt Effect
• Roundtrip setting for ensuring a technical match during a round trip process
• Adjusting R,G,B, and Master color controls for:
• Lift, Gamma, and Gain
• Adjusting for camera correction with Exposure, Color Temp, and Tint

Colorfront Engine Live Mode
Colorfront Engine Live Mode provides conversions and controls that support live applications such as broadcast, OTT, A/V, and venue.

• SDR, HLG, PQ, and Sony, ARRI, RED, Panasonic, and Canon transforms
• HDR Log Look, SDR Softness, HDR Amount, Ambient Light Compensation, P3 Clamp
• Adjusting R,G,B, and Master color controls for:
• Lift, Gamma, and Gain
• Adjusting for camera correction with Exposure, Color Temp, and Tint

ORION-CONVERT Pipeline
ORION-CONVERT brings the power of Cromorama color science to real time hardware based conversion. This same color science is responsible for the Emmy nominated and IBC 2021 Special Award winning NBCU LUT based HDR-SDR broadcast workflows, as well as UEFA Euro 2020, Tokyo 2020 Olympics, FIFA 2021 Arab Cup, Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, and the FIFA 2022 Qatar World Cup amongst others. 

ORION-CONVERT offers the necessary tools for broadcasters to create and deliver the HDR and SDR content consumers expect from a single master HDR workflow by providing critical controls required to set up the right conversion for your production. By being able to set the HDR and SDR reference anchor points in an HDR to SDR conversion, you can target an SDR program output that suits your market's SDR display needs. You can target 200 nits SDR resulting in a much more representative image for the camera shader and a more vibrant HDR image for the viewer at home or target a perceptual match at 100 nits SDR. Also, in an HDR to SDR conversion, the unique 2 stage knee offers a pre-conversion compression in HDR only and a post-conversion compression in SDR only providing very effective roll off management control. The new Gamma Compensation feature applies the optional OOTF (as described in section 5.1 of ITU-R BT.2408-5) to compensate for the subjective change in appearance between SDR and HDR ensuring compatibility between different color conversion philosophies.

This is a licensable upgrade and includes:

• Conversions utilizing floating point math for higher precision results
• SDR, HLG, and PQ transforms
• Scene-light and Display-light modes
• 2-stage Knee adjustment for pre and post conversion compression or expansion
  • Compression amount control in HDR to SDR conversions
  • Expansion amount control in SDR to HDR conversions
• Configurable SDR and HDR reference anchor points
• HDR Peak Nit sets the system gamma for display light conversions
• Gamma Compensation setting to compensate for the subjective change in appearance between SDR and HDR
• Easy to configure pixel perfect round tripping
• Clamping options
• Full bypass node for 12G-SDI and HDMI
• Support for ITU BT.2408, Operational Practices in HDR Television Production

This toolset enables HDR workflows to be set up and easily replicated utilizing ColorBox preset import and export capabilities.

Optional License $695 US MSRP

BBC HLG LUT Pipeline
BBC HLG LUTs Pipeline offers additional functionality that adds field proven HDR conversion options, particularly for television broadcasters who are looking for specific conversion criteria.  This mode provides an RGB Color Corrector and Proc Amp to color correct the signal prior to conversion.

This is a licensable option and includes v1.6 BBC HLG LUTs:

• SDR, PQ, and S-Log3 to HLG
• HLG to SDR and PQ
• Scene-light and Display-light conversions
• Utilizes 33 point Tetrahedral 3D LUT Interpolation
• Proc Amp and Color Corrector
• Full bypass node for 12G-SDI and HDMI 2.0
• Support for mathematical HLG HDR dynamic range mapping per ITU BT.2408

BBC HLG LUT Conversions:

• SDR Scene Referred (SR) to HLG
• SDR Scene Referred (SR) to HLG Strict
• SDR Scene Referred (SR) UpMap to HLG
• SDR Scene Referred (SR) UpMap to HLG Strict
• SDR Display Referred (DR) to HLG
• SDR Display Referred (DR) UpMap to HLG
• SDR BT.2020 Display Referred (DR) to HLG
• SDR BT.2020 Display Referred (SR) UpMap to HLG
• PQ 1000 Nits Display Referred (DR) to HLG
• PQ 4000 Nits Display Referred (DR) to HLG
• S-Log3 100% Scene Referred (SR) to HLG
• S-Log3 200% Scene Referred (SR Live) to HLG
• HLG to SDR Scene Referred (SR)
• HLG to SDR Scene Referred (SR) Strict
• HLG to SDR Display Referred (DR) Color Appearance Model (CAM)
• HLG to SDR Display Referred (DR) Super White
• HLG to PQ 1000 Nits Display Referred (DR)
• HLG to SDR BT.2020 Display Referred(DR) Super White
• SDR Scene Referred (SR) to HLG to SDR Display Referred (DR)

This toolset enables HDR workflows to be set up and easily replicated utilizing ColorBox preset import and export capabilities.

Optional License $145 US MSRP

Ultra Low Latency
ColorBox processing takes no time at all. With total latency less than half of a video line, a live signal can be processed and output in real time to meet the critical + - half line input timing requirement of most production switchers. This also reduces lip sync issues in live event productions where every frame counts and anywhere low latency video processing is required. Applications span from IMAG to LED Volumes to in-camera VFX and everywhere in between.

4K/UltraHD Frame Capture and Recall
Unique to a device in its class, ColorBox has incredible frame capture and recall up to 4K/UltraHD 16-bit .tiff files allowing you to capture pre or post processed reference images. Multiple use cases are possible, from VFX composite checks, to look comparisons between takes to ensure consistency, and general reference image capture, recall and import/export to validate the color processing pipeline. Frames can be stored locally on ColorBox for easy access or saved directly to a computer running third party software like Livegrade and Assimilate. Capture or recall up to 16 full resolution images locally with an option to include the Overlay if needed. If the resolution of the image doesn’t match your target format, ColorBox can even scale it to fit.

Test Pattern Generator
ColorBox can also output standard test patterns, without the need for an active input. ColorBox test patterns can be used in any number of scenarios where a test signal is needed rather than a source signal. The test patterns are configurable to output a wide range of video formats and frame rates.

RGB Color Correction and Proc Amp
In AJA Color Pipeline, the 1D LUTs can be configured as a RGB Color Corrector and the 3x3 matrices as a Proc Amp.  This allows for source color correction and image control prior to or after performing a 3D LUT transform ensuring the best possible conversion. BBC HLG LUTs and NBCU LUTs pipelines also offer a RGB Color Corrector and Proc Amp prior to 3D LUT processing.

Advanced ANC Metadata Management and Overlay
ColorBox offers several important features, from overlaying selected metadata and user data on the video for live use, capturing or embedding in the .tiff file for later use, or just passing ANC metadata to the next device. By storing the ANC data, one can quickly come back to and recall the exact camera settings, pipeline configuration, etc., that created an image. ColorBox also offers a customizable user text field that is great for overlaying any information on an image needing to be conveyed to an observer, such as camera or lens information, if the camera can’t provide it. 

When setting up a shot, many factors need to be considered when framing it. The camera manufacturer, the sensor size, the lens, and the target aspect ratio all play a role. The ability to see frame lines on-set gives the production the best chance at capturing the shot composition correctly for the project from the get go. New with ColorBox is User Overlay, providing the ability to import and overlay custom images onto the output. Those images could be frame lines or any other image, such as a logo, imported as .png files to the Overlay library and recalled along with or without the already available overlay information.

User Text and User Overlay can also be stored on the captured image as part of the Overlay. Additional Overlay accessible data includes Input and Output VPID, Timecode presence, Closed Captioning presence, and Pipeline Configuration. Output HDMI infoframe status is also available in the UI.

The Largest Onboard Libraries Available
ColorBox offers the largest library capacity of any equivalent device in its class, providing a wealth of creative choice onset or anywhere in the production pipeline. Set up an easy to access bank of options for any shoot, then recall the same settings just as easily in post. 16x onboard memory slots are available for each category of supported files; 1D LUTs, 3D LUTs, 3x3 Matrices, Images, and Overlays.  

Ten pipeline presets can be stored per pipeline, and all can be imported and exported to/from ColorBox. Pipeline Presets store all settings needed to replicate a configured transform. Included is also a Startup Preset setting that allows an operator to select a specific preset to be loaded upon power up, guaranteeing a known startup state. The Pipeline Presets for AJA Color Pipeline stores all files loaded into the pipeline, active or not, for easy setup and transfer between devices.

Flexible Control via LAN or Wirelessly
Access to the intuitive web UI control with Video Preview for confidence monitoring from a standard web browser via LAN or supported third party WiFi USB adapters*, allowing local and remote operation.