Codex Digital has announced a new portable field recorder at Cine Gear Expo 2007. This portable device builds on the success of the Codex Digital media recorder/server. We are told the device is weather-resistant and designed for rough-and-tumble field use. Under 10lbs and constructed with delicious carbon-fiber (that’s “fibre” for all you UK readers), the Codex Portable can be powered by “standard camera batteries” and features instant playback on the touchscreen LCD or via wireless (can also be controlled remotely with PC or PDA). It can handle most of the major digital cinema cameras in video-mode, and data-mode input from the ARRI D-20, DALSA Origin, and RED ONE. Will do up to 4K on hot-swap RAID “diskpacks” that can hold up to 3 hours of best-quality JPEG2000. There is a matching Codex Transfer Station that can backup or dump the recorders and metadata. The Transfer Station would also be used for transcoding into other formats (a wide variety of standard formats are supported).

Other features of note culled from press release: Two dual-link HD 4:4:4 inputs, Infiniband and Ethernet data-connections, 10Gbps optical I/O, timecode and control ports, eight channels of audio, HD and SD monitoring of all formats up to 4K, and MP4 wireless video output. “Mutter Track� microphone input, which allows the user to add comments during a take for shot-logging and notes. Can handle two camera 4:4:4 streams simultaneously, independent or locked (i.e. 3D stereoscopic shoots). Can also handle four 4:2:2 cameras, and multiple recorders can be synched (allowing 6 recorders to record 24 video tracks, in sync).

Pricing info is not available at this time, but I was told it would easily beat the cost of a HDCam SR deck. Production Codex Portable systems are expected to ship late in 2007.