I look on with great interest in the Ki Pro Mini. At the outset, it looks compelling in terms of acquisition for broadcast using inexpensive cameras, the ability to use phantom powered mics right off the unit, solid state and all that it entails. As a shooter, the current list of specs on the product leaves me feeling cold. I can see the inputs and try to divine what is and is not included in this unit compared to it's larger cousin, the Ki Pro but some fundamental questions are unanswered. Here's a list of what comes to mind at the moment that many would be interested in hearing:

What is the weight of the unit without a battery plate and/or battery?

Will you be offering the unit for sale preconfigured with A/B or V-lock plates? If so will that be on initial release and do you have an expected MSRP for these units with the battery plate premounted and wired?

Can you get both embedded HD-SDI audio and audio from the phantom/balanced inputs concurrently, even if it is only 2 tracks of HD-SDI audio?

What are the HD formats and resolutions that it will offer when it initially hits the streets. For instance, does it allow the typical 720p and 1080p capture frame rates? I am not talking about Varicam related isses but the standard fare that one gets out of say a Sony EX cam or a Panny HVX.

Does it allow slomo settings or at the very least 720p60 capture?

Does it do SD capture from an HD signal?

The monitor/output signal... Is it free of latency and does it simply output the signal rate the unit receives or is it possible to have the output signal converted (on the fly) within the unit?

Does it or will it do "hot swap" of the media in a manner that shooters of solid state video cameras are accustomed?

How much approximate power does the unit draw when powered by a typical 12 volt A/B or V-lock batt? The power figures in both standby and in in use would be helpful.

How hot does the unit get when in use?

Is there a maximum size of Compact Flash card that can presently be used by the unit and what kind of speed or kind of card would be required as a "qualified" card for the unit?

The rails bracket unit that is featured in your promo video, will that be available as an AJA product. If so, when and what is the expected MRSP (or thereabouts on it).

That's it for now but feel free to mention any other specifications that would be of interest to most shooters that I have missed.

Andrew S. - The Ki Pro Mini is essentially a subset of the original Ki Pro product. It removes some connectivity (analog video i/o, wireless capability, conversion capability) in order to fit the more camera centric needs into a smaller footprint.

To answer you specific questions:
The Ki Pro Mini weighs just over 1 lb. It's shell is made of aircraft grade aluminum for durability.

AJA will not be offering the Ki Pro Mini with pre-configured battery plates; instead we offer the Mini Mounting Plate which has a wide variety of tap holes for mounting the Ki Pro Mini to a variety of items as well as mounting a variety of items to it. One of the items you can mount to the plate is an Anton Bauer Gold Mount battery plate or a V-mount battery plate. One inexpensive resource for such plates is Ikan:
ikan M-A - Universal AB Mounting Plate (http://www.ikancorp.com/productInfo.php?id=160)
Then you would simply use a P-tap to XLR cable to power the unit from the Anton Bauer or V-mount battery plate. We designed Ki Pro Mini with the XLR style power connector because it has been adapted to such a wire range of other connectors and because it's an industry standard locking power connector.

The Mini Mounting Plate features screw holes to mount wireless mic receivers, or mount the Ki Pro as if it is a wireless mic via it's recessed slots. The various threaded holes allow you to mount Ki Pro Mini via the plate to hot shoes, existing camera plates, clamps, wireless receivers - let your imagination run wild - at the IBC booth it is mounted to monitors, tripod pan handles, 15mm rods, wireless plates, etc. Each adapter plate is sold separately for US MSRP $75.

Audio selection is either embedded SDI audio or XLR inputs; the product will not embed analog audio into an existing SDI audio stream. You can use XLR with SDI video of course though. AJA provides the AJA HD10AMA mini converter if embedding analog channels into SDI is desired:
HD10AMA - AJA Video Systems (http://www.aja.com/products/converters/converters-hd-hd10ama.php)

Ki Pro Mini will support what the current Ki Pro does upon release:
525i 29.97
625i 25
720p 23.98/59.94
720p 25/50
720p 29.97/59.94
720p 50
720p 59.94
1080PsF 23.98
1080PsF 24
1080p 23.98
1080p 24
1080p 25
1080i 25
1080i 29.97

Note that unlike the original Ki Pro, the Ki Pro Mini does not perform conversions; it records the format that it receives via baseband video. If downconversion on input or output is desired, AJA provides the AJA HD10MD3:
HD10MD3 - AJA Video Systems (http://www.aja.com/products/converters/converters-hd-hd10md3.php)

No slow motion capability is provided at this time, but the product does support 720p 59.94 fps.

No SD capture from an HD source for the Ki Pro Mini as noted because it does not feature conversions; you would choose the Ki Pro for such scenarios instead.

The monitor output is realtime, meaning that what you see input you can see in realtime on the output; please note that some HDMI monitors (not the Ki Pro Mini) will introduce latency to the monitoring and this is beyond AJA's control. Most professional monitors do not have this issue however.

No hot swapping of media; to gracefully respect the file directory, media is mounted and unmounted on the Ki Pro Mini just as it was with the original Ki Pro via a SLOT button. By analogy, think of it like you would a thumbdrive or FireWire harddrive; you plug it in, the bus is scanned and the media is mounted, but to properly remove the media you eject it at the operating system level... if you don't you receive an error prompt that you've removed the media inappropriately.

Ki Pro Mini draws relatively low power. Here at IBC, we run the unit via an Anton Bauer Dionic 90 battery for the entire tradeshow day; approximately 8 hours. Power consumption is approximately 12 watts. A specific range will be provided within the product manual at launch.

Ki Pro Mini features a fan which draws hot air up and out of the unit. Climate values will be provided at launch, but I can tell you that it does not get terribly warm even though the unit is made of metal. Typically we design products to meet the same - or higher - environmental standards as camera manufacturers.

Currently, the largest UDMA 6 600x (or faster) capacity compact flash cards are 64GB. We will provide a certified CF card list at product launch. We are testing a fair amount of CF cards prior to launch as you might imagine and will only recommend what we feel are acceptable in terms of performance requirements.

The 15mm rod adapters are the same ones used on the original Ki Pro Exoskeleton. These are the AJA Rod End Plates. A pair of these aircraft grade aluminum pieces with 1/4-20 threaded knobs and 15mm openings have a US MSRP of $295. You could elect to use one or both adapter plates depending upon what you wanted to mount to Ki Pro. These Rod End Plates have been available since the original Ki Pro product began shipping.

I hope this helps answer some of your specific questions. Now I think I should go to sleep... long days here in Amsterdam...

Regards,
Jon Thorn
Product Manager
AJA Video Systems, Inc.

All sounds good Jon with exception of the fan you mentioned. I hope the fan noise is close to inaudible or if you are able to ramp it down through the web app and/or the on board menu system. Many using a device like this will be shooters with onboard microphones albeit hypercardioids which a fairly tight proximity effect. Have you done field testing with the units to see how the fan fares against a camera strapped up with a hypercardioid in the cameras' hot shoe mount?

Andrew S. - Like the original Ki Pro, Ki Pro Mini features the ability to control fan speed. The following is the breakdown of fan operation:
Normal (default): Fan runs at normal fixed speed for optimum cooling.
Normal Auto: Fan runs at variable speeds for optimal cooling.
Quiet Record: Fan runs at a fixed slower speed for optimum quiet.
Quiet Auto: Fan runs at normal speed until recording begins, then the fan ramps down to a slower speed for optimum quiet.

Okay... desperate to get some sleep now...

Regards,
Jon Thorn
Product Manager
AJA Video Systems, Inc.

Hi Jon:
I have been following this thread very carefully, and the Ki-Pro Mini looks like a truly interesting and substantial product. I would say it looks like a reasonable alternative to the more expensive Nano Flash, which is only an 8 bit MPEG -2 recording device. I have been using the much more expensive Flash XDR quite successfully, but would like to be able to get away from the MPEG-2 based codec as a means for acquiring camera original material. I understand the Ki-Pro can also record in direct Quicktime codec ? Can you elaborate on this please ? Sorry, I mean after you have had a chance to get some sleep ;-) (I sympathize with this believe me !)

Nice reply Jon with lots of info. When do you think major onliners like Adorama and B&H will be taking orders and actually stocking?

Cheers,
Peter

Mark J. - Thanks for your interest in Ki Pro Mini. Ki Pro Mini, like the original Ki Pro product, records native QuickTime files in the Apple ProRes 422 codec family to compact flash cards formatted HFS+. By creating native QuickTime files and HFS+ formatted media, the path to post production on Apple products (as well as other products) is quite easy. No transcoding. No log and capture or log and transfer. No special media mounting procedures. No strange naming conventions. It's a simple and logical path from acquisition into post production. Apple's ProRes codec is now supported on an ever growing variety of softwares and is finding more traction in operating systems beyond Mac OSX. It's use continues to expand.

Peter C. - While I am not in the sales department at AJA, I believe that orders for Ki Pro Mini began this week. AJA fills orders from resellers in the order they are received. Since we announced the product in Europe, I would imagine some European distributors and resellers have placed their orders first. Where specific companies are "in the queue" I could not say however... sorry not my domain! We expect to have Ki Pro Mini availability by the end of October; note that AJA ships product when it feels that it is ready for customer use.

Regards,
Jon Thorn
Product Manager
AJA Video Systems, Inc.

Thanks Jon, looking foward to it. Wish I was in Amsterdam.

Nice reply Jon with lots of info. When do you think major onliners like Adorama and B&H will be taking orders and actually stocking?

Cheers,
Peter

We expect to be shipping sometime in October; the list price is $1995.00.

It should be up on our website in the next couple of days to enable pre-ordering.


BTW please don't forget that we are in the midst of our Fall holiday period.
Our Holiday Schedule:
Yom Kippur Eve - Friday, September 17: Closed
Succot Eve & all of Succot - Wednesday, September 22 thru Friday, October 1: Closed

Thank you for your understanding.
NB I'm only an email away for advice and after-sales support with any order from Adorama Camera: HelenO@adorama.com

This looks like a great new recorder. I had just advised a colleague to buy a nanoflash but read the posts on this product and emailed to suggest he holds off.

I am wondering if there will be any issues regarding sync sound when using the unit to record 24p or 25p from a camera like the HDX900. With the nanoflash I see it has been suggested that you can run analogue sound into the unit along with the vidoe signal over the HD SDI output?

I am hoping that will not be required with this product.

Thanks

David Wright
http://www.lunaseafilms.com

David, AFAIK that's just an issue with the Varicam, not the HDX900. The Varicam only ever runs at 60hz so getting 25P audio sync was tricky.
Steve

Hi Jon,

Do you have a chart indicating recording times/GB in each of the ProRez formats. Or something that indicates how much you can fit on a 16/32/64 GB card in each format?

Thanks!

Thanks Steve for clearing up that confusion. I have not had chance to test the nanoflash with the HDX900 I own. Hoping that the Ki Pro Mini will offer a good tapeless solution to getting another few years use out of a great camera. I shoot for a variety of clients, which means various frame rates. Just want to make sure there are no issues with this.

Best
David
http://www.lunaseafilms.com

No hot swapping of media; to gracefully respect the file directory, media is mounted and unmounted on the Ki Pro Mini just as it was with the original Ki Pro via a SLOT button. By analogy, think of it like you would a thumbdrive or FireWire harddrive; you plug it in, the bus is scanned and the media is mounted, but to properly remove the media you eject it at the operating system level... if you don't you receive an error prompt that you've removed the media inappropriately.

If one has both (two) CF cards inserted, will the KiProMini transition seamlessly from the first card to the second while recording?

Billy

Bob - I had the same question. Someone posted a link to this PDF from Apple. It explains ProRes in its various flavours.

http://images.apple.com/finalcutstudio/docs/Apple_ProRes_White_Paper_July_2009.pdf

If you look at page 20 you'll see the data rates. Looks like ProRes 422 LT uses 102 Mb/s or 46 GB per hour recording full 1920x1080 HD @ 30p/60i. Sony's EX codec at 35 Mbps seems downright efficient by comparison. The website says it will also record ProRes 422 Proxy, which uses 45 Mb/s or 20 GB per hour -- but I don't know how it would compare to the XDCAM EX 35 Mb/s codec for recording. Anyone? I am looking for something that will mainly work as a redundant recorder. I know the EX cameras are supposed to be very reliable with their SxS cards, but it's still basically a computer. A backup just seems like a good idea.

Keith

Jon,

Thanks for your considered reply to my laundry list of questions. One dangling question about the recording to the cards. Will a recording or take that starts out on one card gracefully move over to record on the second (empty but formatted) card or do you have to stop the "take" and make the second memory card active to receive data?

I do understand from your earlier reply that hot-swap isn't available. Here I am talking about two cards that are in A and B slots from the start of the shoot and A card is filled up. What happens if the camera is still running? Does it bounce to B card without a hiccup?

David W. - Regarding the Panasonic AJ-HDX900, I would refer you to that product's manual:
http://service.us.panasonic.com/OPERMANPDF/AJHDX900.PDF
Please note that this camera outputs 1080p 24 over 1080i 29.97 (aka 1080 60i) according to the manual, chapter 4 page 31. This means that the Ki Pro Mini would see this incoming signal as 1080i 29.97 and that is what it would record. At this time, AJA only supports flagged frame removal from a larger framerate for some 720p formats. Extraction of 1080p 24 within a larger framerate is not supported at this time, but may be in the future via firmware update.

Bob G. - If you need to calculate storage times for a given Apple ProRes 422 flavor (as well as other codecs), I would suggest using AJA's free AJA Data Calc application, available for Mac, PC and iPhone. This handy calculator gives the various data rates when a selected codec/framerate and recording time are selected. You can download the app for Mac and PC OS use from the AJA website and the iPhone app is available from the Apple App Store.

Billy S. - The Ki Pro Mini features two independent, at this time, CF card slots. You can record to only one at a time. "Rollover" recording will not be offered at the outset, but may be offered later via firmware update.

Keith D. - Glad you pointed people to the Apple whitepaper... if you hadn't, I would have! One thing to consider with regards to the data rates: personally, I think that the ideal selection is the "regular" Apple ProRes 422 flavor which runs up to 145Mbps. This is very, very high picture quality with light compression that produces a visually indistinguishable picture when compared to uncompressed. The lower data rate Apple ProRes (LT) and Apple ProRes (Proxy) are not suitable, in my opinion, for "source" picture quality; they make for good low bandwidth recordings where perhaps you want something for rough cutting or very long recordings that don't require perfect picture quality, etc. Apple ProRes 422 (HQ) need only be used, in my opinion, for material that will be heavily color corrected or composited such as green screen work. For all other types of material, Apple ProRes 422 is the ideal "everyday" codec. Regarding your comment about XDCAM EX compression: yes, it is a lower data rate because it's 8-bit quantization, 4:2:0 chroma sampling with a Long GOP structure and more compressed in comparison to Apple ProRes 422 at 10-bit, 4:2:2, I-frame.

Andrew S. - Andrew, they are independent CF cards. There is no "spanned" recording as we feel this is "fraught with peril" for a variety of reasons. You will stop the recording on the first card and then need to start recording anew on the next card. So at launch, no "instant rollover" will be provided; it will be a manual process to switching recording to a new card.

Hope this is helpful... as usual for the sake of clarity - and brevity - in the volume of posts, I'm simply answering the questions for the benefit of all, but addressing you each individually.

Last day of IBC... I'm admittedly exhausted...

Regards,
Jon Thorn
Product Manager
AJA Video Systems, Inc.

Thanks for your continued support Jon!
Steve

Keith,

Perfect. Thanks for the info!

Thanks Jon, fingers crossed the firmware update is not far away to deal with 1080/24. But looks like a great product!

Best
David
http://www.lunaseafilms.com

Jon, am I right in thinking that you cannot sandwich the Ki Pro Mini between camera and a battery (on full size cameras) and still power both from that battery?

If not, adding this would be relatively simple and a massive ergonomic improvement.

This looks interesting: I'll be following this thread :-)

I noticed on the website that simple information is still missing (probably because it's not shipping yet):
- weight (has been approx. anwsered in here, but I prefer metric values ;-) )
- dimensions (I always like to know how much space I need in my cases/bags)

I often shoot slowmo at 720p 60/25 (60frames/sec will play as 25fps) or 50/25 with an EX1R.
Is it possible to record this on a Ki Pro Mini as if it were 60fps or 50fps?

It looks big compared to the NanoFlash. I guess for 1,000.00 less it's a fair trade off. Is there anything the Ki Pro can do that the NanoFlash cant? Or vice versa? They are obviously competing for the same market. How do they compare?

@ Chad:

I don't know a lot about both devices, but I can tell you that the Nano Flash records 8-bit 4:2:2 as Mpeg-2 and the Ki Mini records 10-bit 4:2:2 as Prores.
I've read the Nano Flash has the ability to record over/undercranked (if the camera sends that signal) and to record timelapses. (I guess they listened and came up with some firmware-updates... It's up to Aja to do the same or not.)

The similairities I see:
They both have HD-SDI and HDMI connectors and they both use CF-cards.

Billy S. - The Ki Pro Mini features two independent, at this time, CF card slots. You can record to only one at a time. "Rollover" recording will not be offered at the outset, but may be offered later via firmware update.

This is a pretty big deal breaker for my needs, and prompts another question: Why did you even bother to put in two slots?

If one has to stop recording, use the SLOT function to close out the card, select something in the menus to tell the KiProMini to use the other slot, and then go into record on the second slot, how does this save any time or confusion, or offer any benefit, over simply having a single slot?

Billy

Very good question Billy. I'm sure the answer would be for future upgrade possibilities - ie hot swap and continuous clip record from one card to another.
Steve

We now have the Ki Pro mini up for sale on our website:

AJA Ki Pro Mini Ultra-Portable Digital CF Recorder :: Portable Players/Recorders :: Video Players/Recorders & Accessories :: Post Production Tools :: Equipment Sales :: Abel Cine Tech (http://www.abelcine.com/store/AJA-Ki-Pro-Mini-Ultra-Portable-Digital-CF-Recorder/)

Andy

David W. - I just want to be clear that Ki Pro and Ki Pro Mini support 1080p 24 fps natively, but just not from within a 1080i signal at this time. Perhaps at a later date, we will add this feature via firmware as noted. FYI, we support this now with our KONA and Io HD products when connected to Panasonic and Canon "VFR" 1080p within 1080i output type cameras.

Mike M. - Because of the multi-screw hole pattern on the Mini Adapter Plate, you can mount Ki Pro Mini to a battery mount, such as Anton Bauer or V-mount and then, after that, sandwich Ki Pro Mini between another adapter plate with a battery mount on it. It's one of the ways we had Ki Pro Mini displayed at IBC (in our case, on a Panasonic HPX3700). Since Ki Pro Mini has a low power draw, operating it, as well as some cameras from the same battery, will be possible.

The Mini Adapter Plate is really the heart of the mounting system; it attaches to the four corners of Ki Pro Mini via standard 1/4-20 screws and is milled out to be light, but made from aircraft grade aluminum to be strong. It is finished in military spec matte black coating. At IBC, we used it to mount Ki Pro Mini to the battery mount as already noted, to a clamp for a tripod handle, to a set of 15mm rods, to a wireless bracket, etc. Additionally, the bottom two 1/4-20 threads allow the Ki Pro Mini to be secured in the stand that is designed for the product along with a right angle power adapter cable for desktop use.

Hope this is helpful,
Jon Thorn
Product Manager
AJA Video Systems, Inc.

Chad J. - I'm going to diverge from my normally strictly technical answers to be a bit more philosophical in my reply to you. I hope that you, and others, will think this is okay.

First, AJA has always shied away from doing "shootout" comparisons to other products on the market. We prefer to denote the merits of our own products and let you decide for yourself if our product fits your needs.

Now... here is my philosophical statement for those reading this, and other, "comparison" types of posts on these and other forums:

In general, almost all manufacturers strive to provide YOU - the consumer/prosumer/professional/individual/artist - with the best possible product they can.

Let me use this analogy... WE - as consumers/prosumers/professionals/individuals/artists - are like Goldilocks when it comes to determining which product suits us; we evaluate the choices and make statements like, "This porridge is too hot... this porridge is too cold... this porridge is just right." Or, perhaps its more like, "I like this porridge, but wish it came in a slightly different bowl and included a brown sugar packet at no additional cost."

The art of creating - as well as purchasing - products is all about compromise. Manufacturers try to create products that are "just right" in terms of their "porridge" aka product. Again, I hate the word "product" even though I'm a "product manager," because I'm honestly much more interested in creating and supporting useful tools; tools address a problem and provide a solution. Creating product can be a difficult task because you are catering to a wide audience, but the individuals who make up that group are just that - individuals - with individual opinions. And this is why, ultimately, more than one product can occupy a market space; we don't all buy the same vehicles after all... a two door coupe suits me, an SUV suits you, etc. You think a Ford Mustang is great, someone else would only ever buy Mercedes Benz; this could be dictated by previous experience with the brand, the price point, the feature set, etc.

So, having said all of that (and I apologize if it's too philosophical, but sometimes it's good to know the manufacturers perspective too), I can enumerate the merits of Ki Pro Mini for you in a "non-offensive to other manufacturers" sort of method:
It is a fairly small device; just bigger than the size of an Anton Bauer Dionic 90 battery honestly, but lighter in weight. It features two balanced analog audio inputs via XLR (which accounts for part of it's size as those aren't small connectors) whereas other recorders on the market don't feature this, and therefore may be smaller, but provide more limited features when connecting to microphones or mixers. It features VU meters and audio control knobs, which again, increase size but allow for intuitive operation compared to digging into menus to adjust volume. Ki Pro Mini features an industry standard 4-pin XLR style power connector, meaning the power options are abundant as many, many products can be - and are - adapted to this standard connector. Ki Pro Mini is a 10-bit 4:2:2 solid state recorder at a very low price point; other comparably priced recorders are limited to 8-bit. I stated these items because they are factual, and not any type of marketing hyperbole.

And, speaking of marketing, I'm sorry... I am surprised that the specific weight and dimensions of the product aren't listed in the brochure... that isn't my domain, but I will see if we can add this information to our website specifications at least when we return from Amsterdam and IBC. I don't want to "approximate" beyond the weight of 1 lb. and I don't have anything to measure a unit in my flight case with me here in my hotel room, nor do I keep sensitive documents with pre-release product information like dimensions on my travel laptop... sorry.

I hope the information I am providing is helpful. Feel free to ask specific questions and I will do my best to answer them in a timely fashion (not always easy with the time differences though!) Again, I apologize if this has been a bit too philosophical of a post...

Regards,
Jon Thorn
Product Manager
AJA Video Systems, Inc.

Billy S. - Hot swapping is, as the engineers I work with would say, "non-trivial". There are some serious file open/close/append/directory/volume/etc. issues to be considered. And, as perspective... did you ever own a tape camcorder that rolled over to a new tape? Or a non-linear edit system where you targeted the capture drive and if it was getting too full, rolled over to a new piece of storage? Not common among things in general without creating spanned files (which can have some serious demerits if you lose one piece of media).

Why does Ki Pro have two compact flash slots then and not one slot? Because you can at least have two pieces of media readily at hand and because it gives greater flexibility to us as developers when enabling future media features.

Regards,
Jon Thorn
Product Manager
AJA Video Systems, Inc.

Thanks for the Reply Jon. I'm sure it's going to be a nice product that evolves as time goes on, and user feedback inspires your company to improve as much as possible through firmware updates. It seems many companies hobble their cheaper gear to push users to upgrade, but in many cases it just means neither product gets purchased due to needs vs available funds. I'm sure the Ki Pro Mini will find it's own sweet spot in the market place, and provide products that both suit our needs and that we can afford.

Good luck.

Chad

Hey Jon will this work with a Panasonic AG HPX 170?

Ted V. - Yes, Ki Pro and Ki Pro Mini are compatible with the SDI output of the Panasonic HPX170. In fact, AJA uses a Panasonic HPX170 extensively in our QA department for testing.

Hope this is helpful,
Jon Thorn
Product Manager
AJA Video Systems, Inc.

Hi Jon,
What is the record time on a 64gb CF card in Prores 10 bit 422.
Will the unit work with all CF cards including the new 128gb or do you have a list of approved CF cards for use with the Kipro Mini.
Is auto CF cards switching or Hot swappable cards going to be implemented at any time.

Thanks

Lance L. - As an example of approximate recording times for a 64GB compact flash card -
Total capacity reported: 64.02GB
Capacity available after HFS formatting: 63.87GB
10% free space allocation: 6.39GB
90% capacity for recording: 57.48GB
1080i 29.97 or 720p 59.94 Apple ProRes 422 (HQ) = 30 minutes, approximately 56.20GB
1080i 25 or 720p 50 Apple ProRes 422 (HQ) = 36 minutes, approximately 56.36GB
1080p 23.98 Apple ProRes 422 (HQ) = 38 minutes, approximately 57.08GB

1080i 29.97 or 720p 59.94 Apple ProRes 422 = 45 minutes, approximately 56.46GB
1080i 25 or 720p 50 Apple ProRes 422 = 54 minutes, approximately 56.67GB
1080p 23.98 Apple ProRes 422 = 57 minutes, approximately 57.41GB

Note that all approximations include 2 channels of 24-bit 48kHz audio. Also note that these approximations are based on a target data rate for a VBR codec. Values are derived by using the AJA DataCalc application, available for download from the AJA website or as an iPhone app from the Apple App Store, both versions are free of charge.

At product launch, AJA will provide a list of compact flash cards that are recommended for use.

Automatic compact flash card switching and/or hot swapping are not part of the feature set announced for the product. We appreciate your feature suggestions and will take them into consideration.

Regards,
Jon Thorn
Product Manager
AJA Video Systems, Inc.

As per a number of requests in this thread, I had marketing update the website with the physical dimensions of the Ki Pro Mini as well as it's precise weight. A PDF with the dimensions in the "Physical" section of the Spec page can be obtained via the "Dimensions: click here for drawing" link:
Ki Pro Mini - AJA Video Systems (http://www.aja.com/products/kipro/ki-pro-mini/ki-pro-mini-specs.php)

Hope this information is helpful,
Jon Thorn
Product Manager
AJA Video Systems, Inc.

If I run video from my camera to the HD-SDI in, does it pass the video to the HDMI out? HD-SDI out and HDMI out simultaneously?

Mark P. - Yes, the Ki Pro Mini will output HDMI and SDI at the same time from an incoming SDI signal. The only caveat would be if the SDI input format was one that HDMI - or the HDMI monitor it was connected to - did not support. Example: if the SDI input format is 1080PsF 23.98, the HDMI output and HDMI monitor wouldn't know what that was... they might know what 1080p 23.98 was for some monitors, just not PsF. For most everything else though, what goes in can come out on the SDI and HDMI simultaneously; 1080i, 720p, etc.

Hope this is helpful,
Jon Thorn
Product Manager
AJA Video Systems, Inc.

Jon, you haven't mentioned 25p .. does it not record this?

It has been mentioned - you can get either 1080/25P or 720 25P over 50.
Steve

Chris N. - Yes, Ki Pro and Ki Pro Mini support 1080p 25. I simply didn't list it when giving examples.

Hope this is helpful,
Jon Thorn
Product Manager
AJA Video Systems, Inc.