Sofa Scouting: Blackmagic Design’s Massive NAB 2025 Lineup

The excitement is palpable as NAB 2025 kicks off. Once again, I’m starting my tour of the various vendors and companies releasing or updating their offerings—all from the comfort of my sofa because I can't quite justify the plane ticket! But let's get started with the first stop on my virtual showroom floor: Blackmagic Design.

And wow, they have not disappointed. With a fresh wave of product releases and major updates, they’ve set the stage ablaze, leaving tech enthusiasts and live-production junkies buzzing. I can barely contain my enthusiasm as I dive into the details of these innovative tools designed to elevate our workflows to new heights.

In today’s post, I’ll give you an overview of the standout announcements and updates from the broadcast stream. From sleek new hardware to powerful software enhancements, there’s plenty to unpack. And the excitement doesn’t stop here—stay tuned for future posts where I’ll explore how these new releases could seamlessly integrate into and potentially upgrade my existing kit and the hypothetical shopping lists you all know I am so fond of!

🎥 Camera Ecosystem & Accessories

PYXIS 12K Cinema Camera

Blackmagic unveiled the PYXIS 12K Cinema Camera, and it looks like a massive leap forward for high-end filmmaking.The crown jewel here is a revolutionary 12K RGBW sensor paired with an impressive 16 stops of dynamic range,ensuring rich color depth and stunning clarity whether you're shooting in low-light environments or high-contrast outdoor sets.

Versatility is central to the PYXIS 12K design. It launches in three distinct models to fit seamlessly into any existing glass infrastructure:

• L-Mount
• PL Mount
• Locking EF Mount

On the practical side, the body features dual CFexpress media recorders for fast, efficient capturing of massive 12K digital film files. The chassis is built for rugged, on-set reliability with highly intuitive, user-friendly physical controls.

PYXIS Pro Handle and Pro Grip

To complement the new camera body, Blackmagic introduced two ergonomic accessories dropping this July:

• Blackmagic PYXIS Pro Handle ($895): Far more than a simple top handle, this unit features a built-in HD OLED viewfinder with a proximity sensor and a 4-element glass diopter (adjustable from -4 to +4). It also packs a high-quality stereo microphone with an ultra-low noise floor for quick run-and-gun setups, customizable function buttons, a record start/stop toggle, an assignable zoom rocker, and dual 1/4” thread mounts—all connected via a single, clean USB-C cable.
• Blackmagic PYXIS Pro Grip ($119): Designed specifically for stable handheld shooting, this side grip features an integrated zoom rocker and a secure hand strap, giving you firm, comfortable physical control over the rig during long documentary or live event shoots.

🎚️ Live Production & Switching

ATEM Mini Extreme ISO G2

For the desktop and compact live-production world, Blackmagic dropped a powerhouse second-generation unit: the ATEM Mini Extreme ISO G2. If you are looking to build out a professional broadcast studio or premium streaming setup on a modest budget, this looks like an absolute standout choice.

The addition of 10G Ethernet is a complete workflow transformation. Imagine having dedicated editors on your local network pulling the ISO files and cutting a polished master while the event is still happening. Because it supports MADI,you can also take a digital feed straight from a venue's audio console via a converter, allowing you to build a dedicated,high-quality audio mix specifically for your live stream.

ATEM 4 M/E Constellation 4K Plus

For massive, stadium-scale live productions, Blackmagic scales things up significantly with the ATEM 4 M/E Constellation 4K Plus. This Ultra HD behemoth is an absolute monster of a switcher, effectively doubling the capacity of their previous largest 4 M/E model.

• Massive I/O: Features 80 standard-converted 12G-SDI inputs and 48 independent 12G-SDI outputs.
• Effects Engine: Packed with 16 ATEM Advanced Chroma Keyers, 4 independent DVEs, 4 Ultra HD multiviews,and 2 SuperSource processors.
• Fairlight Audio: Includes a built-in Fairlight audio mixer boasting a staggering 156-channel capacity, complete with full onboard EQ and dynamics processing.
• Form Factor: Housed in a compact rack-mount chassis with a built-in front control panel and a large LCD screen for changing menus and monitoring program outputs on the fly.

Creative Multi-Stage Routing: If you are running a multi-stage festival, you can technically use three of the M/Es to independently drive the physical screens of three separate stages, while utilizing the 4th M/E to produce a completely unified, cut-to-clock live stream for the web.

🎴 Playback, Control & Routing

HyperDeck Shuttle 4K Pro

Continuing the live production theme, the HyperDeck Shuttle 4K Pro serves as a combined live media player and master recorder. It sports an angled front panel featuring a beautiful, machined metal search dial with natural inertia and a soft rubber surface for scrolling through endless timelines.

• 7-Inch Touchscreen: Displays a heads-up display (HUD) overlay for timecode, audio meters, and media status,alongside full broadcast scopes (focus assist, RGB exposure histograms).
• Codec Versatility: Supports H.264, H.265, Apple ProRes, and DNx up to 2160p60.
• Collaborative Storage: Includes built-in 10G Ethernet and internal M.2 flash storage. This allows the unit to act as a network storage device so a remote editing team can cut footage directly from the deck while it's still recording.
• Pro Infrastructure: Outfitted with both 12G-SDI and HDMI connections for easy studio integration.

ATEM Micro Camera Panel

Shading and matching cameras on smaller multi-cam gigs just got incredibly elegant. The ATEM Micro Camera Panelis a highly portable, compact camera control unit (CCU) that can manage up to eight cameras from a single desktop surface.

It features a high-quality joystick for direct iris and pedestal adjustments, a smooth machined metal control wheel, and dedicated red, green, and blue knobs for fine-tuning camera color tint and master balance. Thanks to an internal battery and flexible Bluetooth or USB-C connectivity, you can throw this in a backpack and maintain full CCU control completely untethered from a power source.

Videohub Mini 12G Routers

When you have a compact mobile rack or a smaller home studio setup but keep running out of physical ports, these ultra-compact routers are exactly what the doctor ordered. Available in 4x2, 6x2, and 8x4 models, they easily handle any combination of SD, HD, and Ultra HD standards over blazing-fast 12G-SDI.

They feature intuitive, cut-bus style front panel buttons for lightning-fast routing changes, built-in SDI re-clocking to keep signals clean over long cable runs, and Ethernet for remote software control. Crucially, they utilize an innovative clean switch feature on the outputs, meaning you can cleanly cut a source to your master output without interrupting or glitching the direct feeds routed elsewhere.

🌐 2110 IP Infrastructure & Monitoring

For environments transitioning away from traditional SDI cabling to modern, IP-based broadcast routing networks,Blackmagic dropped a massive suite of SMPTE-2110 tools.

• Blackmagic Streaming Decoder: Decodes high-quality H.264 and H.265 streams coming from remote ATEM switchers or cameras and outputs them cleanly over 12G-SDI and HDMI. It supports internet streaming over Ethernet or via a tethered smartphone over mobile networks. It also passes through remote camera control,talkback, and tally signals.
• 2110 IP UpDownCross 12G: A rack-mountable, multi-rate converter that bridges HDMI, 12G-SDI, and SMPTE-2110 IP systems. It features a front LCD display, built-in re-syncing so all conversions perfectly match your master reference input timing, and automatic audio delay processing to guarantee flawless AV sync.
• 2110 IP SDI to HDMI 12G (Coming June): Designed for critical, color-accurate monitoring in editing suites and grading bays using consumer OLED TVs. It supports 3D LUTs for precise calibration, features two-channel XLR analog outputs to drive studio monitors directly with variable gain/delay, and even comes in a massive multi-channel variant sporting 10 XLR outputs for surround-sound audio mixing.
• DeckLink IP 100G: A top-tier PCIe capture and playback card built for high-throughput IP setups. It features dual 100G Ethernet QSFP ports for total network redundancy and can capture or play back up to eight simultaneous Ultra HD video channels. It supports GPUDirect RDMA to offload video processing straight to your system's GPUs, and natively functions as a hardware isolation firewall to keep malicious data off your secure broadcast network.

💾 Post Production & Storage

Blackmagic Cloud Backup 8

Shifting gears into post-production and data management, the Cloud Backup 8 is a network-attached storage chassis designed to turn cheap, off-the-shelf hard drives into deep archival storage for completed projects, old B-roll, and raw footage.

It features eight independent 3.5" hard disk slots, allowing you to hot-swap spinning iron disks as they fill up. On the back, 4 x 10G Ethernet ports ensure your local network speed can saturate high-speed modern storage arrays. It seamlessly syncs with Blackmagic Cloud to create real-time, live-updating backups of your collaborative DaVinci Resolve projects as you edit. To top it off, an HDMI monitor output renders a sleek, live graphic view of your storage operations and data health on any external monitor, while a physical locking security bar keeps your drives physically secure in busy studio spaces.

Cintel Scanner G3 HDR+ 8/16

Archivists and film restoration houses haven't been left out either. The Cintel Scanner G3 HDR+ 8/16 completely modernizes the conversion of historical 8mm and 16mm film into pristine, high-dynamic-range Ultra HD digital masters.It boasts a completely redesigned optical assembly featuring an ultra-bright RGB LED grid array light source and advanced color science, ensuring incredibly sharp, rapid scanning without putting historic, delicate film print stock at risk.

Well, that is my exhaustive take on the massive wave of hardware coming out of the Blackmagic camp for NAB 2025.While the sheer volume of 2110 IP infrastructure gear might feel like overkill for smaller local operations, the innovations trickling down into the ATEM Mini Extreme G2, the Cloud Backup 8, and the portable CCU panels are incredibly exciting.

What do you think? How would you like to see Blackmagic expand its live production ecosystem? Was there anything from the NAB stream you think I missed? (And more importantly, who wants to help fund my new LED wall?) Let me know in the comments below!