March 1, 2023 - On any production, having access to accurate information about the color and exposure of source footage is crucial to the color workflow, making video scopes essential in modern grading suites and digital imaging technician (DIT) carts. Recognizing a need to address persistent information gaps, Time in Pixels Founder Tomasz (Tom) Huczek developed Nobe OmniScope, a software-based suite of scopes that help creative professionals analyze a broad range of video sources and imagery with standard post production tools. We spoke with the AJA Developer Partner to learn more about this unique solution and its compatibility with AJA's popular audio and video I/O products.
Tell us more about Time in Pixels.
We're a software development company specializing in tools for filmmakers, colorists, post professionals, and, increasingly, photographers. Our customers primarily work on high-profile cinematic and commercial projects, but they also use our technology for episodic work. We released our first product – a plug-in for a popular color grading, color correction, visual effects, and audio post production application about five years ago. After a successful launch, we continued developing more plug-ins, which ultimately led to the creation of our first standalone product Nobe OmniScope in 2021. It's a software-based suite of scopes that allow users to analyze all kinds of video sources and imagery with a range of industry-standard post production tools including Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects, LightRoom and Photoshop, to Apple Final Cut Pro, and Assimilate Scratch, among others.
Who is Nobe OmniScope designed for?
Initially, we designed Nobe OmniScope with colorists in mind, but as we released it into the market, we received feedback from professionals in other creative disciplines. Feature requests from DITs to live and virtual production and monitor calibration professionals began rolling in. Color scientists also use it to verify some of their theories or to experiment with formulas, and we've seen a lot of recent interest from photographers, even though scopes aren't broadly used in this field yet. All the feedback we receive from our users is invaluable, and we do our best to accommodate it. This includes requests for support for popular audio and video I/O technology from AJA Video Systems.
Describe a typical client workflow.
Nobe OmniScope most often runs on a color grading workstation equipped with a computer, a high-quality monitor, and a color grading panel in a facility or on a DIT cart. Both typically include an audio and video I/O card or box. Our solution supports a range of I/O tools, although we regularly recommend AJA's desktop and mobile products including KONA 4 and Io XT, in addition to the AJA U-TAP and T-TAP Pro devices. We expect to deliver integrations with KONA 5 and Io X3 in the coming months as customer demand for the technology grows.
Why did you decide to deliver Nobe OmniScope support for AJA technology, and how would you describe your experience in the AJA Developer Partner program?
AJA gear is easy to use and install, and it's durable; we're confident that it's going to work as promised with high color accuracy and low latency, so we know our customers will be happy with it. Requesting a Developer unit from AJA was a smooth process, and the SDK was easy to follow, which made the integration seamless. It was a pleasure collaborating with AJA on it.
What trends are you following and why?
HDR is the elephant in the room, especially for colorists who haven't started working with HDR material yet, but know it's coming and want to prepare. We've received many inquiries and questions about how best to work with HDR and monitor it properly and which I/O cards they can use with Nobe OmniScope to monitor SDR and HDR simultaneously. When it comes to this question, we're able to recommend KONA 4 because it's well-suited for this application and future proof. It works well for HDR and virtual production environments.
How would you describe your outlook for the future?
The industry is rapidly evolving, so naturally, new requirements will emerge that we'll have to adapt to, but I'm optimistic about the future and what it brings. I think we'll continue to see new and interesting developments in the XR space. AJA also has a track record of releasing products that address emerging market needs, so I'm confident there will be more AJA tools to come that bring interesting new opportunities for both AJA and Time in Pixels.
A graduate of DeVry Institute of Technology, Doug has been in the Technology industry since 1976 and actively oversees Fearing’s daily operations. Along with his wife, Lois, and three others, Doug started Fearing’s in a 600 square-foot facility in Portage, Wisconsin. In the 25 years since, the company has grown to over 30 employees with offices in Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Doug likes to say he’s a “TV Technician with a dream� going back to his history with the family’s original business-Fearing’s TV and Appliance.
Doug values time with family, watersports, hiking, snowshoeing and skiing. In addition to being a devoted member of his church, Doug serves as Board President for Kinship Mentoring of Columbia County, Board member of Schools for Haiti and Scripture Chair of the Gideons-Portage camp.
A graduate of MATC, Lois oversees Fearing’s daily book keeping along with various HR responsibilities.
Along with Doug, Lois is deeply connected to community outreach, serving as a Board member and Fundraising Committee Chairperson for Kinship Mentoring of Columbia County. She also serves on the Schools for Haiti Fundraising committee. In addition, Lois’ ongoing passion and commitment to provide care for the elderly comes from her 10-year history of working in a Reedsburg, Wisconsin Nursing home.
Lois enjoys singing, hiking, sunny days on the pontoon, and spending time with her 4 grandchildren.
Ehren drives Fearing’s technology by continually seeking out trends to enhance capabilities while supporting Sales, Engineering and Installation teams. Throughout his years with Fearing’s, Ehren’s talent and vision have joined forces to create a wide variety of projects and strategic solutions that exceed expectation.
Ehren loves music, family time, movies, nature, sustainability efforts and electric vehicles.
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By consistently delivering an outstanding experience and outcome, Ben contributes to the Fearing’s legacy of long-lasting partnerships that truly make a difference. Whatever the Commercial AV need may be, Ben and team deliver at the highest level.
Ben is an avid fisherman and photographer. He enjoys coaching his sons and other youth.
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Married for 19 years with 3 children, Chris enjoys skiing, hiking, fishing, boating, hunting, camping and golf. He’s also been actively involved as a Youth Football and Softball coach for his family and others.
