Blackmagic Cloud storage now half price at USD $15/terabyte

Blackmagic Design has announced a reduction in the pricing for its Blackmagic Cloud media storage service, cutting the cost by half.

The new price for Blackmagic Cloud storage is now USD $15 per terabyte per month, a significant decrease from the previous rate of USD $30. This change is a result of updates to the company's data centre backend, allowing broader accessibility for users engaged in global post-production workflows.

This price adjustment is immediately effective for all existing customers, who will see their storage bills reduced by 50% from now on. The cloud service is designed to enable the sharing of DaVinci Resolve projects globally, facilitating collaboration among professional editors, colourists, visual effects artists, and audio engineers.

Blackmagic Cloud is integrated not only within DaVinci Resolve but is also available in most Blackmagic Design cameras and the free Blackmagic Camera app for both iPhone and Android devices. This integration enables seamless media syncing, enhancing concurrent post-production processes.

The service takes advantage of the capabilities of the latest models, such as the Cinema Camera 6K, PYXIS, and URSA Broadcast G2, which allow for full-resolution HD proxy recording in H.264 format. These files are automatically live-synced to the Blackmagic Cloud as filming progresses, and they are subsequently available to all DaVinci Resolve workstations connected to the same project.

Before recording, users need only to log into Blackmagic Cloud and choose a DaVinci Resolve project via their camera interface, simplifying the process to start syncing recordings to all linked workstations. This setup supports multiple camera configurations, leveraging new multi-sync features for editors to view and select the best angles in real time.

The workflow operates similarly to live streaming directly into editing software. As media synchronises with the viewer during playback, editors are able to monitor the process, indicated by a red record icon in the clip bin. This ensures editors can start working on footage as soon as it begins recording, with streamlines in the editing process greatly enhanced.

For instance, in news production environments, the URSA Broadcast G2 can be configured to sync footage directly to an editing suite from the moment an event starts. Editors gain the flexibility to create news segments concurrent with the live recording, potentially broadcasting within seconds.

For broadcasters aiming to air footage live, DaVinci Resolve provides playback of incoming media coordinated with recording, functioning effectively as a media decoder and player.

"This new lower price for Blackmagic Cloud storage is exciting and should allow a lot more customers to use cloud workflows," said Grant Petty, Blackmagic Design CEO. "We cannot wait to see talented people come together and create amazing television shows, feature films and online content, no matter where in the world they live. This is the core of what Blackmagic Design stands for. The engineers have done a great job in helping reduce the cost of Blackmagic Cloud. It's a lot of fun to do this!"