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Aaton Digital

Aaton Digital (formerly known as Aaton) was a French motion picture equipment manufacturer, based in Grenoble, France.

Aaton Digital
FormerlyAaton
Company typePrivate
IndustryMotion picture equipment
Founded1971
Defunct2024
Headquarters
Grenoble
,
France
Key people
Jean-Pierre Beauviala, Founder, Jacques Delacoux, CEO
ProductsMovie camera, Audio recorders, Audio and post production software
Websitewww.aaton.com

History

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Aaton was founded by Eclair engineer Jean-Pierre Beauviala, whose efforts have been primarily focused on making quiet, portable motion picture hardware suitable for impromptu field use, such as for documentaries. A model for all motion picture cameras they have produced is the "cat-on-the-shoulder", a small, light, quiet motion picture camera.

In the late 60's Beauviala was working as a professor of electronics in the University of Grenoble. With the project to make a movie about the evolution of the city and of its architecture, but unable to find the proper tools, Beauviala decided to create the camera himself. Though the movie would eventually be abandoned this led to the creation of Aaton in 1971.[1]

After several initial prototypes, the Aaton LTR 16 mm movie camera became available on the market in the late 1970s. It has been succeeded by several improved models, including the LTR, LTR 54, XTR, X0, XTRplus, and XTRProd.

Aaton also pioneered the linking of timecode between film cameras and sound recorders in the acquisition stage. Aatoncode was one of the earliest schemes for encoding a timecode signal in the frame margins of 16mm film, allowing rigorous synchronization of audio and film in post-production.

As of January 2015, the camera line[2] offers the 16mm Xterà (along with its still used predecessors the XTR Prod[3]), the A-Minima (a small camcorder-sized 16mm camera) and the 35mm Penelope (along with the still in use 35-III[3]).

Evolution and digital products (2004–2012)

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In 2004 Aaton introduced the Cantar-X, a multichannel digital audio recorder designed to be used on location.[4]

In 2005/2006, the company started to test and exhibit the successor to the 35‑III, a quiet 35mm camera called Penelope.[5][6] Specially designed with a native 2-perf camera system (with an optional kit to switch to 3-Perf), the Penelope eventually became available for purchase in October 2008.[7]

During the 2010 NAB Show Jean-Pierre Beauviala and AbelCine officially announced Aaton's first digital camera, called Delta Penelope. A fully functional prototype was exhibited at the NAB Show two years later, with plans for a limited test run in 2012 and an eventual release in 2013. Evolving from a variation of the Penelope (with a digital mag) to a new concept, the camera most notably featured a "cat-on-the-shoulder" inspired design and a Dalsa Super-35 CCD sensor (with a native 3.5K resolution) mounted on a specially developed/patented mechanism designed to bring unprecedented image quality, closer to what film provides.[8]

Recent developments and name change (2013-2023)

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On 26 April 2013 an official statement was issued by founder Jean-Pierre Beauviala announcing that due to quality issues involving the Dalsa sensors for the planned Delta Penelope, the company had to declare bankruptcy so it could have time to find a new investor.[9] In May 2013 Beauviala sent an e-mail detailing the situation of Aaton and explaining that despite the recent troubles the company was still functioning and mainly developing its next digital audio recorder (tentatively called Cantar-X+), and a digital-camera aiming at documentary-style filming (called D-Minima).[10]

On 18 June 2013 Transvideo acquired Aaton through its holding company ITHAKI. Still based in Grenoble and with the same development team, the new company now named Aaton Digital was then focusing on the release of their new digital recorder (the Cantar-X3) and planning the release of a new "cat-on-the-shoulder" (sic).[11][12]

On 22 October 2013 Jean-Pierre Beauviala left Aaton Digital/Transvideo where he was working as a consultant.[13] This latest information engage only Jean-Pierre Beauviala as he never had any kind of formal cooperation with Aaton-Digital.

In March 2014 Aaton Digital officially introduced the Cantar-X3, the next successor in their line of on-field digital audio recorder.[14] In March 2015 the first commercial Cantar-X3 is delivered to the NoyzBoyz in Amsterdam, more than 100 products are in order confirming the fantastic interest of the audio community for this new sound machine and also the creativity of Aaton's engineers.

In March 2017 Aaton Digital launched the CantarMini and the same month won the "best of Show Award" at the "NAB show" in Las Vegas.

Bankruptcy and closure (2024)

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On February 15, 2024 Aaton-Digital was ended by a court judgment.[15] In a statement on their home webpage, the company indicated that recent years of slow business, caused by the covid-19 pandemic and the 2023 cinema strike, had forced them to liquidate. "We thank all our users and partners for their commitment and passion during the ten years we have gone through together."[16]

Products

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Camera models

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16 mm

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  • 7A (introduced in 1972[17])
  • LTR (introduced in the late 1970s)
  • LTR 54
  • XTR
  • X0
  • XTR Plus
  • XTR Prod
  • Xterà
  • A-Minima

35 mm

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  • 35-I
  • 35-II
  • 35-III
  • Penelope (introduced in October 2008[7])

Digital

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  • Delta Penelope (discontinued[2])

Sound recorders

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  • Cantar-X (introduced in 2004[4])
  • Cantar-X2
  • Cantar-X3 (introduced in March 2014[14])
  • CantarMini (introduced in March 2017)

References

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  1. ^ Brody, Richard (28 June 2011). "Grenoble Street Scenes". The New Yorker. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  2. ^ a b "Cameras". aaton.com. Aaton Digital. 4 March 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  3. ^ a b "Film :: Cameras :: Rental Equipment :: AbelCine". abelcine.com. AbelCine. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  4. ^ a b Ciletti, Eddie (1 June 2004). "Aaton Cantar-X Field Recorder With Mixer". mixonline.com. Mix. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  5. ^ "New Aaton 35 / Penelope". steadicamforum.com. The Steadicam Forum. 11 September 2005. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  6. ^ S. D. Katz; D. W. Leitner; Dan Ochiva; Jan Ozer (1 June 2006). "NAB 2006". digitalcontentproducer.com. Digital Content Producer. Retrieved 23 November 2014. Aaton also previewed a prototype of Penelope, a compact switchable 2-, 3-, and 4-perf "quiet, quiet, quiet" sync-sound 35mm camera, a complete redesign that also incorporates twin batteries.
  7. ^ a b "Aaton: Penelope". test.aaton.com. Aaton. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  8. ^ Gross, Mitch (27 September 2012). "Aaton Unveils the Delta Penelope Camera". blog.abelcine.com. AbelCine. Archived from the original on 2014-10-19. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  9. ^ "Aaton turns to financial receivership". afcinema.com. Association Française des directeurs de la photographie Cinématographique. 29 April 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  10. ^ "Jean-Pierre Beauviala outlines the future for Aaton". cinescopophilia.com. Cinescopophilia. 2 May 2013. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  11. ^ "Statement by Jacques Delacoux, CEO of Transvideo, and Jean-Pierre Beauviala, founder of Aaton". afcinema.com. Association Française des directeurs de la photographie Cinématographique. 11 July 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2014. next release will be the Cantar-X3 audio recorder. After that, you can expect to see a new "cat on the shoulder"!
  12. ^ "Tansvideo acquired Aaton". transvideo.eu. Transvideo. 23 October 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  13. ^ "Jean-Pierre Beauviala n'est plus avec Transvideo". afsi.eu. Association Française du Son à l'Image. 22 October 2013. Archived from the original on 2014-05-06. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  14. ^ a b "Aaton's Cantar-X3 pushes the limits of sound recording". aaton.com. Aaton Digital. 6 March 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  15. ^ "AATON DIGITAL (VERNEUIL D'AVRE ET D'ITON) Chiffre d'affaires, résultat, bilans sur SOCIETE.COM - 794022384". www.societe.com. Retrieved 2024-04-10.
  16. ^ Webmaster. "Aaton Digital". www.aatontransvideo.com. Retrieved 2024-04-10.
  17. ^ "Compañeros". test.aaton.com. Aaton. Retrieved 1 December 2014. JP Beauviala Sveridge Film Institutet Stockholm 1972. First public presentation of the Aaton 7A. Photo Anders Petersen.[permanent dead link‍]
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