ARRI details Hi-5, hand unit with interchangeable radio modules and smart batteries

ARRI’s Hi-5 handheld unit, which will replace the WCU-4, brings interchangeable radio modules to wireless handheld camera and lens controls.

The Hi-5 features significant improvements over its predecessor, including a new radio system, new smart batteries, smart focus rings and an iOS app. The manufacturer has also emphasized the convenience of the system, as it has been specially designed to be easy to hold and operate. Similarly, ARRI’s solution features a touchscreen based on the camera’s user interface, creating unification between systems.

The Hi-5’s main innovation is its interchangeable radio modules, a feature “never before seen in a handheld unit,” notes ARRI. With an often congested 2.4 GHz ISM band and different frequency regulations in different countries, the ability to swap radio modules will allow teams to choose the module that best suits each shooting location. ARRI will launch three radio modules in the 900 and 2400 MHz ranges, using direct sequence and spread spectrum frequency hopping technology to cut interference. As the technology evolves, ARRI has stated its commitment to add more modules.

Other key design features of ARRI’s Hi-5 are its pre-marked smart focus rings, which now communicate directly with the Hi-5’s handheld unit, being instantly recognized and assigned to the target focus scale; its resistance to harsh environmental conditions, as its reinforced housing arrives sealed and with dust and weather resistance; or its NP-L interface-based batteries, which can be hot-swapped without powering down the unit and express their remaining capacity accurately.