The new Atomos Samurai Blade, a follow-up to the original 5″ HD-SDI Samurai, is now shipping (though stock seems to be low at the moment). Originally introduced at NAB, the external monitor/recorder has a 5″ 1280 x 720 touch screen, which is quite an upgrade from 800 x 480 panel in the previous model. Check out some videos and specs for the recorder below.

Here are the specs:

1280 x 720, 325 DPI 5″ IPS Capacitive Touchscreen Display

Records Up to 1080/30p/60i, 10-bit, 4:2:2

ProRes or DNxHD Encoding and Playback

SDI Input and Loop-Output

HDMI Input via Optional Atomos Converter

Stores to 2.5″ HDDs/SSDs

Supports ARRI and RED for Monitoring

S-Log / C-Log

Synced REC trigger

Timecode from Camera

Cut and Tag Editing Tool

6W Power Consumption

Price: $1,300

It looks like power consumption is down from the original Samurai almost 1 watt, which means you should be able to run slightly longer on the same batteries. Obviously if your camera only takes HDMI, you’ll need some kind of converter to be able to use it, and Atomos just so happens to make such a converter. I would imagine at some point that Atomos will also introduce the new display for the popular Ninja HDMI recorder, which should come in at a few hundred dollars cheaper. You can order now or learn more about the Samurai Blade using the links below.