improvements I'd love to see in the ki pro mini

[Ed David]

So I have used the KI Pro Mini on probably 12 jobs now, all the way from a commercial to doc to narrative film.

Here's a few things I'd love to see if possible:

1. ability to record to Avid DNXHD. will help with recording s log to the device. Avid DnxHD seems to be a more reliable codec in the wake of troubles with Apple's product line path into the territory of Final Cut Pro X.
2. faster boot up time
3. ability to eject a card without first having to power down the whole system
4. faster power off time
5. ability to update the firmware by putting the firmware on a CF card instead of having to go thru ethernet
6. faster switching between cards
7. some EE out so it sends a visual display to your monitor to indicate its recording. like the nanoflash sends a red line out to the monitor.

that's it for now. overall it's been super great using this device and has allowed me to record s log in a very efficient manner. I am quite pleased with the unit overall!

With feedback from more users, hopefully we can make this device better and better and hopefully help you guys, AJA, from too many users jumping on the other guys 10 bit recorder that is due out very soon.

[Jon Thorn]

Ed D. - Thanks for your feedback. I'll respond to your comments in the order you posted them:
1. AJA hasn't ruled out the possibility of encoding to another compression scheme besides Apple ProRes.
2. Since the Ki Pro video recorders are essentially "compact computers", they take a little bit of time to run some checks and processes before booting up. Not sure how much improvement is possible.
3. Removing a CF card from a Ki Pro Mini doesn't require you to power down the Ki Pro Mini; a prompt asking you to reboot will appear if the SLOT button isn't used to gracefully unmount the media (perhaps that is what you are referring to). If you use the SLOT button and wait for the LED indicator light to go from illuminated to unlit, the media can be removed without issue and the system can continue operating, new cards can be inserted, etc. Ungracefully removing media (without using the SLOT button) - by just popping it out with the physical eject button - isn't recommended. If you are using the SLOT button as described here (and in the user manual) and experiencing some sort of an issue that requires you to reboot, please feel free to contact AJA Technical Support as that would be out of the norm and they may be able to walk through your configuration/operation and provide advice beyond a simple operational note like I am providing here.
4. Like power up, power off is essentially a "compact computer" attempting to do a graceful shutdown. Again, not sure how much improvement there may be in this area.
5. While it's not out of the scope of possibility that someday a CF card might be a possible way to load firmware to the device, the web UI provides many prompts and progress indications that are simply beyond the scope of the small display screen on the physical unit to provide. Using the web UI also potentially helps avoid confusion compared to CF card firmware loading; some cameras and recorders require a piece of media to be "dedicated" to firmware updating, and the Ki Pro Mini does not have such a requirement since it uses the web UI for updates. This allows you to really see what process you are performing.
6. Faster switching between cards; this might be an area where things could be improved. It takes a few seconds to gracefully unmount one volume and mount another volume on the "compact computer" operating system. Again, as with boot up and power down, I can't say how much room for improvement there is.
7. A super out/transport state indicator has been requested before and it's a good suggestion.

I would suggest keeping an eye on AJA-related news from the IBC tradeshow which is only days away...

Hope this is helpful,
Jon Thorn
Senior Product Manager
AJA Video Systems, Inc.

[Jon Thorn]

Ed David wrote these requests in the original post:
"1. ability to record to Avid DNXHD."
"7. some EE out so it sends a visual display to your monitor to indicate its recording."

For the first request, please be aware that today we announced our upcoming support for Avid DNxHD on the Ki Pro Mini. You can read more about it here:
News - AJA Video Systems

Regarding the other request, we also previewed our forthcoming 3.0 firmware update for the Ki Pro and the Ki Pro Mini. One of the features included in this update is a super out that allows you to superimpose a window burn on the SDI output that shows the timecode as well as the transport state of the Ki Pro or Ki Pro Mini.

I will post more about the other new features that will arrive in version 3.0 firmware in another thread since there were questions about "what I'd really like to see..." posted elsewhere on this forum.

Regards,
Jon Thorn
Senior Product Manager
AJA Video Systems, Inc.
Currently at IBC in Amsterdam

[Ed David]

this is so exciting! thank you!