Ki Pro and Ki Pro Mini version 3.0 Firmware Released

[Jon Thorn]

Version 3.0 firmware for Ki Pro and Ki Pro Mini is now available for download, free of charge, from the AJA website. Many new features have been added with this release.

You can review the features added in this release here:
http://www.aja.com/pdf/ReleaseNotes_KiPro_v3.0.pdf

A news story on the release can be found here:
News - AJA Video Systems

Thanks,
Jon Thorn
Senior Product Manager
AJA Video Systems, Inc.

[Nick G. Smith]

Hi Jon,

Many thanks for this new update - I can see many useful items.

Still hoping you will at some point get a Sony Flag for on/off - I do believe Pix 240 has this item. When running with separate sound recorders it is very useful to sync camera and sound with time of day but when having to trigger the kipromini with rec run timecode this is not possible.

Don't want to sound curmudgeon as I greatly appreciate this new update.

Nick

[Steve Cocklin]

Just installed 3.0, thanks, confirming no Super Out for HDMI?

[Nick G. Smith]

Just testing the new firmware on kipro mini. Super Out is fantastic to have.

I will have a look at presets tomorrow.

Nick

[Jon Thorn]

Nick S. - All of the manufacturers have implemented different schemes for start/stop commands in ancillary data. There is not a standard being used for this feature among all manufacturers. Therefore, this support is not something that may be implemented "across the board" by AJA like support for RP188 SDI timecode. The Ki Pro products currently provide support for start/stop commands from select RED and Canon cameras. More cameras will likely be added with future firmware updates.

Steve C. - As the Release Notes state, the super out feature is only enabled for the SDI output. HDMI super out is not supported at this time.

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

[Steve Cocklin]

I just set the TC in to TC value and not SDI RP 188, Armed Recording to Record Key not TC/Rec Key Camera Data to C300, I have an F3, just to make sure I put my TC on the F3 to free run the Mini starts and stops now with what I assume the SDI data from the F3. I don't want to use this in the field just yet so I have a call into AJA tech support to see if the SDI data coming from the F3 is the same as what I assume to be from a C300.

I've been testing this for an hour now and it works, the free run TC values from the F3 correspond to what I'm seeing on the Mini. The Mini starts and stops from what I assume to be the F3 SDI data coming through the SDI cable.

I imported the files into Avid via AMA and I see no camera data. Page 48 of the latest Mini manual says no camera clip data. This is a great improvement to be able to use SDI start stop data and not rely on TC from the camera to control the Mini.

[Nick G. Smith]

I tried your settings Steve but it did not work with my F3 and Kipro mini - Tried a few times but no joy - I'm running 25P coming out of SDI A

Strange !

[Steve Cocklin]

I just got home from an all day shoot and it worked great, is your F3 internal settings; Video Set; scroll all the way down to SDI Rec Control and set to HD SDI Remote IF?

[Jon Thorn]

Steve C. and Nick S. - I just wanted to make it clear to anyone reading this thread that support for start/stop commands from the Sony PMW-F3 was not a specified feature of the Ki Pro and Ki Pro Mini v3.0 firmware release. If, by some chance, this works when using the Canon C300 selection in the Camera Data menu parameter, I would consider that a coincidence. As stated in other threads related to the start/stop commands in ancillary SDI data provided by some cameras, that structure is not a SMPTE standard so manufacturers may implement such support differently. AJA plans to continue adding support for more cameras with respect to start/stop commands with future firmware updates.

Hope this helps clarify this matter,
Jon Thorn
Senior Product Manager
AJA Video Systems, Inc.

[Steve Cocklin]

Thank you Jon, I just shot the whole day using the SDI ancillary going to the Ki Pro Mini set to the C300 camera data setting, no problems yet, it seems a more sure way of starting the Mini I have even tried pushing the stop button while rolling and the Mini will momentary stop advance 1 take and continue rolling. This would take care of head bumps against the Mini buttons while shooting off the shoulder.

The question I have is why when the C300 just appeared on the market and the F3 has been out for over a year do we not have a proper F3 camera data setting on the Mini?

The 3.0 upgrade is a good improvement over the previous update. The presets simplify things when changing camera and prores formats. I was hoping for an HDMI Super Out seeing as two of the most popular EVF out there which I own one are HDMI in only but some newer SDI EVFs will appear after NAB. Thanks to you and your team for completing 3.0 update and I look forward to the next upgrade.

[Nick G. Smith]

Steve - I put my camera into HD SDI remote IF and it works like you said. Thanks for taking the time to discover it. Sound recordists will be very pleased.
As Jon said: a very happy coincidence

[Kevin Wolff]

Now that the 3.0 firmware is out, I am wondering if there is a better estimate on when support for the DNxHD might be available for the KiPro Mini. I believe the last time Jon posted on this, it was "maybe Q1 2012." Any further information would be greatly appreciated. In the meantime, I am continuing to record to ProRes, but am itching to establish a workflow around acquiring in the Avid codecs, both for editing in Media Composer and for round-tripping to Resolve.

Thanks,
Kevin

[Brian Lai]

Steve, I also use the Ki Pro Mini to record F3 footages but the Mini does not record when I shoot 50 f.p.s., Only the S X S card does but I like to have a 10 bit file when having to drop resolution for 50 frames I'm probably not up to date with Ki Pro updates (still running Sony 1.31 on F3) and wonder if you can shed some light on the subject.

thanks,