Good evening ladies and gentlemen, first a little introduction or brief in order to explain this thread:

It’s been a very long time since I have posted on this forum (well except that little one a few week ago)

I’m also a member of many other prominent boards, which collectively form a nice web of filmmaker’s community. As such I am posting the same information here BUT (not linking to the other boards, as this is not in the spirit of DVinfo or any other board for that matter)

It was brought to my attention in another board about the new SUMIX SMX 12A12C camera, needless to say I will not expand on this further as most here should be familiar with it. If you are not familiar a quick search on this forum will reveal the information.

During discussions on the other board, the idea for a custom Software application that was garnered towards filmmakers was discussed.

Having some assets in programming I decided that I would venture to build a relatively simple application, after some quick study it was revealed that the SUMIX Company distributes their SDKs and API that can be coded using VB amongst many other programming languages.

In the filmmaker’s community spirit, I decided to release any such application for free to all filmmakers.

Although initially I had stated that it was free for the users of the other board, I see no reason why it should not be for all, since we are all filmmakers then belonging to anyone board makes no difference.

Thus the HDX project was born, I have started coding it and some tentative progress has been make, so I post here for a few purposes

(1) Make the wider filmmakers community aware of the Project and have access to it
(2) Gather some feedback/suggestions, etc
(3) Get technical help from members
(4) Possibility of more beta testers (I already have willing volunteers, but having more is even better)


Now some Important Notes:

I am in no way guaranteeing that I will be able to complete this project or that I will have a working finished project, I preserve the right to pull the project if I see it fit. Since I am also currently studying my Masters, I can only do this in my SPARE time, so do not expect massive fast progress.

I hold no responsibility for any damages that may arise from using this application, everything is supplied “as is”.

Final note ANY technical help, from ANY users who have used the SMX 12A12C APIs and SDK (using VB) please, please do come forward and give assistance.

And now the screen shots of what been done so far:

Splash Screen

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e320/Anhar/Splash_HDX_beta_screenshot.jpg

Main Application

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e320/Anhar/HDX_prg1.jpg

What Works
* Sound recording
* Hard Drive Information
* Safe frame toggling

What needs to be done:
* camera previewing
* camera connecting
* camera settings changing
* camera recording

Anhar

Anhar,
I am very interested in what you are doing here. I am in th process of contacting sumix to try and purchase said camera. I would be a willing beta tester and a possible Mac developer! please let me know what i can do to help!!!!

Anhar,
I am truly flattered. Here is a link to what must be your inspiration:
http://www.siliconimaging.com/DigitalCinema/SiliconDVR_Interface.html
It will help in defining your "Stuff" buttons.

We originally tried to get a group of developers together to do a public domain recording package and couldn't get the critical mass so we invested buckets of man-years of time specing and developing what I think is a great interface. Aside from the time invested, the partnerships with Cineform and Iridas have greatly enhanced the application but I'll admit, we aren't freeware anymore.

Good luck,
Steve Nordhauser

Hello Steve, yes that was indeed the inspiration for the HDX.

When I started the project, one member raised the question if the GUI could be similar to the SI interface, so yes why not get inspiration from the best ! :)

I have yet to put functionality into those button so I left them with "Stuff" for the time being.

Luke you can most certainly help me, I'm PM you with details.

Anhar

I'll purchase another 12A12C cam next week, so I'll be happy to be one of your beta testers.

Let me be the first one to say thanks. Thanks a lot!

Hello Jose, you would be more then welcome to beta test it. However I've put the project on halt for the moment, mainly due to not having access to the SDK ActiveX software (Supplied with the camera, but since I do not own the camera I don't have the SDKs). If anyone is able to let me have access to the SDKs then I can continue with the project (also given time constraints).

PM me for if you can help out.

You'll have it as soon as I get the camera.

Thank you sir!

I will attempt restart the project on weekends (thats probably the only free time I have)

By the way... Will this app allow the user to choose a codec for real time compression while shooting? If it's not possible to do it in real time, you could add an option to automatically encode the clip right after shooting.

And antoher question: When you stop shooting, do you get a single video+audio file or two different files?

Thanks!

I have never done any real time compression programming so, sadly that option would be out, and to add an option for compression afterwards, well it may be possible, but frankly just letting the user take the video file and loading it into an NLE you could then edit/transcode/render anyway.

As for the video file, I think it only records seperate video and audio files, since the streams are comming from two different sources. It would have to be put on an NLE and then synced up I presume.

back to good old fashioned "clip boards!"

-Anhar

Another possibility would be to use MacOSX and find a way to compress the incoming stream to ProRes422 HQ in FinalCutPro 6.0.x. What do you think?

The best thing which could happen SUMIX btw would be to provide basic access functions and release the source code of their software in the open domain and concentrate on selling cameras.

Daniel, they actually provide an SDK and sample code.

José. Yes I know they supply some kind of code. But is the code provided some "access code" to a compiled API. Is the low level access to the camera made available, e.g. hooks into the raw or compressed video stream ??

Nop, and that is exactly what I'm trying to say, maybe you can work with their Windows Centric API, but you won't have acces to a low level interface.So you are stuck there. :)

Well....I think that such a small company as SUMIX would definitely distinguish itself favourably in the disturbingly fragmented market of "basic sensor camera" by opening its software toolbox to users who may, actually, contribute with considerable expertise to the promotion of SUMIX cameras. Well if I am to invest in a SUMIX camera (I sent an email asking for a price and shipping quotation, but have got no answer that far...) and build some kind of system camera, I really need ACCESS to the video stream and low-level functions. I hate the thought of having to run the whole Windows XP operating system just in order to pilot the camera. Sounds like you start (boot) the whole Soviet administration to be able to shoot pictures in the field.

What we need from SUMIX is roughly:
1) the hooks into the RGB or the whatever-stream which is coming out of the cam with precise specification of what is streamed through the Ethernet cable.
2) a set of codes to command the diverse functions of the cam.

We potential filmmaker clients are thankful to get wrapped API applets, but it would be much better to gain access to what real cinematographers need.

I think SUMIX should react on this issue.

I still think the product has definite potential, but the success or failure of the total concept, in the present technological context, depends more on the company's software policy than on the hardware specification (competitors will soon come up with more and better).

Developing a terrific GUI for the camera interface is, believe it or not, no problem today. The big issue, is to avoid Windows XP and its huge hardware and software overhead (12 to 22 WATTS for a Windows computer, just to run the OS ??).

A couple of days ago I read that a Red One camera takes between 1 and 2 minutes to be ready to shoot since you press ON. My computer loads Windows XP much faster. Just think about a slimmed down version of XP just with the stuff this cam needs (Silicon Imaging used Windows Embedded I think) loading from a miniITX system with 2Gb of ram, a Core2Duo processor and a couple of big 7200rpm HDDs... How long can that computer take to load Windows and Anhar's app? 10-20 seconds? I'm not a Windows fan really, but I'm not looking for a point&shoot camera, so I'm willing to wait a few seconds before I can start.

If Sumix gives access to all internal codes and someone writes a Linux app which loads faster and needs less computer speed/power, I'll try it. I'm not too sure if an OSX app would work, because it would require a Macbook Pro, so options to build an independent system get reduced to the possibility of Apple developing a faster MiniMac.

You can always try to install a patched copy of Leopard on a miniITX computer...

Daniel:
That is why I'm saying it, maybe Jose ends up quite happy with his camera, but it won't be an easy task to work with it.Not to mention the headaches for developers.......

About Sumix taking actions on base of what you are saying....No way!!!!

That is the "Diference" between Sumix and SI. It seems to me that Sumix is more "engineer" and SI is more "user", and Engineers usually don't make things the way people need it, but the way engineers want them.

If that weren't the case, RED wouldn`t exist.Sony already has sensors of 12 and 24 Mpixels.It is just that japanese engineers can't believe why someone would want to shoot moving images using a bulky sensor and bulky lenses with limited depth of field, when you can have a camera on the head of a nail and have infinite focus :)

Juan,

Indeed we are going to open our low level software tools as much as needed so others can make this camera more useful. The technology goes obsolete so fast that we do not have the resources and knowledge to do all the work ourselves. We are working in parallel on developing driver for Linux. But, it may be faster and easier to support third parties to make their own versions.
In any case you have access to raw data and complete control of the sensor and any compression we provide with windows API that we are providing.

Farhad

That sounds great Farhad!

So there it is... Open low level software tools. Possibility to migrate to other systems... What else do you want??

By the way Farhad, did you get my last mail?

Thank you for your comments, We certainly understand the necessity of user support in all kind of product developments that we are engaged in. Usually we have let customers directly communicate with our engineers and derive corrections and improvements. For Cinema camera we need to go much farther and tap your creativities and encourage you to make your own versions of the finished product.

We have about 55 people full time from which about 45 are engineers and technicians, We have another 10-20 technicians helping us part time at any time. However we are small considering the depth and intensity of commercial projects we are doing. Other than what you see on our website, we are developing enterprise software, Java, for cable modem management, massive beamforming and multiplexing for 3D medical ultrasound, device for 3D
optical eye examination, mapping retina in high resolution, surface and depth.
So far our marketing and sales is quite limited, and not have used investors money we have the flexibility to work with our customers as it will be needed in the future.

Here is a link to the files that came with the camera on the supplied CD, and also the SDK.

http://www.dreamstonestudios.com/personal/daniel/experimental/SMX12A2/development/

I'm told that the SDK is currently under development. What is included now won't change but they are working on adding more features and improving old ones.

Regarding support from the Sumix company, my own experience was very positive. After I bought an M73 camera head the technical support from them was always open and helpful. At the risk of losing any credibility by endlessly emailing very basic questions, Petrovich always promptly got back with answers to help me along. And later Farhad offered a free M72 head as a comparison, which he thought would be more suitable for my needs since I wasn't chasing the resolution numbers and valued larger pixels on the same size sensor. I quickly came to the conclusion that the Sumix people really wanted to helps us! When it comes to support, it doesn't get much better than this.

I totally agree John. Farhad has been extremely helpful and patient since my first contact with him long ago asking for their M73 cams. After that with all my questions about their gigE cams when they first announced them and now when I'm finally buying one, he's been always there for me answering every possible question I came up with, offering creative solutions and giving more than anyone would ever ask for.

I really think in very little time and with the help of all the people who's working on different open software projects, Sumix will be the first company to offer a really affordable fully featured digital filmmaking solution and that's possible thanks to people like Farhad and all Sumix workers.

So, any news on the software? My cam arrives tomorrow. I'll be ready to start testing by thursday!

So, any news on the software? My cam arrives tomorrow. I'll be ready to start testing by thursday!

Is this project still going on.... I got my sumix 12A12C 3 days ago and I have ordered intel microatx motherboard, dual core, 128 gb flash drive and some 12 volt system to run that...

Wow, its been a long time since I started this thread.

I never got my hands on the SDKs so the project was put the back burner :D

But since I've noticed a poster has kindly posted access to the SDK, I'll have a look.

I still have the project files, I may evn fire it up one weekend.

Anhar

Juan,

Indeed we are going to open our low level software tools as much as needed so others can make this camera more useful. The technology goes obsolete so fast that we do not have the resources and knowledge to do all the work ourselves. We are working in parallel on developing driver for Linux. But, it may be faster and easier to support third parties to make their own versions.
In any case you have access to raw data and complete control of the sensor and any compression we provide with windows API that we are providing.

Farhad

Thats amazing!

any change of .Net Support with working samples?

sorry for the double posting, only notice this.

Anhar