Dear Friends,

I have posted some photos of the Gemini 4:4:4 on the Sony F3 in another thread.

This will allow one to see the small size of our full uncompressed recorder.

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/convergent-design-nanoflash/494097-gemini-4-4-4-photos.html

Somebody should make a mod that loses the entire right side of the camera with that useless grip, and replaces it with a Gemini.

Underneath that plastic is just the metal camera chassis, and a few printed ribbons to connect the switches in the grip area.

Even if that cost an extra $2K in machined parts, it'd probably be worth it!

I actually like the grip, but I would pay $2K if someone could add a connector that would enable me to use the HDVF-C35 viewfinder I have on my F800. Looking forward to adding a Gemini to my rig this summer. If only the camera had a D-Tap.

Dan, I know you've heard this before and know you suggested downgrading in post, but unless its a huge engineering hassle, I think you would sell a lot more of those if you included the option to go 10 bit 4:2:2 as well.

Leonard,

It does record 10bit 422. And with their 3D upgrade, you can record 2 10bit 422 cameras synced together (I would use it for multi-cam and A/B cameras).

Well,I just looked back at the latest press releases and I'm confused.

The Gemini seems to be billed as a 4:2:2 /4:4:4 recorder but the press release also says it only records uncompressed - doesn't that mean 4:4:4?
Is there uncompressed 4:2:2?
The Cine Technica article shows record times for 4:2:2 and 4:4:4 but they are all very large.

Granted I'm no tech though and I'm a bit confused about the difference between bits per sec and 8 or 10 bit recording. For example on the Nano can't you record at lots of bit rates/second even though they are all 4:2:2/ 8 bit. What size files can we expect for an hour of recording on a Ki-Pro or Samurai?

I know big file sizes will be a big stumbling block for my clients

Somebody should make a mod that loses the entire right side of the camera with that useless grip, and replaces it with a Gemini.


Could work if you were doing a shoulder mod and the handle was mounted on an extension out front and below the camera.as per Arri 16 SR.

Up top the Gemini looks like it may imbalance the camera when hand holding. Of course, that's not an issue when the camera is on sticks.

Somebody should make a mod that loses the entire right side of the camera with that useless grip, and replaces it with a Gemini.

Underneath that plastic is just the metal camera chassis, and a few printed ribbons to connect the switches in the grip area.

Even if that cost an extra $2K in machined parts, it'd probably be worth it!

Dear Nate,

We are open to your idea.

For discussion purposes, wouldn't that make the LCD (which is a very nice, high resolution (for its size, 5" diagonal, 800, x 480), high brightness (800 Nits (Cd/m2), less useful?

It is very desirable to be able to view this monitor while shooting.


We did not show the Gemini on a Noga arm. I would expect some to consider using the Noga arm to position the LCD/Monitor to a location of their choosing.

The Gemini 4:4:4 weighs about one pound. I am trying to get an accurate weight.

I actually like the grip, but I would pay $2K if someone could add a connector that would enable me to use the HDVF-C35 viewfinder I have on my F800. Looking forward to adding a Gemini to my rig this summer. If only the camera had a D-Tap.

Dear Doug,

The Gemini 4:4:4 comes with a Male 4-Pin XLR to 4-Pin Female Power cable.

We could build you a 4-Pin XLR splitter cable, or most any custom cable that you may need.

www.nanoFlash.net (http://www.nanoFlash.net) has a custom cable that allows the Swit battery to power both the F3 and the Gemini 4:4:4.

You may click on the following link, then click on order to see this cable.

nanoFlash.net - Batteries and Chargers (http://www.nanoflash.net/batteries_and_chargers)

And, of course, we have D-Tap to 4-Pin Female Hirose Power cables if you have Anton Bauer or IDX power.

Dan, I know you've heard this before and know you suggested downgrading in post, but unless its a huge engineering hassle, I think you would sell a lot more of those if you included the option to go 10 bit 4:2:2 as well.

Dear Leonard,

The Gemini 4:4:4 will record 10-Bit 4:2:2 automatically if that is what is coming in via the HD-SDI.

8-Bit 4:2:2 is also suppported as well.

Well,I just looked back at the latest press releases and I'm confused.

The Gemini seems to be billed as a 4:2:2 /4:4:4 recorder but the press release also says it only records uncompressed - doesn't that mean 4:4:4?
Is there uncompressed 4:2:2?
The Cine Technica article shows record times for 4:2:2 and 4:4:4 but they are all very large.

Granted I'm no tech though and I'm a bit confused about the difference between bits per sec and 8 or 10 bit recording. For example on the Nano can't you record at lots of bit rates/second even though they are all 4:2:2/ 8 bit. What size files can we expect for an hour of recording on a Ki-Pro or Samurai?

I know big file sizes will be a big stumbling block for my clients


Dear Leonard,

The Gemini 4:4:4 gives you the option to bring all of the quality of your camera, which may be 8-Bit or 10-Bit, 4:2:2 or 4:4:4 into you NLE or laptop.

Using Apple Compressor, or Adobe Media Encoder, or other software, you can then compress this pristine footage to whatever format your client desires.

This is a "First Encode" or "First Generation Encode", thus the same quality as would have been created in-camera, if the camera was capable of recording in your client's choice of codec.

This may not be for everyone. The nanoFlash is a very nice choice for some.

The nanoFlash continues to be a fully supported product and we expect sales to continue to be strong. We sell hundreds of these each month and expect this to continue.

The nanoFlash offers very high quality images (but not 10-Bit, nor uncompressed) and very long record times.

Could work if you were doing a shoulder mod and the handle was mounted on an extension out front and below the camera.as per Arri 16 SR.

Up top the Gemini looks like it may imbalance the camera when hand holding. Of course, that's not an issue when the camera is on sticks.

Dear Brian,

The Gemini 4:4:4 adds about one pound of weight. It weighs about the same as some lightweight monitors.

With certain setups, this could be balanced by a battery.

Dan -
Thanks and its great to have your input on this forum. I hope I didn't sound rude in my earlier post. i'm still a bit confused though. Will the Gemini like the Nano, have a menu for choosing how much compression to record in or will it just record uncompressed whatever compression scheme the SDI is putting out? i.e. if the camera is not upgraded and the SDI sends out 4:2:2 that's what will be recorded?
Does that question make any sense? I'm still not clear where its decided how the Gemini will record.

Also I'm curious about the screen on the Gemini. Many of us are mounting external monitors in positions like that in your photo. Is the gemini designed to replace those monitors, and if so does it have monitoring features like waveform/vectorscope, false color, color peaking, accurate color etc. If not many will be reluctant to remove say their TVLogic 5.6" onboard for something without the feature set they rely on.

- Lenny

Dear Brian,

The Gemini 4:4:4 adds about one pound of weight. It weighs about the same as some lightweight monitors.

With certain setups, this could be balanced by a battery.

Thanks Dan, just another thought: Could there be a be a loupe type device made that would allow you to focus on the screen if you mounted the Gemini forward for shoulder mounting the camera? Perhaps the screen is a bit large for this?

Dear Doug,

The Gemini 4:4:4 comes with a Male 4-Pin XLR to 4-Pin Female Power cable.

We could build you a 4-Pin XLR splitter cable, or most any custom cable that you may need.

www.nanoFlash.net (http://www.nanoFlash.net) has a custom cable that allows the Swit battery to power both the F3 and the Gemini 4:4:4.

You may click on the following link, then click on order to see this cable.

nanoFlash.net - Batteries and Chargers (http://www.nanoflash.net/batteries_and_chargers)

And, of course, we have D-Tap to 4-Pin Female Hirose Power cables if you have Anton Bauer or IDX power.

Hi Dan,

I already power my Nano with your D-Tap adapter on my F800 and your XLR adapter on my other cameras. They both work great. I was just lamenting the fact that the F3 does not have a D-tap connector so it is inconvenient to have to have to supply external power from some other source besides from the camera body. Since I only use Sony U60 and U30 on my F3 and have no desire to add 3rd party batteries that have D-tap, this adds more complexity and cables than I really want. It is not the fault of the Gemini that Sony didn't have the foresight to give the F3 a D-tap connector.

FYI, I normally have my Nano with an NP-1 battery supply hanging in a custom pouch on my tripod leg so it is not on the camera. There's no reason I ever need to see it during the shoot so it can be tucked out of the way. But that won't work with the Gemini because I'll want to take advantage of that great looking monitor.

I have no doubt I'll come up with a solution once I get the Gemini. I have several mounting/powering options in mind . . . but D-tap on the F3 would have been nice.

Dan -
Thanks and its great to have your input on this forum. I hope I didn't sound rude in my earlier post. i'm still a bit confused though. Will the Gemini like the Nano, have a menu for choosing how much compression to record in or will it just record uncompressed whatever compression scheme the SDI is putting out? i.e. if the camera is not upgraded and the SDI sends out 4:2:2 that's what will be recorded?
Does that question make any sense? I'm still not clear where its decided how the Gemini will record.

Also I'm curious about the screen on the Gemini. Many of us are mounting external monitors in positions like that in your photo. Is the gemini designed to replace those monitors, and if so does it have monitoring features like waveform/vectorscope, false color, color peaking, accurate color etc. If not many will be reluctant to remove say their TVLogic 5.6" onboard for something without the feature set they rely on.

- Lenny

Dear Leonard,

No, I did not think you were rude at all, no problem.

The Gemini 4:4:4 records the video it is provided via the HD-SDI with 100% accuracy. There is no compression.

But, you can obtain compressed video, in the codec of your choice, using Apple Compressor or Adobe Media Encoder, or other software running on an external device, a laptop or desktop computer, or something more elaborate.

Our Monitor should be color accurate. It is adjusted for proper color at the factory, and we intend to provide color adjustments.

We have not promised Waveform Monitor/Vectorscope, Histograms, or False Color yet.
We will be listening to our friends requests at NAB and at other times.

We will have a 1 to 1 mode for critical focusing and you will be able to move around the portion of the image that you will see 1 to 1.

I am not certain what "Color Peaking" is, sorry.

We will be putting as many features as possible in the Gemini 4:4:4. We have built in a lot of expansion room in this unit so we can add features.

We will be adding features over time, just like we did with the nanoFlash.

Thanks Dan, just another thought: Could there be a be a loupe type device made that would allow you to focus on the screen if you mounted the Gemini forward for shoulder mounting the camera? Perhaps the screen is a bit large for this?

Dear Brian,

We intend to build an add-on sunshade (which may not be necessary due to the high brightness of our display) and I have looked into a loupe type device.

At this time, we are not currently designing a loupe type device. We are busy in other areas.

We will be listening at NAB to those that have seen the device to determine if a loupe type device is needed. The image is 5" diagonal, thus reasonable size for close-up viewing.

Dear Doug,

We are working on a custom battery that will fit to the back of the Gemini 4:4:4.

Our current plan is for a 68 Watt-Hour battery. This, of course, will be a removable battery.

With our support for wide range of input voltage, 6 to 19 Volts, we can accept a wide range of battery types.

We are also designing a solution to allow for higher voltages, up to around 32 Volts. This will be an optional accessory. This will be great for 28 Volt DC power.

We will be listening at NAB to those that have seen the device to determine if a loupe type device is needed. The image is 5" diagonal, thus reasonable size for close-up viewing.

I was thinking more about being able to focus on the monitor when you're operating with it a few inches from your eye.

Dear Brian,

Thanks, we will keep that in mind.

Dan,
Thanks for clarifying the recording issue. This sounds like after a 4:4:4 upgrade in the F3 that I can pick the recording quality by choosing my SDI quality in camera.

I guess I've been trying to figure out the file size comparisons between the Gemini and the Ki-Pro mini or Samurai that record directly to Pro Res and unless I've got it wrong it seems like the latter will still be significantly smaller. For my clients file size and not having to go through compressor is a major issue and I know if the Gemini offered that as well as 4:4:4 they would jump at it despite the a few K cost difference. Of course those recorders are tied to Pro Res which is only an Apple product and I don't know how much of an engineering issue that would be for you guys. I do know people are looking forward to the 10 bit offerings as an alternative to the 8 bit Nanoflash though.

"Color peaking" is a feature on most smaller on-camera monitors these days that outlines a user chosen color (often red) where the image is in sharp focus. Very helpful to the operator, though you must include controls so the user can dial in its sensitivity. An overly "active peaking function can tell you you're in focus when you aren't and is worth than useless.


We will be listening to our friends requests at NAB and at other times..

That's why you guys stay ahead of the game. I'm sure you'll be hearing a lot. By trying to offer a substitute on- camera monitor though be aware that you've waded into a highly competitive playground where shooters are really picky and demanding about about features and picture quality.

Thanks for your devotion to our needs.

Dear Leonard,

ProRes HQ, at 220 Mbps, will be a smaller file than an uncompressed file from the Gemin 4:4:4.

The file size will be smaller and the quality will be less.

The nanoFlash is great for recording compressed images at a wide variety of bit-rates.

We fully understand that all everyone will want to use Apple Compressor or Adobe Media Encoder.

Please keep in mind that the footage has to be copied from the media, CompactFlash or SSD's to another media.

With a fast computer, one can use the uncompressed footage as the input to Apple Compressor or other software, and output the encoded files, in a codec of your client's choice to the other media, all in one step. And the transfer times are not significantly different (with a fast computer).

(Again, I know this is not for everyone.)

I understand "color peaking" now. I was familar with another term for the same thing.

I think everyone will be very pleasantly surprised by our monitor quality.

5" diagonal
800 x 480 (full pixels)
800 Nits (Cd/m2)
900 to 1 Contrast Ratio (Real)

Compare these values to the monitors that are out there now. For example, a typical monitor is 300 Nits.

Having a monitor 2.66 times as bright comes in handy at times, especially in bring sunlight.

800 NITS is crazy bright. A lot of Steadicam monitors are in the 500 to 650 NIT range (often in combination with a transreflective layer to increase daylight viewability) although some go as high as 1000 NITS, just to give people a perspective on the brightness this screen is capable of delivering.

Peaking would make the monitor truly useable as an on camera EVF from what I can gather. Adding a software scope package to it would hit it out of the park in terms of the value proposition to camera operators.

Looking forward towards seeing a demo unit at NAB.

Dan,

Just a note to make sure you haven't compromised color accuracy for brightness, I know in the past I tried a monitor that was very bright but on the coolish blue side and I was told at the time that making the color more accurate always brought the brightness down.
Just a thought.

Lenny Levy

Dear Andrew,

Thank you are sharing your perspective,

Yes, 800 Nits is really bright.

We are very far along in our development of the Gemini 4:4:4, but it is certainly not finished right now.

We will try our best to add features, within our capabilities, and the significant capabilities of our hardware design.

We significantly over-designed the Gemini 4:4:4 hardware so we could add features.

However, certain features may be very difficult to add. We will do our best.

It is certainly my personal goal to make our Gemini 4:4:4 into a very useful monitor.

Just to be clear, no promises on extra monitor features yet.

Just to be clear, no promises on extra monitor features yet.

I like that. The business is out of control these days with lack of expectation management.

Hi Dan,

First off, keep up the great work.

Here is a thought: take a 2011 quad-core MacBook Pro, connect your 256GB drive and convert to Pro Res HQ and Pro Res 444(if that exists). Then, post the time it takes as part of the Gemini overview so people like Leonard can see how long this takes.

Also, take a similarly equipped i7 Windows 7 laptop and convert to Cineform in their two highest quality settings, which I am fairly certain includes 444.

I would imagine that there is enough time to convert in the field after the first 256GB drive fills up and while recording to the 2nd drive.

Here is my best idea yet ;) send me a Gemini and 256GB drive and I will test the Cineform/PC for you.

Btw, I am still amazed at the low cost of your 256GB & 512GB SSDs.

Are these SSDs made in USA, Japan or elsewhere? I ask because SxS prices skyrocketed after the Japan earthquake; so, I wonder if there will be any impact on your Gemini development.

PS With HDCAM SR tape becoming scarce and almost non-existent very soon due to Sony closing its plant in Japan, the Gemini could help many people in desperate need of the highest quality recording.

Hi Leonard,

What about using the BlackMagic Design H264 recorder Blackmagic Design: H.264 Pro Recorder (http://www.blackmagic-design.com/products/h264prorecorder/)

If your clients just need files to begin editing or for review, this could potentially work. Then they could relink the files; however, I don't know if it records identical timecode (it should since it can record via SDI).

Dear Steve,

We are very happy with the SSD manufacturer that we have selected.

However, things may change due to the pace of technology and we want to use the best available.

Our current SSD's have been through lots of testing.

So, if we stay with this SSD, the critical memory used to build these SSD's are made in the United States. The final assembly is outside of the United States, but not in Japan.

The final testing and burn-in will be at our facility in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States.

Dan, thanks for being so responsive on these forums. It is great to have CD available, willing to listen and respond to all of our questions.

In regards to the Gemini, is there some technical reason the option to compress has been removed (or not included) as being able to output MXF via the Nanoflash (I borrow a friends for now as I was hoping the Gemini was in the works... :)) is a huge time saver in my current workflow and others I know as well.

However I am getting an F3 very soon and would love to have the 10-bit 4:4:4 of the Gemini, certain projects will just not allow the time to offload and compress via another step especially if you are a one man show or a DIT is not in the budget.

I assume there is no possibility the Gemini has some hidden ability to ouput MXF via a future firmware upgrade? I and others just do not understand the reason to not inlcude this feature... as sometimes uncompressed will be overkill and being in the field you may not be able to offload and compress to a codec via a laptop or desktop for a multitude of variables.

For the cost it will be difficult to justfiy a Nanoflash and a Gemini untill clients start really demanding the the uncompressed 10-bit 4:4:4. I guess I may just have to get use to the reality of needing the extra time to offload and compress....however the XDCAM EX codec onboard the F3 is pretty impressive with the almost noiseless images even at high gain. This could be used in those situations when uncompressed is not needed but even that may pose a limitation that will cause issues on some projects.


Thanks again for your time!

Doug,
I modified my Be Boob Coco. Dremel off the curved section, and now the Coco with 2 Hirose and multi directional D tap works with the Sony batteries.

Hi Jason,

Do you currently have a need for 10bit 444 S-Log uncompressed video? Or is 10bit 422 good enough? I ask because the upgrade alone will set you back $3500 and that is enough to buy any of the small recorders including nanoFlash, KiPro Mini or Atomos. So, for those times when you need the compressed format, you can use one of these recorders rather than upgrade to 444, which by the way, the F3 technically cannot truly output 444 due to its bayer sensor. Green pixels comprise 50% while Red and Blue comprise 25% each.

I believe that the Gemini would need to cost nearly as much as the Cinedeck Extreme in order to provide both uncompressed AND compressed recordings due to the extra processing hardware.

... In regards to the Gemini, is there some technical reason the option to compress has been removed (or not included) as being able to output MXF via the Nanoflash (I borrow a friends for now as I was hoping the Gemini was in the works... :)) is a huge time saver in my current workflow and others I know as well.

However I am getting an F3 very soon and would love to have the 10-bit 4:4:4 of the Gemini, certain projects will just not allow the time to offload and compress via another step especially if you are a one man show or a DIT is not in the budget.

I assume there is no possibility the Gemini has some hidden ability to ouput MXF via a future firmware upgrade? I and others just do not understand the reason to not inlcude this feature... as sometimes uncompressed will be overkill and being in the field you may not be able to offload and compress to a codec via a laptop or desktop for a multitude of variables.

For the cost it will be difficult to justfiy a Nanoflash and a Gemini untill clients start really demanding the the uncompressed 10-bit 4:4:4. I guess I may just have to get use to the reality of needing the extra time to offload and compress....however the XDCAM EX codec onboard the F3 is pretty impressive with the almost noiseless images even at high gain. This could be used in those situations when uncompressed is not needed but even that may pose a limitation that will cause issues on some projects.


Thanks again for your time!


Dear Jason,

First, we acknowledge that full uncompressed is not for everyone and we offer the nanoFlash to compliment the Gemini 4:4:4.

People who are using the nanoFlash with the outstanding Sony F3 are very pleased with their images.
There is a very good technical reason for this that I have discussed in other posts.

(To be brief, the very low noise images of the Sony F3 allows the nanoFlash to create stunning images since it does not have to compress the noise.)

We have tested the two workflows:

(1) Just performing a transfer of the full uncompressed footage to a fast Mac,
(2) Performing a "First Encode" from the full uncompressed footage on the SSD.

In our tests

(1) was 3X real-time (60 minutes of footage took 20 minutes) and
(2) was 2X real-time (60 minutes of footage took 30 minutes.

You times can and will be different. We used a fast Mac for these tests.

Later, as we get the Gemini 4:4:4's into the field, we will have reports of "Real World" times using a variety of Macs.

In any case, during a full shooting day, one does not need to wait until all of the footage has been shot before during a transfer or "First Encode". This could start at lunch.

Then, with proper techniques, only the footage for the second half of the day, or even less would have to be encoded.

If one waits to the end of the day to start the "First Encode" or transfer, there is a time difference, but with a reasonably fast computer (and proper disk subsystem) the difference is not that significant.

With a slow disk subsystem, and a reasonable fast computer, it may be that the "First Encode" may actually be faster than a full uncompressed transfer. This comment is not based on any tests we have done, just conjecture on my part. But I have a very extensive computing background.

Again, your mileage will vary!

Now, to directly answer your question as to why the Gemini 4:4:4 does not include all of the compression options of the nanoFlash.

The answer is size, weight, power, complexity, and time to market.

The nanoFlash performs its magic due to large part to the Sony codec module.

This would add size, weight, power and cost to the Gemini 4:4:4.

While we would port the code from the nanoFlash to the Gemini 4:4:4, it would add complexity and time to market.

We pride ourselves on building very small, very sophisticated, and very low power devices.

It is, of course, a gamble for us.

Stepping back for a minute, it may become apparent that we are attempting to promote the use of full uncomrpessed recording to a large number of users.

Of course, we feel that by producing a very low cost (compared to all other competitive products) full uncompressed recorder, many people will consider the advantages of full uncompressed images.

And there will be those that will want the compression in the recorder itself, and for those we offer the nanoFlash which is a very viable option for many Sony F3 owners, especially those that do not want to use Sony S-Log or full 4:4:4.

Just ask anyone who has recorded F3 footage on the nanoFlash.

Dan, What do you mean when you say a "fast mac" .
Does this require a tower or will a laptop do.
Most people I know are working with a Macbook Pro in the field. Maybe one a few years old like me.

Lenny

Steve, great points and has me thinking... I need to do some testing once I get my F3 to see which option will work best for me but you are right in reality 90% of the time the 4:2:2 even at 8-bit will be suffcient for me especially since I have a profile that gets my look very close in camera at least with my EX1. I am very intrigued by S-LOG as I am sure others are but I can always upgrade later (especially since it is not even available yet) Plus the Nano works great with my EX1 and current workflow as well. Decisions decisions, The Gemini has the built in monitor and uncompressed 4:4:4 or close via F3.

Dan, thanks for the reply and makes perfect sense as you explained it well. I am sure I will be a happy owner of a Nano or Gemini at some point in the near future. If budget allows maybe both so both of my cameras will be recording at the best of their abilities. I am not in a huge hurry and want to see some real world testing and workflow breakdowns tested as well. Those offload and compression times on a Mac look pretty good for uncompressed footage.

Does S-log only work with uncompressed 4:4:4 or also 4:2:2 10 bit either through gemini or KiPro?

Dan, What do you mean when you say a "fast mac" .
Does this require a tower or will a laptop do.
Most people I know are working with a Macbook Pro in the field. Maybe one a few years old like me.

Lenny

Dear Lenny,

Our "Fast Mac" is a very fast Mac, a latest and greatest Mac Pro, with fast disk drives, many cores, and lots of memory.

So, I requested a test with a much more modest MacBook Pro.

We used a "last year's model" MacBook Pro, 17", with an ExpressCard 34 eSATA adapter for a test.
This is a 2.66 Ghz model.

Connecting full uncompressed footage and then performing a "First Encode" to ProRes HQ:

10 Minutes of Footage encoded in 5 minutes.

Does S-log only work with uncompressed 4:4:4 or also 4:2:2 10 bit either through gemini or KiPro?

Dear Lenny,

For S-Log, it is your choice if you record 4:4:4 or 4:2:2.

For S-Log, it is most important to record it in 10-bit so the Gemini 4:4:4 would work fine.

I would not use a nanoFlash to record S-Log footage, one would be better off to not record S-Log if one is recording via the nanoFlash.

But, of course, the nanoFlash will do an outstanding job recording from the F3 in non-S-Log mode.

I thought S-Log would only work via 3G or Dual-Link SDI or does the F3 upgrade allow S-Log through its normal single link HD-SDI?

Dear Steve,

We will have to check on that. I am not certain.

"Time to market."

Welcome to the brave new world where we customers are the beta testers, and where "new features" are added alongside firmware fixes for products that may be obsolete before you even pay that credit card off.

Even though I enjoy new technology as much as the next guy, I sometimes miss the days when one only asked "what Betacam do you have?"

I'm not just picking on C-D. I love my Nano (v1.6.248) and it has done good by me.

Gotta go, I have to go do a software update on my tripod.

Dear John,

When we first started shipping our nanoFlash is was a viable and useful device.

Then, over time, we added features to the firmware.

Some of these features were ones that we had promised, and others were very useful features that we had not promised. Some took quite a while to implement, such as Hot Swapping.

And in the case of the our first recorder, the Flash XDR, we have failed to deliver full uncompressed recording to CompactFlash cards, which was going to be an extra cost feature. And they may be a couple of other features for the Flash XDR that were promised that we have not delivered yet.

But, overall, our friends got the benefit of using our new technology sooner than they would have if we waited until everything was finished.

And every few months, more or less, we delivered new features. One example was an On-Screen Tally. Another was 8-Channels of audio. Another was Image Flip. Another was Image Flop (horizontal Flip).

Each new release of firmware goes through very formal and thorough testing.

This includes internal testing in our lab, internal testing of the new code approximately 48 units during heat cycling and burn-in, a private beta testing program, then a public beta testing program.

Then the new firmware is released as "Production Level".

Are we perfect? No.

But, I feel that your comment "we customers are the beta testers" does not accurately reflect what we are doing nor does it reflect our track record.

We are very happy that you love your nanoFlash.

Doug,
I modified my Be Boob Coco. Dremel off the curved section, and now the Coco with 2 Hirose and multi directional D tap works with the Sony batteries.

Dennis, that might work. Let's talk about it next week at NAB.

4:2:2 S log only requires single link HDSDi, it is just a regular 10 bit 4:2:2 stream. I believe you will be able to choose between 4:2:2 S-log over a single SDi plus S-Log with LUT on the monitor SDI, or 4:4:4 S-Log over dual link SDi or single 3G SDi with S-Log plus LUT on the monitor SDI. That's the information I have, but things may change.