Flash Xdr Sample Clips For Testing ? at DVinfo.net

Herman Van Deventer · August 5th, 2008, 09:45 AM

Mike, Is there any way to get access of original Flash XDR Clips in their native XDR Format ? 1080i 42.2.2 at 50 and 100 mbps.

Latest posts on Flash recorded clips by your customers shows "web" compressed samples.

We would like to forward the clips to David Newmann of Cineform for transcoding tests of
the original flash recorded "mpg" clips into the Cineform codec.

Any help in this regard will be highly appreciated.

Thank you.

George Kroonder · August 5th, 2008, 10:51 AM

I'd rather have CD spend ALL their time on making "the Flashes" ready for release.
And it is no use to have "beta" footage to test if things may change before release.

The heat is on; it's only 5 weeks to IBC.

George/

John Richard · August 5th, 2008, 01:10 PM

The first XDR alpha group are supposed to be shipping within a week or two.

This will make 50mb 4:2:2 Long GOP coming out of shipping units with many various types of footage files widely available.

And I agree - I think Mike Schell and Dan Keaton have spent more time than any manufacturer answering questions and keeping us up to date on their invention. Let them have the time they need at crunch time to get the first units the way they want them instead of spending time on their website. They are already way ahead of their other competition - let's be satisfied with that. And of course they'd want to get files from shipping units into the hands of Cineform - the more format capabilities available to the XDR (and Nano) the better for Convergent-Design. It's like .. what's the point in whipping the horse that is already way out in front?

Dan Keaton · August 5th, 2008, 04:21 PM

Dear John and George,

Thank you for the very kind words.

Yes, this is a balancing act.

Personally, I would like to post the original file, just as recorded by Mark of OnBoardImages at Oshkosh. This was recorded by the first "Alpha" test unit.

However, we do not have permission at this time, nor do we have the original file, or a copy. Mark is on another shoot at this time.

More "Alpha" units are being shipped soon, possibly today.

A much larger production run is currently in the queue at the production facility. The "Alpha" boards have worked well.

I was very happy to see the first "Alpha" unit work flawlessly in an extreme environment. This unit was subjected to very high G Forces (as can be seen in the first video). I find it very interesting that at the end of the first video, the pilot is seen catching his breath!

Of course, this was only one extreme. Other extremes, such as extreme temperature testing will come. We expect this testing to be done, in the field, by some major players. We will share the results of this testing as soon as we can.

Our engineers are still working on the code. The Quicktime support was developed and tested on another platform, one which allows faster turnarounds and easy testing of each revision. This process is now complete.

Now the fully tested Quicktime support is being transferred to the Flash XDR platform.

The first "Alpha" unit did not have Quicktime support. The HD-SDI video was recorded internally in the Flash XDR. Then the Flash XDR was used to playback the video through the HD-SDI outputs, which were then captured via a commercially available HD-SDI capture card.

As soon as the Quicktime support is ported (transferred) to the Flash XDR platform, we will have the ability to produce more video files for everyone's viewing.

Earlier today, Mike Schell indicated that he expected the rest of the "Alpha" units to go out today. I do not have confirmation at this time. As soon as I do, I will post it here.

In other areas, we expect to post our first firmware revision in about a week or sooner. The "Alpha" units that are going out today have the capability to upgrade the firmware in the field.

Also, these "Alpha" units have the ability to auto-detect the flavor of incoming video and setup the recording parameters automatically. Many, but not all, of the flavors are currently being "Auto Detected".

Mike Schell · August 7th, 2008, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Herman Van Deventer

Mike, Is there any way to get access of original Flash XDR Clips in their native XDR Format ? 1080i 42.2.2 at 50 and 100 mbps.

Latest posts on Flash recorded clips by your customers shows "web" compressed samples.

We would like to forward the clips to David Newmann of Cineform for transcoding tests of
the original flash recorded "mpg" clips into the Cineform codec.

Any help in this regard will be highly appreciated.

Thank you.

Hi Herman-
Sorry for the slow response, we have been quite busy shipping the Alpha Flash XDR units. We have most of the initial units shipped and will have a lull for 2 weeks while we wait for the big production run later this month.

We currently have record and playback to the Compact Flash cards at 50/100 Mbps 4:2:2 working well for 1080i60/50 and 720p60/50 formats. We are writing the MPEG2 data to the CF cards, but don't have the MXF and QT headers added just yet. However, QT support is our top priority and we hope to have it completed prior to the next shipment of Flash XDRs.

We have completed the QT code on the MAC and just need to transfer to the firmware to the Flash XDR (and debug of course). Our software engineers believe this should happen in the next 2 weeks. So, as soon as we can confirm playback in FCP we will post for everyone to download. (Yes David, this has taken longer than we anticipated, but projecting delivery dates on new technology is always difficult).

We look forward to working with Cineform to ensure a seamless transcode to their excellent CODEC.

Herman Van Deventer · August 7th, 2008, 04:24 PM

Thank you , Mike.

Getting fundamental straight foward answers on this issue is highly appreciated.

"Dreaming about Canon Xlh1 HDSDI Footage via Flash @ 100-150 Mbps - 4.2.2. to
Prospect (Cineform) avi. 4.2.2."

I am having nightmares on this issue.

Thank You.

The Third World.

Dan Keaton · August 9th, 2008, 06:45 AM

Mike Schell has spoken with Mark of OnBoardImages pertaining to posting the original footage.

Mark has to get permission to release the footage. As is sometimes the case, this can be touchy and time consumming getting the right people to agree.

As many of the "Alpha" units have been shipped, we will have more opportunities for posting the original footage. We have promises, from some major players, that they will allow us to post some of their footage.

I do not have a timeframe at this time. We expect some of the footage to be dramatic.

(Sorry for the delay in posting, I was "on-set" on Thursday.)

August 5th, 2008, 09:45 AM	#1
Herman Van Deventer Major Player Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: cape town South-Africa Posts: 251	Flash Xdr Sample Clips For Testing ? Mike, Is there any way to get access of original Flash XDR Clips in their native XDR Format ? 1080i 42.2.2 at 50 and 100 mbps. Latest posts on Flash recorded clips by your customers shows "web" compressed samples. We would like to forward the clips to David Newmann of Cineform for transcoding tests of the original flash recorded "mpg" clips into the Cineform codec. Any help in this regard will be highly appreciated. Thank you.

August 5th, 2008, 04:21 PM	#4
Dan Keaton Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Augusta Georgia Posts: 5,421	Dear John and George, Thank you for the very kind words. Yes, this is a balancing act. Personally, I would like to post the original file, just as recorded by Mark of OnBoardImages at Oshkosh. This was recorded by the first "Alpha" test unit. However, we do not have permission at this time, nor do we have the original file, or a copy. Mark is on another shoot at this time. More "Alpha" units are being shipped soon, possibly today. A much larger production run is currently in the queue at the production facility. The "Alpha" boards have worked well. I was very happy to see the first "Alpha" unit work flawlessly in an extreme environment. This unit was subjected to very high G Forces (as can be seen in the first video). I find it very interesting that at the end of the first video, the pilot is seen catching his breath! Of course, this was only one extreme. Other extremes, such as extreme temperature testing will come. We expect this testing to be done, in the field, by some major players. We will share the results of this testing as soon as we can. Our engineers are still working on the code. The Quicktime support was developed and tested on another platform, one which allows faster turnarounds and easy testing of each revision. This process is now complete. Now the fully tested Quicktime support is being transferred to the Flash XDR platform. The first "Alpha" unit did not have Quicktime support. The HD-SDI video was recorded internally in the Flash XDR. Then the Flash XDR was used to playback the video through the HD-SDI outputs, which were then captured via a commercially available HD-SDI capture card. As soon as the Quicktime support is ported (transferred) to the Flash XDR platform, we will have the ability to produce more video files for everyone's viewing. Earlier today, Mike Schell indicated that he expected the rest of the "Alpha" units to go out today. I do not have confirmation at this time. As soon as I do, I will post it here. In other areas, we expect to post our first firmware revision in about a week or sooner. The "Alpha" units that are going out today have the capability to upgrade the firmware in the field. Also, these "Alpha" units have the ability to auto-detect the flavor of incoming video and setup the recording parameters automatically. Many, but not all, of the flavors are currently being "Auto Detected". __________________ Dan Keaton Augusta Georgia

August 9th, 2008, 06:45 AM	#7
Dan Keaton Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Augusta Georgia Posts: 5,421	Mike Schell has spoken with Mark of OnBoardImages pertaining to posting the original footage. Mark has to get permission to release the footage. As is sometimes the case, this can be touchy and time consumming getting the right people to agree. As many of the "Alpha" units have been shipped, we will have more opportunities for posting the original footage. We have promises, from some major players, that they will allow us to post some of their footage. I do not have a timeframe at this time. We expect some of the footage to be dramatic. (Sorry for the delay in posting, I was "on-set" on Thursday.) __________________ Dan Keaton Augusta Georgia

August 5th, 2008, 10:51 AM	#2
George Kroonder Major Player Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Utrecht, NL \| Europe 3rd Rock from the Sun Posts: 612	I'd rather have CD spend ALL their time on making "the Flashes" ready for release. And it is no use to have "beta" footage to test if things may change before release. The heat is on; it's only 5 weeks to IBC. George/

August 5th, 2008, 01:10 PM	#3
John Richard Major Player Join Date: May 2006 Location: Incline Village, Nevada Posts: 604	The first XDR alpha group are supposed to be shipping within a week or two. This will make 50mb 4:2:2 Long GOP coming out of shipping units with many various types of footage files widely available. And I agree - I think Mike Schell and Dan Keaton have spent more time than any manufacturer answering questions and keeping us up to date on their invention. Let them have the time they need at crunch time to get the first units the way they want them instead of spending time on their website. They are already way ahead of their other competition - let's be satisfied with that. And of course they'd want to get files from shipping units into the hands of Cineform - the more format capabilities available to the XDR (and Nano) the better for Convergent-Design. It's like .. what's the point in whipping the horse that is already way out in front?

August 7th, 2008, 04:24 PM	#6
Herman Van Deventer Major Player Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: cape town South-Africa Posts: 251	Thank you , Mike. Getting fundamental straight foward answers on this issue is highly appreciated. "Dreaming about Canon Xlh1 HDSDI Footage via Flash @ 100-150 Mbps - 4.2.2. to Prospect (Cineform) avi. 4.2.2." I am having nightmares on this issue. Thank You. The Third World.