Update please.... at DVinfo.net

Ofer Levy · September 3rd, 2008, 07:56 AM

Hi Mike and Dan,
I am sure I am not the only one who is keen to know how things are going so far. I am really not trying to put pressure on you guys as I am sure you are doing the best you can. I think a short update is in place especially for those who paid the deposit and urgently need the Flash XDR.

Thanks!
Ofer

Dan Keaton · September 3rd, 2008, 11:26 AM

Dear Ofer,

Here is a brief update:

We just posted a firmware for the Flash XDR.

This release, which is the result of the "Alpha" testing, improves the reliability of the record and playback functions.

Most, if not all of the issues discovered during the "Alpha" rollout have been fixed.

In addition, line-level analog recording, via the external XLR inputs has been enabled.

The firmware is now posted on our site: www.Convergent-Design.com

We have received some of production circuit boards. They are in test at this time.

We expect to receive more circuit boards soon.

Ofer Levy · September 4th, 2008, 07:26 AM

Dear Dan,
Thanks for that! Looks encouraging to me!
Any idea as to delivery date?
Thanks,
Ofer

Dan Keaton · September 4th, 2008, 07:50 AM

Dear Ofer,

Sorry, but I do not know the projected delivery date for your Flash XDR.

Yesterday, Mike told me that they will be working this weekend in order to get units ready for shipment.

Ofer Levy · September 4th, 2008, 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dan Keaton

Dear Ofer,

Sorry, but I do not know the projected delivery date for your Flash XDR.

Yesterday, Mike told me that they will be working this weekend in order to get units ready for shipment.

This is fantastic news Dan!!

Dan Keaton · September 4th, 2008, 11:43 AM

Dear Ofer,

I would love to be more specific, but Mike Schell keeps the shipping information.

I am very pleased that the engineers were able to find and correct all of the known issues with the "Alpha" units.

Of course, every time we enable new features, we test these new features, but the real test is when the features are used in the field.

The new firmware enables 100 Mb recording, for certain video modes, but not all. We are still working to get 100 Mb working for some video modes.

So while the 100 Mb only works for some video modes (at this moment), the 50 Mb works for more video modes.

(To be clear, by "Video Modes", I mean 1080i60, 720p60, etc.)

The following is a quote from Mike:

Our tests now indicate very solid performance in both 1080i and 720p at 50 Mbps recording.

1080i60/50 is working well at 50/100Mbps, but 720p60/50 has problems at 100 Mbps, so you should stay with 50 Mbps for 720p60/50.

Tim Polster · September 4th, 2008, 09:10 PM

Best of luck with the testing.

I am sure it will be a great product.

I must admit though, a lot of us were not expecting to be reading a post like "we got 50mbps working and now on to 100 mbps" in the month of September.

As one who has not pre-ordered, I am now wondering if the Nano units will be available for purchase by the end of this year.

Dan Keaton · September 5th, 2008, 04:53 AM

Dear Tim,

Frankly, we are surprised that we are having an issue (problem) with 720p60/50 at 100 Mb.

As Chris Hurd says, the amount of data generated by 1080i and 720p are (approximately) the same. We agree with his analysis.

However, when we turn on new modes, we sometimes have little surprises. Generally, it just takes us a day or two, or less, to find and fix the problem.

We feel that this is a very minor hurdle and definitely not a showstopper.

We have done a lot of testing with 100 Mb. So it is surprising that we have this issue with 720p60/50 at 100 Mb at this time.

Our main, in-house, cameras have been the Canon XL H1 and a Canon XH G1. In addition, we have borrowed a Sony EX1 for quite a bit of testing.

In addition, we have been using a very nice, very versatile, POV (Point of View) camera that is capable of most video modes, including 720p.

We felt, in fairness to our customers, to fully report our status at the time of this firmware release.

Concerning the nanoFlash units:

We are close to having the initial "Alpha" circuit boards built for the nanoFlash. All of our experience and testing of the Flash XDR directly benefits the nanoFlash project.

Tim, I would like to provide our expected delivery date for the nanoFlash, but we want to be absolutely certain that we will meet any date that we publish. So we are holding off on specifying a date at this time. However, we fully expect to meet your timeframe.

Mike Schell · September 5th, 2008, 10:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tim Polster

Best of luck with the testing.

I am sure it will be a great product.

I must admit though, a lot of us were not expecting to be reading a post like "we got 50mbps working and now on to 100 mbps" in the month of September.

As one who has not pre-ordered, I am now wondering if the Nano units will be available for purchase by the end of this year.

Hi Tim, Dan-
We were able to verify that the 720p issue is caused by an incorrect program value in the Sony module. We are experimenting with a couple of different values this morning and feel confident the problem will be resolved today.

The 720p60 @ 100 Mbps issue caused a glitch in the video under certain high-motion conditions which generated very large I and P frames. We are tweaking an MPEG2 value which should even out the data flow from the Sony module, preventing large data spikes.

Dan Keaton · September 5th, 2008, 11:39 AM

Dear Tim,

Just to elaborate on what Mike has posted:

The 720p 100 Mb mode worked almost all of the time.

During our testing, we found that with very high motion, we could make it fail. And we could make it fail consistently. With normal motion, it worked fine.

Sony has been able to duplicate the problem. We expect a solution from Sony next week.

In the meantime, we are testing various settings to see if we can solve the issue even sooner.

Earlier I posted that we have used certain cameras during our testing. I left off a few.

We have tested with:

Canon HV20
Canon XH G1
Canon XL H1
Canon XL H1s
Sony EX1
Iconix RH1 POV Camera

Tim Polster · September 5th, 2008, 04:50 PM

I am sure you guys will get the bottom of things and the product will be great.

I am just displaying the shared desire to use what you are creating!

Dan Keaton · September 5th, 2008, 07:19 PM

Dear Tim,

We really appreciate your support.

I am really happy that the team found this issue (problem) with the 720p 100 Mb mode.

Since it worked almost all of the time, it could have gotten past us.

I am really looking forward to using a Flash XDR myself.

Mike Schell · September 6th, 2008, 08:37 AM

We should have another firmware update in the next few days. We will be adding support for 1080p30/25/24 and should have a fix for the 720p60/50 @ 100Mbps. We also fixed an audio sync issue for 720p60 (audio sync was OK for 1080i60/50).

We are assembling production units this weekend and will start higher volume shipments next week.

John Benton · September 8th, 2008, 08:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mike Schell

we Should Have Another Firmware Update In The Next Few Days. We Will Be Adding Support For 1080p30/25/24 And Should Have A Fix For The 720p60/50 @ 100mbps. We Also Fixed An Audio Sync Issue For 720p60 (audio Sync Was Ok For 1080i60/50).

We Are Assembling Production Units This Weekend And Will Start Higher Volume Shipments Next Week.

Bravo !bravo !bravo !

Mike Schell · September 8th, 2008, 09:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Benton

Bravo !bravo !bravo !

Hi John-
Thanks! The new firmware is now ready for download from our website. 720p60/50 @ 100 Mbps is still broken, but all other modes are working (according to our tests).

We will start debug of the Quicktime file format on Thursday. The initial QT firmware release may not support HD-SDI playback from Flash XDR. However, HD-SDI playback should follow a few days after the initial QT release.

September 3rd, 2008, 07:56 AM	#1
Ofer Levy Major Player Join Date: May 2005 Location: Sydney-Australia Posts: 443	Update please.... Hi Mike and Dan, I am sure I am not the only one who is keen to know how things are going so far. I am really not trying to put pressure on you guys as I am sure you are doing the best you can. I think a short update is in place especially for those who paid the deposit and urgently need the Flash XDR. Thanks! Ofer Last edited by Ofer Levy; September 3rd, 2008 at 09:24 AM.

September 3rd, 2008, 11:26 AM	#2
Dan Keaton Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Augusta Georgia Posts: 5,421	Dear Ofer, Here is a brief update: We just posted a firmware for the Flash XDR. This release, which is the result of the "Alpha" testing, improves the reliability of the record and playback functions. Most, if not all of the issues discovered during the "Alpha" rollout have been fixed. In addition, line-level analog recording, via the external XLR inputs has been enabled. The firmware is now posted on our site: www.Convergent-Design.com We have received some of production circuit boards. They are in test at this time. We expect to receive more circuit boards soon. __________________ Dan Keaton Augusta Georgia Last edited by Dan Keaton; September 3rd, 2008 at 01:20 PM.

September 4th, 2008, 07:50 AM	#4
Dan Keaton Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Augusta Georgia Posts: 5,421	Dear Ofer, Sorry, but I do not know the projected delivery date for your Flash XDR. Yesterday, Mike told me that they will be working this weekend in order to get units ready for shipment. __________________ Dan Keaton Augusta Georgia

September 4th, 2008, 11:43 AM	#6
Dan Keaton Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Augusta Georgia Posts: 5,421	Dear Ofer, I would love to be more specific, but Mike Schell keeps the shipping information. I am very pleased that the engineers were able to find and correct all of the known issues with the "Alpha" units. Of course, every time we enable new features, we test these new features, but the real test is when the features are used in the field. The new firmware enables 100 Mb recording, for certain video modes, but not all. We are still working to get 100 Mb working for some video modes. So while the 100 Mb only works for some video modes (at this moment), the 50 Mb works for more video modes. (To be clear, by "Video Modes", I mean 1080i60, 720p60, etc.) The following is a quote from Mike: Our tests now indicate very solid performance in both 1080i and 720p at 50 Mbps recording. 1080i60/50 is working well at 50/100Mbps, but 720p60/50 has problems at 100 Mbps, so you should stay with 50 Mbps for 720p60/50. __________________ Dan Keaton Augusta Georgia

September 5th, 2008, 04:53 AM	#8
Dan Keaton Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Augusta Georgia Posts: 5,421	Dear Tim, Frankly, we are surprised that we are having an issue (problem) with 720p60/50 at 100 Mb. As Chris Hurd says, the amount of data generated by 1080i and 720p are (approximately) the same. We agree with his analysis. However, when we turn on new modes, we sometimes have little surprises. Generally, it just takes us a day or two, or less, to find and fix the problem. We feel that this is a very minor hurdle and definitely not a showstopper. We have done a lot of testing with 100 Mb. So it is surprising that we have this issue with 720p60/50 at 100 Mb at this time. Our main, in-house, cameras have been the Canon XL H1 and a Canon XH G1. In addition, we have borrowed a Sony EX1 for quite a bit of testing. In addition, we have been using a very nice, very versatile, POV (Point of View) camera that is capable of most video modes, including 720p. We felt, in fairness to our customers, to fully report our status at the time of this firmware release. Concerning the nanoFlash units: We are close to having the initial "Alpha" circuit boards built for the nanoFlash. All of our experience and testing of the Flash XDR directly benefits the nanoFlash project. Tim, I would like to provide our expected delivery date for the nanoFlash, but we want to be absolutely certain that we will meet any date that we publish. So we are holding off on specifying a date at this time. However, we fully expect to meet your timeframe. __________________ Dan Keaton Augusta Georgia

September 4th, 2008, 07:26 AM	#3
Ofer Levy Major Player Join Date: May 2005 Location: Sydney-Australia Posts: 443	Dear Dan, Thanks for that! Looks encouraging to me! Any idea as to delivery date? Thanks, Ofer

September 4th, 2008, 09:10 PM	#7
Tim Polster Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Arlington, TX Posts: 2,231	Best of luck with the testing. I am sure it will be a great product. I must admit though, a lot of us were not expecting to be reading a post like "we got 50mbps working and now on to 100 mbps" in the month of September. As one who has not pre-ordered, I am now wondering if the Nano units will be available for purchase by the end of this year.

September 5th, 2008, 11:39 AM	#10
Dan Keaton Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Augusta Georgia Posts: 5,421	Dear Tim, Just to elaborate on what Mike has posted: The 720p 100 Mb mode worked almost all of the time. During our testing, we found that with very high motion, we could make it fail. And we could make it fail consistently. With normal motion, it worked fine. Sony has been able to duplicate the problem. We expect a solution from Sony next week. In the meantime, we are testing various settings to see if we can solve the issue even sooner. Earlier I posted that we have used certain cameras during our testing. I left off a few. We have tested with: Canon HV20 Canon XH G1 Canon XL H1 Canon XL H1s Sony EX1 Iconix RH1 POV Camera __________________ Dan Keaton Augusta Georgia

September 5th, 2008, 04:50 PM	#11
Tim Polster Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Arlington, TX Posts: 2,231	I am sure you guys will get the bottom of things and the product will be great. I am just displaying the shared desire to use what you are creating!

September 5th, 2008, 07:19 PM	#12
Dan Keaton Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Augusta Georgia Posts: 5,421	Dear Tim, We really appreciate your support. I am really happy that the team found this issue (problem) with the 720p 100 Mb mode. Since it worked almost all of the time, it could have gotten past us. I am really looking forward to using a Flash XDR myself. __________________ Dan Keaton Augusta Georgia

September 6th, 2008, 08:37 AM	#13
Mike Schell Convergent Design Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Colorado Springs, CO Posts: 869	1080p30/25/24 Support We should have another firmware update in the next few days. We will be adding support for 1080p30/25/24 and should have a fix for the 720p60/50 @ 100Mbps. We also fixed an audio sync issue for 720p60 (audio sync was OK for 1080i60/50). We are assembling production units this weekend and will start higher volume shipments next week. __________________ Mike Schell Convergent Design