Introducing the Odyssey7 and 7Q from Convergent Design

[Graeme Hay]

I'll be at NAB to check this out and hopefully play with it a bit on the exhibit floor.

The FS700 4K would be an excellent achievement (for both CD and Sony).

I very much want to compare the OLED screen and feature-set with SmallHD's AC7-OLED as an external monitor is part of our camera upgrade plan now that we are taking on feature productions this year.

Timing couldn't be more perfect :)

[Alister Chapman]

This is an exciting product, a nice bit of thinking outside the box, instead of making a recorder and adding a monitor, why not make a monitor that is also a recorder.

Hope CD add a 2x scaling capability to the vectorscope to make it easy to use with Chroma Du Monde charts etc.

With full LUT capabilities not coming to the F5/F55 until the end of the year if CD can incorporate LUTs and the ability to record proxies with burnt in LUT's that would be a cool feature.

[Dan Keaton]

Dear Alister,

It has been our goal, in every Image Analysis Tool, such as Waveform, to provide a very professional implementation.

We also consider 2X zoom a vital feature for our Color Vectorscope.

Thank you for the kind words on our new products.

[Dan Keaton]

Convergent Design recently introduced two revolutionary new products, the Odyssey7
and the Odyssey7Q. These new products have been very well received.

The Odyssey7 is a very capable 7.7” OLED Monitor that can become a professional recorder
via extra cost options.

The Odyssey7Q is an even more capable 7.7” OLED Monitor that can become a professional,
multi-stream (4-Channel) recorder.

We announced the price of the Odyssey7, $1295 (US) previously.

Now, due to hundreds of requests, we are announcing the price of the Odyssey7Q: $2295 (US).

The Odyssey7Q adds the following important features:

• Ability to monitor four separate video streams simultaneously.

• Ability to record, with an extra cost feature, four separate video steams (cameras), simultaneously, to a compressed codec (initially Avid DNxHD) up to 30 fps for each.

• Ability to playback simultaneously, four separate video streams, recorded in a compressed codec.

• Ability to record, with extra cost options, ARRIRAW or Canon Cinema Raw, plus a Proxy file,
with the same filename, same timecode, same starting and ending points, to Avid DNxHD-36 simultaneously. The added computational ability of the Odyssey7Q supports this important feature. Avid DNxHD-36 is the industry standard for offline (Proxy) recording.

• Ability to display various image analysis tools in four separate quadrants.
This may or may not be a feature of the Odyssey7 also; this is “to be determined”.
In the Odyssey7, image analysis tools, such as Waveform Monitor may be displayed in either
full screen or as a Picture in Picture (PIP) overlay.

• Ability to record 4K, via four separate HD-SDI single-link camera outputs, which some 4K cameras provide, such as the Sony F55.

• Ability to output to true 4K Monitors, via four separate HD-SDI single-link outputs,
which is the industry standard for 4K Monitoring.

The Odyssey7Q supports up to four HD-SDI 3G Inputs and two HD-SDI 3G outputs or
up to two HD-SDI 3G inputs and four HD-SDI 3G outputs.

The Odyssey7Q adds two bi-directional HD-SDI 3G connectors to the 2 inputs and 2 outputs of the Odyssey7. Both models have HDMI input and HDMI output.

• Ability to support high frame rates, up to 120 fps in both compressed codecs
and full uncompressed.
(The Odyssey7 supports up to 120 fps in full uncompressed only, not in compressed.)

• The Odyssey7Q will also support recording, with an extra cost feature, up to 240 fps,
from certain cameras in specific modes, such as HD or 2K.

Stay tuned for further important announcements.

• The Odyssey7Q has a built-in Four-Channel Live Switcher.

• Both the Odyssey7 and Odyssey7Q are monitors only, but both can be upgraded to record via extra cost options.

• The Odyssey7 records a maximum of one video stream,
and the Odyssey7Q supports up to four video streams.

The scheduled delivery of the Odyssey7 family has been rearranged to meet many customers’ requests.

Initial shipments of the Odyssey7Q will be first, currently scheduled for July 2013.
The Odyssey7 will start shipments shortly thereafter.

We have also moved up the availability of certain recording features.

Certain recording features will be available in July or August 2013.

These include recording from the Canon C500 in 4K Raw, 4K Half Raw, 2K, and HD in 10 and 12 bits.

And we will support another very popular 4K camera in July or August 2013.

Recording 2K and HD from many other cameras will also be supported in full uncompressed.

Compressed Codecs, initially Avid DNxHD, are due sometime in Q3 2013, subject to change.

Another popular codec will be added for owners of the Compressed Codec option, for free, if and when we obtain certification.

The Compressed Codec Option is only available for purchase, not rental due to the low cost of this option.

We will release pricing for the recording options in May, 2013.

All prices, features, and schedules are subject to change, but these are our plans at this time.

[Dave Allen]

Can you confirm if there is a battery adapter plate for popular camcorder batteries, or does this require a dediicated external cabled power supply?

Too bad they will not be ready for months, leaving me with no choice but to buy a D7. :(

[Dan Keaton]

Dear Dave,

We will provide a battery plate + our own battery (a 14.4 volt lithium-Ion) + charger, as accessories.

I also feel that we will provide battery plates for some popular camcorder batteries. i am not positve about this at this moment.

I am sorry that we provide them sooner.

[Sabyasachi Patra]

Originally Posted by Dan Keaton

And we will support another very popular 4K camera in July or August 2013.

Am I allowed to ask which camera is this?

[Dan Keaton]

Dear Sabyasachi,

As you probably know, the Odyssey7 and Odyssesy7Q start out as Monitors only.

With extra cost options, the Odyssey7 and Odyssey7Q will be able to record from certain 4K cameras.

As soon as we get final approval, we will make the appropriate announcements.

We do hope to make the announcements by April 15th, maybe earlier.

[Ron Aerts]

Hi Dan, looks like a great tool!
will the record trigger also work with increasing timecode? and if so, If it's the 7Q, is it selectable from which input this trigger takes his timecode?
can you select a SDI embedded 'master timecode input' if you work with multiple inputs and multitrack recording? so that all recordings are sync'd to 1 source?

[Dan Keaton]

Dear Ron,

Yes, we will be able to record on Incrementing Timecode.

And we will be able to record using the HD-SDI Record Packet, from ARRI, Some Sony, Some Canon cameras, like the C300 and C500 plus possibly other Canon cameras, and the Red Cameras, and any other camera that uses the SMPTE Standard HD-SDI Record Packet. Tiggering is also possible from most Raw cameras when the Raw datastream has timecode.

And we will implement the Panasonic trigger method also.

(All of the above is currently implemented on the Gemini 4:4:4, thus this is just a port of the code over to the Odyssey7 / Odyssey7Q family.)

Also, if there are multiple video streams with timecode, we use the embedded timecode from video input 1. (Also currently implemented in the Gemini 4:4:4.)

And the Odyssey7 and Odyssey7Q have a dedicated BNC for Timecode, it can be used for Input or Output, so you can use LTC timecode.

I hope this helps.

Respectfully,

[Chris Medico]

From what I read the 7Q will be able to record 4 SDI streams simultaneously. Is that correct?

Will that be uncompressed or will it be able to record 4 streams to a compressed format such as DNxHD?

[Dan Keaton]

Dear Chris,

We have announced that we will be able to record four streams, up to 1080p30, using our compressed codec in the Odyssey7Q with an extra cost option or options.

We have not announced that we can also record four streams of full uncompressed. We can record two streams of uncompressed with an extra cost option.

I am checking with our engineers to see if your request is possible (and practical).

Do you want to record four streams in full uncompressed?

What format, 1080p23.98, 24, 29.97 or 30 (or do you need all of these formats)?

Respectfully,

[Chris Medico]

Actually I'm more interested in a compressed workflow. If it can record 3-4 streams to a codec such as DNxHD I would be very interested in buying one. Assuming the cost is within what I can afford.

One feature I would recommend is to have a selectable option allowing each stream to trigger recording individually OR have all streams trigger from ANY camera.

[Dan Keaton]

Dear Chris,

For many we feel that it makes sense to record compressed..

We thought that most people would want to record compressed when recording from four cameras.

Initially we will support recording four cameras in Avid DNxHD, up to 30 fps.

We plan on adding another very popular codec later, but we must get it certified before we can talk about it.

If we get it coded, tested, and certified, then it will be free to those that have purchased our Compressed Codecs Option.

I wonder if anyone will want to record full uncompressed from four cameras?

I like your idea of triggering from one camera.

It also makes sense to be able to trigger them individually.

Respectfully,

[Dan Keaton]

Dear Friends,

We have created a comparison of the Odyssey7 and Odyssey7Q for those that are interested.

There are two hardware differences between the Odyssey7 ($1,295 US) and the Odyssey7Q ($2,295 US).

The heart of each unit is a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA).

For video processing, a FPGA is like a computer in some aspects, but it is much faster and uses much less power. Whereas a computer processes one (or a few) instructions at a time, a FPGA can be programmed to perform its tasks on a huge amount of data in a very short period of time, and can perform many separate functions, all at once.

Each FPGA has a certain amount of "Logic Space" which is used for the programming of the tasks to be performed. Additional "Logic Space" makes the FPGA more expensive.

The FPGA is the Odyssey7Q has well over twice the "Logic Space" of the Odyssey7Q.

In general, this means that more tasks (or functions) can be performed at once. And it means that we can add more features to the unit, both now and in the future.

The FPGA in our Odyssey7 is very powerful, just not as powerful as the one in the Odyssey7Q, which allows us to add more features to the 7Q model.



The Odyssey7 has very good connectivity:

2 HD-SDI Inputs, 2 HD-SDI Outputs, and HDMI in and out

The Odyssey7Q adds two additional HD-SDI 3G connections.

Thus with the Odyssey7Q, one can have:

2 HD-SDI 3G Inputs and 4 HD-SDI 3G Outputs plus HDMI in and out
Four HD-SDI 3G Inputs and 2 HD-SDI 3G Outputs plus HDMI in and out

This added connectivity allows the Odyssey7Q to be used to drive a true 4K Monitor or to record from a 4K camera that outputs 4K uncompressed over four HD-SDI outputs.



To be clear, the Odyssey7 is fine for many users. But those that want to record at very high frame rates, and use other advanced features may need the Odyssey7Q.

We recommend the Odyssey7Q for all professional users, and for those that want to record more than one video stream at a time, and for anyone that wants to record in full uncompressed or raw modes, as the Odyssey7Q supports Proxy recording.

The Odyssey7Q, with the extra "Logic Space" allows it to process a full uncompressed or raw video input, while simultaneously creating a compressed Proxy File in Avid DNxHD-36, which is generally the industry standard for high-end off-line/on-line workflows.

I have attached a comparison of the Odyssey7 and Odyssey7Q.