Announcements - Odyssey7, New Firmware

[Dan Keaton]

Dear Friends,

We have some new announcements today.

Bullet Points:

Odyssey7 HD video monitor/recorders are now shipping.
- Same great OLED panel and Image Analysis Tools as the Odyssey7Q
- Records HD video Apple ProRes 422(HQ) with more codecs to come
- SDI or HDMI in, both SDI & HDMI out (auto-converting, both active)
- Uses same SSDs and other accessories as the Odyssey7Q
- HD video only (no 4K, no RAW record, no MultiStream -- these are only available on the Odyssey7Q)

Firmware for Odyssey7 & Odyssey7Q
- Firmware available for free download on Monday, July 21 at 10am US Mountain time (so our Support is available if needed)
- Advanced Playback Controls (Deck controls & file scrubbing using touchscreen)
- Expanded HD video formats (added 1080i, 720p, 3:2 pulldown removal)
- Monitoring LUTs for HD video (Log to REC709 for Alexa, C100/300/500, F3, F5, F55, FS700)
- FS700 4K RAW in 120fps bursts (now we do all outputs from this camera)
- Record Option rentals (Alexa & C500)

Odyssey Utility Drive
- For firmware updates & future functions
- Won't record video files
- For clients who use Odyssey as monitor

New Convergent Design headquarters
- New facility allows us to develop & build more product
- We are growing fast!

Odyssey7 Shipping bulletin:
http://convergent-design.actonsoftwa...reparedMessage

Odyssey7 & 7Q firmware bulletin:
http://convergent-design.actonsoftwa...reparedMessage

Respectfully

[Brian T. Young]

Yay! 720! For those of us who work w/ABC/ESPN, etc....thanks!

[Dan Keaton]

Dear Brian,

Thank you very much.

This is a very significant firmware release.

As you know, we added support for 720p and 1080i in Apple ProRes 422 (HQ) mode for those that need these formats.

But, wait until you see our new Playback Controls!

This took a great deal of time, but being able to see Previews of your clips while in the Playlist mode is very nice, as is the ability to Play and Pause, and to be able to jump, instantly, to any part of the clip is very nice.

And you can step forward or backward one frame at a time, as well as advance at a relatively slow pace, but much faster than one frame at a time.

You are able to quickly scrub your footage to find any item of interest.

And the most interested part of our new Playback Controls is that this is only "Phase 1", we are now working on "Phase 2"!

Respectfully,

[Dan Keaton]

Dear Friends,

This new firmware, 2.10.141, which will be posted on Monday, will allow one with cameras that always add 3:2 Pulldown Frames to 1080p23.98 or 1080p24, to be able to record without problems.

We will, when selected in the menu, enable 3:2 Pulldown Removal, and thus obtain clean 1080p23.98 or 1080p24.

This is a big deal for certain cameras such as the Canon 5D Mark III, Canon C100, Canon C300 and others.

Please feel free to ask any questions about the new firmware.

Respectfully,

[Mat Thompson]

Hi Dan

This is great to hear. In high speed in particular this is really important to be able to check whether you got the shot without having to sit through the entire clip. For general reviewing and sequence review what you describe sounds great.

A couple of questions.

Do we now have 4k > ProRes 50p ? This would really help me a lot.

Any news on cache/pre-recording functionality.

4k / Compressed ?

Also audio - I shot the Ody for a number of sync scenes with a soundman on our Discovery shoot in the Phillipines. He wasn't keen on it as we could not jam the timecode to the sound recordings. Then when we manually lined things up we would get substantial slip. I did notice someone else on the forum bring this up.


Thanks
Mat

[Dan Keaton]

Originally Posted by Mat Thompson

A couple of questions.

Do we now have 4k > ProRes 50p ? This would really help me a lot.

No, not yet. We expect to have this in our next firmware release.
We have this coded, we just needed more time to fully test this, and incorporate this would have delayed this release.

Any news on cache/pre-recording functionality.

For the FS700, we have added the ability to record 4K Raw, at 120 fps, but this is cached in the camera.

Our built-in cache will have to wait for a future firmware release.

4K / Compressed ?

This is our Number One Priority. We expect this to be very popular.

Also audio - I shot the Ody for a number of sync scenes with a soundman on our Discovery shoot in the Phillipines. He wasn't keen on it as we could not jam the timecode to the sound recordings. Then when we manually lined things up we would get substantial slip. I did notice someone else on the forum bring this up.

We do not support Jam Sync timecode yet, this is on our list.

We take the timecode from an external device (hard wired for the duration), or from the camera via timecode embedded in the HD-SDI stream.

If there was a great deal of drift, then the timecode source from the camera was not accurate, or the timecode source from the audio gear was not accurate.

I hope these answers help.

Respectfully,

[Dave Allen]

Is time lapse planned for the next release?

[Mat Thompson]

Dan
Thanks for the quick response.

Ouch! - Still some really important things in there in terms of the commercial use of this system. The audio is a clanger because it annoys the soundman and it's hard enough selling a system like this into a production as it is.

The 4K > Pro res 50p is also really a need. Productions like ProRes but having to switch formats to run at 50p is again difficult to sell into the productions.


Recording camera cache? - I'm still a little lost with this. So are you saying I can now take a raw cache in 4k 120p to the Ody but not in 2k 240p ?


I also have a more leftfield question !? - Is there any way in the future that you might evolve some sort of compressed/raw format in the future? I have already had conversations with various producers and the sheer size of .dng sequences accross a shoot does put people off.


Thanks
Mat

[Dan Keaton]

Originally Posted by Dave Allen

Is time lapse planned for the next release?

Dear Dave,

By "the next release", I am assuming our version 2.10.141 that we will be posting on Monday, July 21, 2014.

Time Lapse will not be in Monday's release, sorry.

Our Number One Priority for the following release is to add compressed 4K.

We may be able to add Time Lapse also.

Respectfully,

[Dan Keaton]

Originally Posted by Mat Thompson

The 4K > Pro res 50p is also really a need. Productions like ProRes but having to switch formats to run at 50p is again difficult to sell into the productions.

We are not in a position to promise recording 4K to a compressed codec at 50 frames per second (fps).

Lets take recording 1080p30 in Apple ProRes 422 (HQ). In this codec, one has to ensure that the bit-rate used for each and every frame is plus or minus 10% of the Apple specified target bit-rate.

To ensure that this occurs, one may have to encode a frame multiple times in order to get within the tolerance for the bit-rate for this one frame. So, just encoding 1080p30, one has to encode (typically) more than 30 frames per second.

Depending on the individual frames (and how different they are from the preceding frames) the number of attempts to encode these frames can get much higher than 30 frames per second.

And to meet Apple's certification tests, a very difficult series of frames has to be encoded properly, with each and every frame meeting the bit-rate tolerance.


Now, encoding 4K is like encoding four frames of regular HD video. Thus encoding 4K 30 is similar to encoding 1080p120.

And encoding 4K at 50 frames per second is similar to encoding 1080p200.

And, of course, to meet the required bit-rate tolerance, the number of attempts to encode these frames will always be well over 200.


I am not saying that recording 4K at 50 frames per second is not possible.

I am saying that we do not want to commit to this feature at this time.

Recording camera cache? - I'm still a little lost with this. So are you saying I can now take a raw cache in 4k 120p to the Ody but not in 2k 240p ?

Short Answer: The FS700 does not support a "cached mode" 2K Raw, 12-Bit, 240 fps.

More Helpful Answer:

For the Sony FS700, the camera itself provides a way to cache 4K Raw, in 12-Bit Color Depth, at 120 frames per second, and when the camera plays it out at 60 frames per second we can record it.

In this 4K Raw cached mode, the camera can record 120 fps for 3.7 seconds (4.4 at 100 fps).

If played back at 24 fps, this is 3.7 seconds times 5, or 18.5 seconds for 120 fps or 22.0 seconds at 100 fps.

One can set the FS700 to record this mode in 120 fps or 100 fps with ease.


The 2K Raw, 12-Bit, 240 fps mode of the FS700 does not have a feature where the frames are cached.

But, there is a HD mode, at 240 fps, where the frames are cached, and the Odyssey7Q can handle this mode (while recording in full uncompressed video - DPX mode). The cache holds 8 seconds of slow-mo footage, or 80 seconds of playback at 24 fps.

Later, we will be supporting recording 1080p60 in Apple ProRes 422, thus one will then be able to use a compressed codec also.

For quality reasons, I typically recommend shooting in the 4K mode.



Also, for the Sony FS700, we can record 2K, in 12-Bit Color Depth, at 240 fps, continuously, until the SSD's fill up. In this mode there is no cache, the camera just sends out the data to the Odyssey7Q (with our FS700 Option) and the FS700 records these frames in real-time.

I also have a more leftfield question !? - Is there any way in the future that you might evolve some sort of compressed/raw format in the future? I have already had conversations with various producers and the sheer size of .dng sequences accross a shoot does put people off.

We would love to provide the feature you suggested.

Respectfully,

[Mat Thompson]

Hi again Dan

Actually I was initially asking about 4k>prores HD 50p - not compressed 4k 50p...though of course that would be great too.

One more question. Is there any way (or will there be) of recording down in the 4k> pro res HD mode but baking in a picture profile. Some productions I work on simply don't have the money for a full grade.








Thanks for all the info.
Mat

[Scott Devitte]

Hi Dan,

I really need to know when I am going to be able to do 120fps on my c500. I paid a huge up charge, double what the fs700 owners paid and they are getting all the attention. I really need the 120fps. What can you tell me?

[Dan Keaton]

Originally Posted by Mat Thompson

Hi again Dan

Actually I was initially asking about 4k>prores HD 50p - not compressed 4k 50p...though of course that would be great too.

Great, you are asking about our FS700 4K to Apple ProRes 422 feature which produces HD from the 12-Bit 4K images.

This is much easier, and certainly doable.

We will be able to record up to 1080p60 in this mode, in a future firmware release.

One more question. Is there any way (or will there be) of recording down in the 4k> pro res HD mode but baking in a picture profile. Some productions I work on simply don't have the money for a full grade.

When recording 4K to HD Apple ProRes 422 (HQ), we support Sony Picture Profiles, Rec. 709, Rec. 709 800% and S-Log 2.

This answer came from our team.

Respectfully,

[Dan Keaton]

Dear Friends,

I posted the detailed release notes, for firmware, 2.10.141, in the following thread:

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/converge...ase-notes.html

Respectfully,

[Patrick Ouziel]

Hey Dan,

This new firmware looks like it has a lot of great features, but is still missing some that I'd love to see. Do you have an estimated timeline on when the Odyssey will be able to do ProRes 422 (HQ) at 1080p60? This would be quite useful since recording 1080p60 as DPX sequences takes up so much space. Also, are there still plans to do ProRes 4444 at 1080p? I'm eagerly waiting these two features before I make the leap from my current ProRes recorder. As much as I'd love to always record to DPX sequences from my F3, I can rarely convince clients to go for a format with such high data rates.

Thanks,
Patrick