William Demeritt
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Posts posted by William Demeritt
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I won't spend time dominating the thread, eager to see feedback. However, they know the HDMI thing is a dealbreaker for people. here's Dan's thoughts from RedUser:
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Alan: just posted a new thread about it. Hoping I can score a demo to play with it sometime soon.
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http://www.hotrodcameras.com/?product=paralinx-arrow-hd-wireless-kit
Just got back from CineGear, wanted to report back on a project that seems near and dear to me: wireless HD video. More details are coming out, but just wanted to share the paper specs of this product.
The Paralinx Arrow uncompressed wireless HD kit
The transmitter is about the size of a bulky USB stick (like the Phillips one someone posted a few weeks ago), runs off 5v USB input (wish they'd went with another type of power connector) that includes a d-tap to 5v adaptor.
The receiver is about the size of a 3x5 index card and about 1" thick, also runs off 5V usb adaptor. It's very light and portable, I would think it's great for a handheld director's monitor.
Price: $995 for the next 2 weeks until they ship, then it goes to $1195.
Biggest downside: it's HDMI.
Even they're suggesting "just go get a Decimator 2 if you need HD-SDI to HDMI", and they're right. To build this wireless HD kit out right, you will spend another $495 for a Decimator 2, AJA HI5, Atomos Connect H2S (for $349 when it ships), etc. Likewise, you'll need an AJA HA5, BlackMagic HDMI to HD-SDI on the receiver, Atomos Connect S2H (for $349 when ships).
$995 + $495 + $495 = $1985 (plus tax?).
New Canatrans is $4,327. Lite version of new Canatrans is $2,195. Switronix Recon is around $3,000. Camwave is $5400.
Briefly chatting with Dan Kane (who I know has been working on WHDI transmitters since before I was playing with them), they did increase the power output and add new antennas to the transmitter/receiver.
The result: advertised 320' line of sight transmission, 200' transmission with obstructions.
Some of the other operators at CineGear walked a good distance from the booth and lost signal, I'll let them chime in with the distance.
Another downside: from power on to signal lock: 7-10 seconds.
IF you lose signal during a shot, it takes about as long to recover the signal, especially if you're far away.
They're actively researching multicast capability, so that one transmitter can be received by several receivers. Hopefully, that's a software update down the road (they're not saying when, but it's on their development path).
Personally, I'm pretty excited. I'm going to try and arrange a demo, and if it works out well, I'll pick one up at that price and shelf my Modulus. For film jobs, I've found a few analog to HDMI converters that I can replace my Decimator 2 with and just transmit digitized 720p.
As far as range, I've already grown accustomed to working with video assist in placing a sharkfin "close to the furthest possible place, and closer for the rest of the move". For this system, I would just have video assist run a BNC to my stand or somewhere very nearby.
Again, I want to demo this and really put it through some trouble. However, if it works, I'll be really excited. Here's a very prospective unit, advertises great range, low power consumption, and a package whose pricepoint altogether is over $1,000 less than competitors.
Here's hoping...
So, in summary:
PRO:
$995 price now, $1195 in 2 weeks.
320' line of sight advertised, 150-200' obstructed (looking forward to Steadicam testing)
low power consumption
small, compact, and light
UNCOMPRESSED (DP can turn on scopes and histograms at the monitor and get an reliable reading)
LATENCY FREE (sub 2ms)
CON:
HDMI
slow to lock, slow to recover
powering could have been more robust, not USB port
HDMI
range needs to be tested, reliability needs to be tested
HDMI
No, I don't work for Paralinx, I have no affiliation with them or Hot Rod Cameras (who are selling them). I'm just a WHDI enthusiast whose happy to see a company take advantage of the technology without gouging the pricetag.
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Isn't it HDMI only? That's not so good.
Not good but getting there. Buy an AJA HA5 and you're good on the receiver end. Decimator 2 on tx end with scaling to hdmi enabled and you're transmitting.
It probably has a few antennas, I'm curious to see about the broadcast power and actual transmission channels.
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I'll check out the Paralinx today, but with the specs I see online and the price I can finally say: SOMEONE GOT IT!!!!
I need to see the powering options, but it looks good.
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Another satisfied customer. I got one. Very happy.
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In the previous picture I attached, I am the Grip on the bucket end of the Techno15. I have a headset talk back to the operator, whose wheels are rigged in a BMW thats chasing behind us so the Libra transmission holds. We have perfect communication whilst barrelling down streets at 100 kmph. Thats the operator in the picture :)
Very cool, good thing you had the headset. Now tell me, how would you fare if you were the grip on bucket and and you were driving the car at the same time? That's what the Segway driver is doing.
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As far as the segway rider operating the boom arm while the camera op uses joysticks - thats how a grip operates a crane with an operator at the wheels. Has worked well for many years.
I understand that, but generally the grip operating the crane and the camera operator at the wheels have 1) a few rehearsals to nail the beats, and/or 2) the ability to communicate during the shot (set the remote head station close to the jib base, get both on their own walkie channel, etc).
If a driver is riding the segway and operating the boom arm with both hands while moving, that's a lot of things to concentrate on. To then also be thinking about what the camera operator is saying, giving him feedback, etc, seems like more opportunity to compromise the shot.
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If editing saves that demo video, and someone did rent it on set only to be utterly embarrassed by the performance, you'd better believe it would receive a far more spectacular "trashing" than Quincy's one line response.
On the other hand, I think the internet has a tendency to make people speak in exaggerations, and reviews or criticisms bear this worse than most. Did we "suffer" through the video? Not really.
However, the system has clear problems and weaknesses. Perhaps framing the criticism better is wise, but the core sentiments are accurate: this device does not perform to the levels and standards we expect.
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1- Maybe the hardmount was not correctly placed? The socket block was oriented to the 12 o´clock and the arm was streched to 3 o´clock. Can be this a mistake? I suspect that the socket block have to be oriented in the same direcction that the arm or completcly opposite.
Or It had to be working well and the socket broke by the fatigue?
2- Somebody know where can I find a socket block pin?
From my understanding, you don't want to have the socket block at 12 o'clock, as that creates a proverbial "diving board" exerting downward force on your male socket block, causing it to sheer or break from top to bottom (as your photo seems to show happened).
Whenever placing my vehicle mount on a Mitchell plate, speed rail mount, rickshaw or whatever, I set it so the socket block is oriented as though I were wearing it, usually 3 o'clock. Depending on my needs of the shot or the limitations I'm dealing with, I may swing it to 2 o'clock, but not much further.
Jack at GPI once explained to me that when you mate the arm directly into the socket block facing 12 o'clock, you create that downward force, and the center pin becomes a diving board. When you mate the arm to the block at 3 o'clock, the center pin isn't so much a diving board as it's an axel stabilized by the top and bottom screws. Granted, it doesn't move or spin like an axel, but the way the force rests is like that of a load on a car's wheel when parked.
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I'm sorry you had to suffer, but while not perfect I would hardly call the demo unbearable. It shows what the system is capable of and the shots are fairly decent.
I wouldn't call it "unbearable" but I also wouldn't call those shots "fairly decent". If you know what your client is looking for, and those shots are adequate, then sure bring out the Russian Pole Vault.
However, to my eye, there was excessive roll at the head itself similar to the pendulum effect we get with bottom-heavy rigs. Around 00:56, you can see the head wobble as the device moves over rough terrain and the driver varies his speed.
Also, having the segway rider operate just the boom arm while a camera operator uses joysticks means unless they're in constant communication, or have done numerous rehearsals, they're fighting each other while trying to work together. 01:12 into the video, you see a roundy boom down tilt up go terribly wrong when the remote head operator and the driver realize she's going too far left and try to compensate. Quick pan left on both the boom and the head looks like an overcorrection, and the head operator quickly over-anticipates the headroom.
I know, a lot of this could be operator error, and in the right hands maybe it could shine? However, as for this demo, it makes me think the head itself is too loose and not properly counterbalanced to fight the pendulum effect roll. Also, operating the head with two joysticks only exaggerates these effects, which to me makes it a substandard tool.
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I'd bring your checkbook, Jack is selling vote for pedro shirts st the steadi-expo!
DAMNIT RON COME ON YOU'RE SPOILING IT MODS PLEASE DELETE QUICKLY
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But wait! There's more...
The question is whether Jack will wear a black turtleneck and jeans ala Steve Jobs style???
But Jack doesn't release unfinished products or public betas. When he builds something, you can take it to work the next day and get full functionality and reliability!
Apple: Facetime over 3G? Increased Siri features already existent in iOS (turn on bluetooth, way way more)? iCloud desktop to cloud sharing? Sell the product, THEN finish it.
Should I bring my check book :huh:
I dunno, how much do you want to spend? This year is going to be awesome.
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I really doubt you're going to find something to do HDMI over 1 or 2 KM for $1000-2000. That's less than what some decent SD transmitters go for, and especially to do broadcast quality.
I think Guilherme means he's looking for something costing $1,000-$2,000 USD (he says: "1 or 2 K us").
Guilherme, I've heard good reports about the Switronic Recons so far, although I think they're priced up to get their early dollars before we'll see a modest price cut. Otherwise, keep an eye out, someone must have something on the horizon.
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Can you share who the first company you had the experience with? Also, was that first transmitter an HD transmitter, or an SD transmitter operating in 5.8GHZ?
Sounds like the first company was transmitting using the 5.8GHZ spectrum with simple modulation (one antenna TX, one antenna RX, frequency modulation). The Titan TX transmitters advertise 2.4GHZ spectrum, but it's still an analog signal transmitted in that range. A simple television can't tune to it because they're looking for VHF and UHF; 2.4GHZ and 5.8GHZ are outside of their antenna's spectrum.
Boxx Meridian, IDX Camwave, Transvideo Titan HD, Switronix Recon Ultra, and others based on the AMIMON chips are different in that they broadcast a digital signal, broken into 4 pieces, using OFDM (orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing) and 4 antennas to transmit (MIMO: multiple input multiple output).
The antennas transmit in the 5.8GHZ range, but it's digital, not just because it's transmitted in 5.8GHZ but because the HD-SDI or HDMI signal is digitized, split up, blasted out 4 antennae, received by up to 5 antennae, mixed back together (multiplexing) to reconstitute the original signal.
If the first transmitter you were encountering was 5.8GHZ and simple trying to transmit the HD-SDI signal, digitally, I would imagine it would fail horribly because of the incredibly data throughput of HD-SDI. OFDM transmission works so well because it's 4 antennas broadcasting 1/4 of an HD-SDI signal with no compression, at up to 1mW on 5.8GHZ.
A full HD-SDI signal transmitted at 1mW over 5.8GHZ becomes INCREDIBLY susceptible to interference, and because it's a digital transmission, if you lose a part of it, you lose THE WHOLE THING (monitor turns black and says "No Input" instead of showing varying degrees of snow over a composite signal).
If you're looking at transmitter alternatives, and it's some company you haven't heard of, check these things out. HD, MIMO antenna, OFDM, 5.8GHZ range, etc.
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As much as I love wine, I also know the current resale value is hovering around $400 on eBay. I was posting here first to try and make it a friendly sale (instead of fleabay). I'll hold it here a few more days, then post there.
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Maybe it has an "auto sleep" feature? Or perhaps the Epic owner had not tithed Jannard lately, so he sent out the "self shutdown" signal.
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Yes, anton bauer...I should have specified in the title of the thread...oh yeah, I did :)
I'll reply later when I'm sober.
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I meant what kind of hot swap are you using? If you're flying two batteries, like the Anton Bauer dual-paddle hot-swap, it should run the batteries in parallel, and if one battery is depleting while the other one remains full, then something is wired wrong. However, if you're successfully hot swapping (no power down during battery swaps), then it's probably not that.
If it's an internal battery hot swap that mounts a single battery, and when you swap that battery the device's internal battery takes over, then something might be wrong with the device?
Moral of the story: RED is a POS.
Paralinx Arrow
in Video Assist and Video Accessories
Posted
Switronix Recon Ultra, I think it's $3,600 but has HDMI and HD-SDI (whatever you input, both come out)