William Demeritt

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.

SOLD

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.

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.

SOLD

Sale pending

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Are both batteries depleting? What do you mean your hot swap?

Why not?

Sale pending

$400 with power supply, buyer pays shipping (or local LA pickup).

Peter Lehman is selling one:

http://www.steadicamforum.com/index.php?showtopic=16064

I'd buy it but I can't afford it right now, so I'll rent Rob's spare!

$1000? What kind of idiot makes that their initial asking price.

$350.

Now THAT'S an asking price.

Now selling a Decimator Designs MD-DUCC (Down Up Cross Converter). I bought it new from AbelCine in LA a few months ago, but it turns it it doesn't do what I wanted it to do.

Also, I know it will hurt my sale opportunity, but I'll be honest with you: it's a pain in the ass to configure. Once it's configured, you're golden, but the LED based menu system is a PAIN! The operations manual doesn't really explain to you HOW to navigate the menu, I had Perry Drago at TECADS explain it to me.

However, it does a bunch of things that maybe you have use for: HD to HD, HD to SD (just like a Decimator/Decimator 2), SD-SDI to HD-SDI (NOT analog to HD-SDI, which I thought I was buying).

Lots of bells, lots of whistles. Maybe someone has a use for it? End of the day, it will still do what a Decimator downconverter does, plus a few other tricks that maybe you'll use? Maybe you won't. Either way, buy it off me if you want it.

Sells new for $695 plus tax

Give me $550. I dare you. I'll pay shipping, local LA pickup preferred. Comes with the AC power connector. Otherwise it's going on flEabay.

If you're coming to CineGear, I'll even give it to you personally and buy you a beer somewhere.

Here's more info about the thing: http://decimator.com/Products/MD-DUCC/MD-DUCC.html

Heden is another option. If yout get a Digital bartech, you may consider Preston motors along with the digital Heden and M-One options.

Anything else, you may be looking at a lower quality motor (cheaper parts, noisier).

What were the details of that shoot out? Was it a beauty contest or a triathlon to see what camera could survive the gamut we throw at them?