Teradeks other Toys......

[Iain Baird]

Has anyone used any of Teradek's other products, more specifically the Cube for monitoring shots on an iPad or iPhone over Wifi? Although I'm not sure I'd want to rely on it for transmitting to video village it does seem like the perfect device to get the image to all those crew who are still using their UHF devices.

 

IB

[William Demeritt]

I think the Cube has a minimum of 4 frames delay when transmitting to one of their receivers. However, for iOS devices like iPad and iPhones, the latency is considerable (I've heard it can get to 10 seconds delay because of the transport method). Perhaps a reasonable method for video assist if you have watchful eyes not on set, but drawbacks of latency far outweigh the benefits of "everyone can watch on their iPhone/iPad!"

[Iain Baird]

They claim a much lower frame delay, but like I said I wouldn't think it appropriate for those who need to hear the sound with picture anyways. But for the technicians in the peripheral who like to see what we are shooting to keep on top of their own responsibilities it seems like a functional tool. For example Makeup just wants to know if we see #1 or #2 in a closeup, props is only concerned with their toys, etc, etc - for those that just want the picture only I don't think the frame delay would be of any concern.

 

IB

[Victor Lazaro]

My ideal setup would be a Bolt from the camera to video village. Then a Cube paired with an airport express to stream the video to all the iPhones and iPads for the glam squad and props and other non sound sync and focus critical people.

The cube is impractical when on the camera. Delays and disconnects too much.

[Iain Baird]

My ideal setup would be a Bolt from the camera to video village. Then a Cube paired with an airport express to stream the video to all the iPhones and iPads for the glam squad and props and other non sound sync and focus critical people.

The cube is impractical when on the camera. Delays and disconnects too much.

 

Although I'm not yet sure I'd rely on the BOLT for the main signal, I am interested in the CUBE for this very purpose. It's the kind of equipment I think that could give you a rental bump above your kit rate (which seem to have swallowed up my HD transmitter like they swallowed up Prestons years ago) and I do love the toys. There are two Cubes - one that has the wifi router built in and one that relies on an external unit. I think for streamlining the system I'd likely be more interested in the combo unit.

 

IB

[Victor Lazaro]

Then replace the Bolt with a Boxx.

 

I used to use a cube, I returned it. Every time we were using it the director would diss it half way through the day. But it's was an older version. Just saying, it might be better now.

[Iain Baird]

Then replace the Bolt with a Boxx.

 

I used to use a cube, I returned it. Every time we were using it the director would diss it half way through the day. But it's was an older version. Just saying, it might be better now.

 

I'd love to have the Boxx system but I've owned an HD Camwave transmitter since before the Boxx was available. Although the Boxx is obviously far better than the Camwave I've never been hindered enough to justify the expense of upgrading. And now that more and more rental houses have the Boxx system it seems less likely that i'll need to invest in anything better.

 

What exactly were the problems with the Cube? Was it the delay or signal loss?

 

IB

[Victor Lazaro]

It was the delay that was up to over a second sometimes due to bad signal connection, then the video would speed up to catch up in a weird way.

[Alan Rencher]

I used the cube a few times when it first came out. It's an IT nightmare: I spent more time troubleshooting the damn thing than actually transmitting with it. Also, half the time I rented it out, I would have to refund the rental fee because whomever renting it wasn't tech-savvy enough to get it to work. The worst thing though was the delay. Most directors ended up abandoning it half way through the day, and I ended up tethered anyway.

 

The cube wasn't really built for us. I say save your money, and buy something a little more Steadicam friendly. The Paralinx and Bolt are the hot-ticket items right now, and they are an amazing value for the price to performance ratio. If you want the best, get the Boxx. If you want the cheapest (and can manage with HDMI), get the Paralinx.

[Iain Baird]

I appreciate that the CUBE is NOT appropriate for live viewing. I am not looking to use it for these purposes as I have a zero delay system already. What I am hoping to learn is would the CUBE satisfy the needs of those who are not concerned with sync!!??

[Erwin Landau]

Hi Iain,

 

Looking for a WiFi solution, I looked into the Cube myself for the same reason (to silence all the department heads that wanted to squeeze behind the monitor at video village or even just the 1st AD to get an idea what was shot) and heard all the delay and unreliability talk...

 

I wanted to pair it with the new i-Pod touch for my 1st AC, just velcro (or make a bracket) the touch to the Preston hand unit and he knows were I am aiming at. Great for music video fishing. Not meant to be used for color checks or for actually focus pulling. More about framing...

 

But everybody that was complaining was talking about the HD versions. I was looking into the model 550 which is an SD only version, everybody was talking about the conversion rate from HD, which seams to be slow. All the reviews I found so far were positive, not stelar, but positive. And at under $1000.- worth a try... Everybody it seams these days has either an i-Phone or i-Pod/Pad on set. You can download the receiver app free from the app store. And if it doesn't work... nobody will be terribly upset as it's just an added convenience.

 

Haven't had the chance to source it here in Europe. But might pick one up for the next bigger show...

 

I'll make a little write up if I ever get to it.

 

Fly safe,

 

Erwin

[Markus Kuballa]

We used the cube on a 3D studio shoot a couple weeks ago and it seemed to get the job done. The delay made it not the right tool for focus but almost all departments had their own iPad where they could check for their needs and even go back to check on all previous takes that where uploaded via FTP to a server. What also made it a great tool was the fact that postproduction which was in another city could inform us about little changes needed for the 3D conversion of our footage. I don't know how video village set everything up but I guess a combination of a bolt and a cube system could get you pretty far.

[John Stout]

We have used the Paralinx Arrow with great success. We are excited by the one to 2-4 receiver upgrade that will be happening at the end of the month.

 

Even had a directors monitor in the elevator of an arena the other day with a camera on the arena floor. Had good signal until the door shut. Thought we would loose it completely, but it held on for a little bit after the door closed. Once the elevator started moving we lost it. Once the door opened again it re-acquired it pretty quick through a couple of concrete walls.

 

My only problem with the system is the same as everyone else's, HDMI vs HD-SDI. Not a crisis, we have lots of converters, but it would be nice to not convert. For the price point and reliability, I am ok with the connector trade off for now.

 

The team at Paralinx has been very responsive when we have had a question or needed something. Good guys.

 

When you think about we have a couple of really great suppliers that we as a community have to work with:

 

Terry West

Jim Bartech

Paralinx

 

as well as a host of others. Glad the community is looking out for each other.

[Alan Rencher]

Ian, the biggest thing I took away from the Cube it that it was unreliable. You'll have people bringing their iPads to you all day because they can't get it to work... or at least that's my experience.

[JamieSilverstein]

So is Paralinx going to make a system that is HD-SDI?