RED: Dream Features

[David Battistella]

Hi,

I'm not sure if this thread exists, but I thought it would be nice to start a list of features/products that you all want to see for/from RED.

Here's a couple to start you off:

1. Use Cards slot for camera easy setups (pretty sure this is happening)
2. Ability to set RED record variables (Picture only, wild sound only, Picture & two track, Picture and four track, eight track)
3. Transfer from Card slot to RED Drives (shoot in close quarters transfer later)
4. For FX greenscreen shoots (record alpha channel in the file) (I know this might be a huge dream but could you imagine the time savings in post)
5. RED Cine iphone support (wouldn't it be nice to send thumbnail's as attachements to text messages from your iphone). how about if RED cine could work on iphone?
6. User definable file naming structure.
7. RED greyscale/color charts/dry erase slates (color bar generator in camera?)

Party on!

[Jonathan L. Bowen]

This is going to sound dumb, but I really want / expect RED to make totally awesome cases for their gear. I mean this is the company from the guy who started Oakley, with some really sweet bags and style in general, so I think it'd be awesome to have some cool cases.

[David Battistella]

I total forgot to include cases in my list. But I am sure casemakers like KATA, Pelican etc, will make amazing offerings, maybe RED can help design the cases.

David

[Jonathan L. Bowen]

That'd be awesome, for sure. I would rather not get just generic cases, but ones specifically made for the RED stuff. I think that'd be cool, at least, maybe it sounds not very important but the cases protect the gems! haha.

[David Battistella]

Jonathan,

I think you are really on to something here. Let's call it the RED professional. It's just people who show up to shoots, on set with the confidence of a 4k camera in the case.

David

[Jonathan L. Bowen]

haha, exactly, like a silent assassin -- a 4K assassin!

I was noticing that Pelican makes some awesome cases for stuff like laptops, though, I'm going to get one of those for my on-set laptop I think. I love how rugger those are. I was thinking it'd be nice to have a good hard case for a reference monitor to bring on set, or at least a good HDTV LCD screen perhaps. I still don't know what to do about that like as far as whether it's necessary to spend heaps of money on the "professional" reference monitors or if it would be still useful to have a good LCD screen that I could afford without selling a car, hehe.

[Andreas Fernbrant]

1. Ram Burst mode: Instead of the card slots you can attatch a ram burst that records directly to the ram in 120fps. Then push the data back trough the processor and to the drive with the right data-rate for processor and drive.

2. Mattebox and follow focus

3. A lens comparable to the Arri ULTRA PRIME 8R.

4. Filters (Kit covering the basics, ND, POL, ND Grads, UV)

[Priyesh P.]

Special, funky cases for Red are the best way to give scum like thieves and robbers a big hint on it's precious contents.
Ketch Rossi's horror story made me even more cautious.
Really, I often had a bad feeling even when travelling with my original dsr-pd150 case, and that's not a pricey thing like a Red+acc., and that's in Berlin city, not some ghetto-ish area.

[Jonathan L. Bowen]

Well you gotta be careful with something like that, yeah. Fortunately I live in a condo with a gated parking garage and security cameras all over it, plus for me I have a storage unit that is right behind the parking space, so what I plan to do is lock all of my equipment in that storage unit out of sight until I need to be filming with it, then load it into the back of the car / truck / whatever. Of course, once it's on location or whatever, all bets are off, then someone has to be watching it of course or you never know what can happen. But at least that makes me feel better about it when it's not in use.

[Jeff Kilgroe]

1. Ram Burst mode: Instead of the card slots you can attatch a ram burst that records directly to the ram in 120fps. Then push the data back trough the processor and to the drive with the right data-rate for processor and drive.

This will have to come from the RAW port option (+$6500 factory install). The SATA interfaces included with the camera don't have the bandwidth to accommodate 2K120 or 4K60 data rates uncompressed. The internal processors can't cope with the data rates to output those modes encoded as REDCODE. In order to get those modes off camera, you will need to install the RAW port or wait another couple years for an update that my provide the processing power needed to shoot 4K60 REDCODE RAW.

Now, It's entirely possible that RED or some enterprising third-party could make an external RAM buffer and processor unit that could attach to the RAW port and buffer, and possibly encode, the higher frame rate modes and then record to something standard like a RED DRIVE.



2. Mattebox and follow focus

Yes, I'd like to see a RED mattebox as well. I think it will happen in due time. They have bigger things to worry about right now. They have the RED Motor unit coming out and ViewFactor studios should have a manual add-on knob for it to turn it into a manual FF unit.


3. A lens comparable to the Arri ULTRA PRIME 8R.

Yes please.


4. Filters (Kit covering the basics, ND, POL, ND Grads, UV)

Good chance this will come if/when a mattebox does. After all, they're making lenses, why not filters at mattebox too?

[P Andersson]

a dream feature for me at this point would be a shipping label with my name on it

[Jonathan L. Bowen]

Jeff you think there's any chance of something like the mattebox being available by next February or so, or too soon? Maybe more like a year from now?

[Jeff Kilgroe]

I couldn't say... I would think that RED will eventually offer a mattebox because they're trying to be a complete cinema company. But for now, I'm looking forward to the RedRock Micro MB and whatever CVB (Curt/VF) comes up with. But to speculate on any dates for a RED mattebox might be a bit premature -- I don't think I would be surprised either way if they have one by the end of 2008 or not.

While we're at it, I'd really like to see a few other things from RED at some point in the game. Obviously I'm anxious for their 4K displays and projector, but would also like...

Lights

Fluid head

Dolly

Legs

Jib

Stabilizer / steadycam...

Some of those may be a long time coming or even never...

[Andreas Fernbrant]

This will have to come from the RAW port option (+$6500 factory install). The SATA interfaces included with the camera don't have the bandwidth to accommodate 2K120 or 4K60 data rates uncompressed. The internal processors can't cope with the data rates to output those modes encoded as REDCODE. In order to get those modes off camera, you will need to install the RAW port or wait another couple years for an update that my provide the processing power needed to shoot 4K60 REDCODE RAW.

Now, It's entirely possible that RED or some enterprising third-party could make an external RAM buffer and processor unit that could attach to the RAW port and buffer, and possibly encode, the higher frame rate modes and then record to something standard like a RED DRIVE.n

Well my plan was to eliminate raids and heavy equipment. My vision is a small device that could be a small board and two to four slots for RAM.

Dataflow would be: CMOS RAW DATA -> DIRECT TO RAM MEMORY -> RAM SLOWLY READS BACK THE DATA TO THE PROCESSOR -> SAVE TO RED DRIVE OR RED RAM.

But then again, this is a wish list:)

[Ramesh Jai]

This is going to sound dumb, but I really want / expect RED to make totally awesome cases for their gear. I mean this is the company from the guy who started Oakley, with some really sweet bags and style in general, so I think it'd be awesome to have some cool cases.
I am all with you on that!

I expect everyone to look at me when I walk into a place holding RED.

Come on, we are not in this business just to make our clients look good. WE WANT TO LOOK GOOD TOO!!!

[David Battistella]

Fluid head

Dolly

Legs

Jib



It would be interesting to see how they could innovate in these area's. I think the answer needs to be lighter weight, portability and speedy set up and tear down times. Products like this exist but RED could pt them within reach.

I'd like to talk to them about some of the LED lighting prototypes I have come up with.

David

[Jeff Kilgroe]

Well my plan was to eliminate raids and heavy equipment. My vision is a small device that could be a small board and two to four slots for RAM.

Dataflow would be: CMOS RAW DATA -> DIRECT TO RAM MEMORY -> RAM SLOWLY READS BACK THE DATA TO THE PROCESSOR -> SAVE TO RED DRIVE OR RED RAM.

But then again, this is a wish list:)


Don't worry, I understand ya. :) Actually we had a thread on this very thing a while back. The way the camera is designed, for something like this to work, it would either have to connect to the RAW port option or take the place of that RAW port option. This is so it can have access to the full bandwidth needed. But either way, I see no reason a compact device couldn't exist that connects to the RAW port, holds 16~32GB of fast RAM and will allow for shooting uncompressed RAW right to that buffer. Then the device dumps the buffer to an attached RED DRIVE or other compact storage. But that's going to have very limited use, IMO. makes more sense to use a portable 4K DDR like the Codex box that's been discussed here. It can still be hung over a shoulder or carried by an AC. Even a large RAID isn't a big deal - especially in a studio setting. Keep in mind the single-mode fiber cable that connects to the RAW port can literally be over a mile long. It's very thin and easy to manage cable. ...Or at least as easy to manage as really long, thin cables can be.

I'm hoping that with future revisions, RED will increase frame rates and on-board record capabilities. In the mean-time, I can rent a camera like the Phantom HD for a few days and shoot 2K @ up to 1000fps for a lot less than I could buy a RAW port or 16GB of fast SDRAM.

[Curran Giddens]

Even a large RAID isn't a big deal - especially in a studio setting. Keep in mind the single-mode fiber cable that connects to the RAW port can literally be over a mile long.

I have no problem with a large RAID even outside of the studio setting. There is usually plenty of other bulky/heavy gear that needs to be transported to the set anyway. For the RED-RAID I'd much rather have the capacity of 3.5" drives, especially if it could also be used as a high-performance storage/playback solution. Someone who needs a smaller/lighter solution can just get the Codex....

[I Bloom]

1. Ram Burst mode: Instead of the card slots you can attatch a ram burst that records directly to the ram in 120fps. Then push the data back trough the processor and to the drive with the right data-rate for processor and drive.


This is top on my list. I only need like 20 second bursts (measured in playback time) to make it worth a couple thou.

Hopefully RED-RAID is still in the works.

I like the idea of immediately regurgitating the footage through REDCODE especially, keep everything the same and managable.

IBloom

[I Bloom]

But either way, I see no reason a compact device couldn't exist that connects to the RAW port, holds 16~32GB of fast RAM and will allow for shooting uncompressed RAW right to that buffer.

Is see what you mean but having an optical out on the camera and an optical in on the recording device adds a lot of cost. If all you want to do is overcrank for short bursts. Then it could make more sense to mainline it right from the boards on the camera to the RAM option, skipping the transition to optical signal and back.

Since RAM is so expensive what might be more interesting is to have a RAID system that skips the optical transition. Mounting say 8 drives on the rails and connecting to the RAID controller which has a direct connection to the camera. Physically unwieldy maybe, but potentially worth it.

IBloom

[Jeff Kilgroe]

Is see what you mean but having an optical out on the camera and an optical in on the recording device adds a lot of cost. If all you want to do is overcrank for short bursts. Then it could make more sense to mainline it right from the boards on the camera to the RAM option, skipping the transition to optical signal and back.

Yeah, a RAM buffer module that is directly installed in place of the RAW port or FLASH interface would be more cost effective.


Since RAM is so expensive what might be more interesting is to have a RAID system that skips the optical transition. Mounting say 8 drives on the rails and connecting to the RAID controller which has a direct connection to the camera. Physically unwieldy maybe, but potentially worth it.

That might be interesting to some. If it's always on a crane, dolly, legs, etc.. it wouldn't be a bad setup. But if you're going to go with hard drive RAID, I would think it would make more sense to just put in the RAW port and then tether the camera. But that's just my thinking on that... I'd rather manage a fiber cable coming out of the camera than lug an extra 75lbs of hard drives.

[Ace]

Since RAM is so expensive...

Actually, in the past couple of months, RAM prices have plummeted. 1 GIG of highspeed DDR2 ram is now 35 bucks. Compare that to a few months ago when it was a hundred something per gig.

[Jonathan L. Bowen]

When I got my Mac G5 two years and three months ago, I paid $9,000 for this setup, and it was mostly the 8 gigs of RAM, which at the time was brand new to have that much RAM on a computer like this. I think the RAM was almost half the price. It has definitely gotten cheaper.