A way to make *all* RED features work for *every* user

[explosive]

Jim,

There has been much talk about what features can go in, RED, what's most important etc etc.

How about ALL of them? This is how...

Given that there are many of us who are interested in different niche aspects of RED, would it be able to cover most, if not all possibilites (that are changable via software) via firmaware patches?

For example - some want feature X enabled, while others don't. So, you make a patch that those who wish for that feature to be enabled such that they can use feature X (at the expense of another feature perhaps).

Theoretically many official patches could be made available (given RED's capacity limitation for features) for many different combinations of features in RED.

In fact, software could even be developed that allows a user to configure a specific patch on your PC/mac for a specific shoot, such that you can create and apply the patch yourself, further eliminating the need for releasing 1000s of "official" patches. (If this is impossible, one can always revert to just using the "official patches")

This way everybody can be satisfied as we are all able to get whatever feature we wish for simple by applying the appropriate patch. Much like firefox with its addons. But not third party. I honestly wouldnt trust a 3rd party with software upgrades/config with my RED.

This way, one may arrange features in their camera (especially useful when more features are developed and there isnt enough space to load it etc) to their customised desire for whatever one needs on that day.

What does everybody think?

Lol, and feel free to give me a nick-nack bonus if you like the idea. hee hee.
Seriously. :)

[Brook Willard]

I think Jim posted that they're thinking about the idea already...

[explosive]

I think Jim posted that they're thinking about the idea already...

yee haa. though havent seen that post ;) But still, yee haa.

[Nolan Tunnicliffe]

In Jims post http://www.reduser.net/forum/showpost.php?p=65551&postcount=1 (http://www.reduser.net/forum/showpost.php?p=65551&postcount=1) he states “If there is a group that NEEDS 720P and/or 1080P, given enough time we can provide that. There may well be two or three software options in the future. Pick one and load it. Change your mind and load another. That is certainly possible and we are now considering this as an option for the future.”

If I understand the thread creator - explosive - properly, below I have a similar idea for set up files. Note the difference I make between set up and configuration files. I imagine the thread creators idea of combined configurations difficult due to feature iterdependancies and my idea of combined set up still difficult but less so.

For the design of the customization aspect it would be good to be able to have multiple FPGA and camera 'configurations' on a single card with a menu (someone already mentioned this). Also to have other stores for your camera 'set up' – ie settings and options that could be loaded or saved to.
This way you could save your camera ‘set up’ to the CF card or SD Card - be nice if it was XML and to have your own name for it with an extension .set - , insert CF card and choose a camera 'configuration' (maybe a combibination, the thread creators idea) - again nice to have a custom name for it so maybe they have a unique .cfg extesntion- via the menu, this will do the flashing. Then reload the 'set up'- a combination (see below )- , again via a menu, as just saved, or a new camera 'set up', that is suitable for the type of work you are doing with this configuration. Maybe this is how the SD card works now? If not no pressure for this, just something I think would be good long term in the “World of RED”.

You could leave parts of your customised set up data out of each file - making the last appllied data non-destructive to the previously applied data - and so have different parts of the same 'set up' across files. ie. 'apply landscape.set , nightime.set, slow_motion.set' as your baseline for the shot then customise the settings using the Red One's menus. Or or do you prefer exposure_xxxxxx.set, speed_xxxxxxx.set if so what is your definition of speed? Does it include ISO? If so include <ISO>800<ISO> in speed_xxxxxxx.set, if not leave it out. Customise the set up files to how you like to work.

It would be good to be able to save just aspects to a set up file .ie exposure.set or speed.set or fps.set - especially if you could give it a custom name - so that you could repapply it at some later point.

[Craig Bowman]

The main item surrounding the current situation is the existing FPGA doesn't have the capacity to hold every feature. Although newer ones now exist with more room and an added cost of about $4k, there isn't enough space inside the camera to fit one, even if some of us didn't mind the additional cost.

It would likely mean waiting until some time in the future when FPGAs get physically smaller as well as have additional capacity. So all things are possible given time. For now we'll have to take our cameras as they come, get used to using what's available and wait for the upgrades to both firmware reprogramming at no charge and eventual hardware upgrading at some cost.

Its now less than a month to delivery of the first 50 production units. Tick, tick, tick, ...

[explosive]

Its now less than a month to delivery of the first 50 production units. Tick, tick, tick, ...

How exciting is that!!

I can't wait to see the results of the LA team's tests!

[tj williams]

I love the idea of set up cards! Are we willing to pay more for software upgrades to specific feature sets that will help us use the camera in a way to maximize our profits from our own specific needs, which depend on where we fit into the industry. I sure am.

[Michael Morlan]

I only ask that RED include a password for firmware updates. I don't need some numbskull bricking my camera when it's out on a rental. :cold:

[Casey Green]

In fact, software could even be developed that allows a user to configure a specific patch on your PC/mac for a specific shoot, such that you can create and apply the patch yourself, further eliminating the need for releasing 1000s of "official" patches. (If this is impossible, one can always revert to just using the "official patches")


I think Jim posted that they're thinking about the idea already...


yee haa. though haven't seen that post ;) But still, yee haa.

Here is the thread: http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?t=3566

Yep, this idea was initially brought up a while back in the initial 720/1080 discussions and has been thought to be a good alternative. :)

Here is that part of the original thread:
http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?t=3450&page=8&highlight=losers

I agree that it would be wise to have a way to protect the camera's Firmware Mode by password.

Also, it might be nice, eventually, for the other "unavailable" modes to be listed in the Camera's menu, however, any mode that is not currently available has would be ghosted with an * next to it and a message such as "requires Firmware change". (in an auto text crawl if the text doesn't all fit on the Menu screen?)

Then possibly the software app that runs on the Mac or PC can have a nice GUI that shows all possible modes to choose from along with their framerates, etc. As you put check marks next to the modes you want, others become ghosted/unghosted to let you know whether they will be available in that custom Firmware Set. Kind of like a FPGA simulator that keeps track of the available space. Perhaps these get saved as custom "REDMODES". Also, other Camera mode data could be loaded and saved from the REDMODE app, but perhaps that should be kept separate.

Then simply choose which ones you would like to upload to the Camera. It would be great to be able to store these on a SD card or USB stick and keep them on a key chain. Pop it into the Camera's USB/SD port, and the folder is instantly recognized, and the Camera's Menu asks you, "load REDMODES?" The User selects "Yes" and a list is provided to choose from.

[Petr Dvorak]

Red tuning :)

[Adrian T.]

http://img115.imageshack.us/img115/8696/pimpmyredpx3.jpg

:gun: