Odyssey7Q now Shipping (Press Release)

[Dan Keaton]

Dear Friends,

Here is a Press Release announcing that the Odyssey7Q is now shipping.



Convergent Design Ships Odyssey7Q: 7.7” OLED Monitor & Professional Video Recorder


(Colorado Springs, CO, November 4, 2013) Convergent Design, maker of the popular nanoFlash and Gemini 4:4:4 onboard recorders, last week shipped the first production units of their new flagship product, the Odyssey7Q, a full-featured 7.7” OLED monitor and professional video recorder. The Odyssey7Q is a no-compromise device at a revolutionary base price of just $2295.

In spite of the affordable price, a comprehensive set of professional monitoring features is included: Waveform, RGB Parade, Zebras, 1:1 Pixel Zoom, Focus Assist (Peaking), Vectorscope, Histogram, LUT Support, False Color and more. The 7.7” OLED has a 1280x800 RGB pixel array, wide color gamut, and 3400:1 contrast, with virtually no motion blurring and true blacks. Bluetooth LE supports simple remote control through iPhone and Android apps.

As a recorder, Odyssey7Q supports a wide range of recording formats. Uncompressed RGB HD video is included, with compressed HD video soon to be added in a free firmware update. For RAW capture, ARRIRAW (4:3 and 16:9), Canon 4K Raw and Sony FS700 2K RAW are available as purchase or rental options. New 2.5" Premium SSD media supports read/write bandwidths in excess of 500 MBytes/sec per drive, enabling Canon 4K Raw at 60 fps on a single recorder.

The Odyssey7Q also features a unique Multi-Stream Monitoring mode, which allows up to four HD Video signals to be input and displayed simultaneously in quadrants onscreen or switched between in full-screen view. A purchase or rent record option (Multi-Stream HD) allows up to four HD Video feeds to be recorded to simultaneous individual files, or even to allow a “live-switch” edit be captured.

A wide range of battery accessories, mounting options, and sunshade, are available to support the Odyssey7Q. While Convergent Design has significant preorders for the Odyssey7Q, it is on target to fulfill all current orders before the end of 2013.

Additional information and images are available at Convergent Design | Professional Video Recorders | Gemini 444, nanoFlash, nano3D, including a world-wide list of Convergent Design Dealers.




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Director of Communications:
Mitch Gross \\ mitch at convergent-design.com



Domestic Sales Contact:
Dan M. Keaton \\ 803-278-0941 \\ 719-930-1376 \\ dan at convergent-design.com



International Sales Contact:
Amber Cowles \\ 720-221-3861 \\ amber at convergent-design.com

[Paul Cronin]

Excellent new Dan congratulations.

Will the Odyssey 7Q have full support for the Sony F55 soon?

[Dan Keaton]

Dear Paul,

The Sony F55 outputs 4K in full uncompressed mode, via the four HD-SDI 1.5G outputs.

These outputs are used to drive a 4K Monitor.

We will, in the future, take these signals (which, together are 4K) and be able to record them.

We currently feel that the most desirable way to record these is in a compressed codec, thus making 4K easier than recording full uncompressed.

Thus, we have to finish our compressed codec project, then work on recording 4K to 4K compressed codec.

We will not have this ready until sometime next year. We expect it to be ready sometime in Q1 2014.

Please refer to my post: Odyssey7Q Now Shipping in this same forum.

We can record from the F55 in full uncompressed in HD with our initial firmware today.

We will expect to support HD with a compressed codec before the end of 2013.

Paul, is there another mode that you would like me to discuss?

Respectfully,

[Paul Cronin]

HI Dan,

Wow, that was a fast response.

I will go on your site to see all the formats that the 7Q can record from the F55. From what I have read it is everything but 4K Raw? Just looking at my options between the AXS-5 and 7Q. From what I am reading the 7Q looks great. Is there a possibility Sony will let you record 4K Raw?

With all the great experiences and support from CD I had with the Nano Flash I am sure the 7Q is a great product.

I will decide soon.

[Dan Keaton]

Dear Paul,

On the FS700, we have access to the HD, 2K Raw and 4K Raw over HD-SDI connection.

On the F55, I do not know if 2K comes over the HD-SDI connection or not (at this moment).

On the F55, 4K Raw, as far as I know, with the current firmware, does not come over the HD-SDI connection.

So, we are limited in what we can record from the F55.

But, being able to record 4K, in a very popular compressed codec has many advantages.

[Paul Cronin]

Thanks Dan,

I will keep checking your site for updates and hope you will cover all the F55 formats soon.

[Dave Allen]

With so many recording modes on the Sony FS700 with the latest 4k firmware upgrade that includes slog, and with so many recoding/compression/ raw format recording modes that the 7Q can capture, what recording format would you use, and why?

I may also want to shoot stock footage.

[John Benton]

Originally Posted by Dan Keaton

Dear Paul,

On the FS700, we have access to the HD, 2K Raw and 4K Raw over HD-SDI connection.

Thanks Dan !
Good news - So even without the FS700's 4K upgrade we can access the 4K Raw with the Odyssey?
Best!
J

[Dennis Hingsberg]

Any updates on what signal the 7Q can record from the F55?

Is it still limited to the monitor output specifications? ie. 10-bit 422?

[Galen Rath]

Dan, what is the projected date that firmware for the 7Q will be available to allow 4K recording on the FS700?

[Dan Keaton]

Dear Galen,

If Sony provides us with permission to record 4K Raw from the FS700, then we will be able to provide a firmware release that supports 4K Raw on or around January 15th, 2014.

This feature has already been programmed and tested, we just need Sony's permission.

We are also working on recording 4K to a popular compressed codec, in the 4K version of this codec.

This is expected to be released sometime in Q1 2014.

Respectfully,

[Dennis Hingsberg]

Originally Posted by Dennis Hingsberg

Any updates on what signal the 7Q can record from the F55?

Is it still limited to the monitor output specifications? ie. 10-bit 422?

Dan what about my question?

[Dan Keaton]

Dear Dennis,

I have been studying the Sony F5 and F55 Operations Manuals. I just downloaded the latest one.

I have not been able to determine the output specifications for the various Sony F55 SDI outputs.

I can see what format and frame rate, such as 1080p59.94, but I have not found the bit-depth specifications. I have examined the detailed information provided on pages 65 to 67 of the manual.

So, the answer gets complicated, and it depends on what the camera is providing.

At this time, our Odyssey7Q can accept single-link HD-SDI up to 3G.

And it can accept HD-SDI Dual Link (also up to 3G).

If the camera sends us 1080p59.94, I expect that it will be YCbCr 4:2:2, 10-Bit (but I have not found this spec in the Sony Manual.)

We will take this signal and upres this to 4:4:4, 10-Bit, RGB, then record it in DPX (which is full uncompressed.)

We do a very sophisticated upres from 4:2:2 to 4:4:4 using a weighted-average of the adjacent pixel.
The reason we do this is simple. All of the DPX software that we know of requires it to be in the 4:4:4 RGB format of the SMPTE Standard. There is a 4:2:2 DPX SMPTE Standard but the software does not currently support this mode, thus requiring us to perform the very intelligent upres.

Later, we will be adding a popular compressed codec.

First will be compressed YCbCr 4:2:2 at a relatively high bit-rate.

Then we will be adding a 4K version of this codec.

Then we will be adding a 4:4:4 RGB version of this codec.

We intend to support recording, via our Odyssey7Q, in 4K, 4:2:2, 10-Bit, to a compressed codec (around 880 Mbps) from the Sony F55.


Dennis, I do not feel that I have properly answered your question, but I am hampered by not knowing exactly what the F55 outputs at this time.

We intend to purchase a Sony F55 for our Lab so that we can support it to the best of our abilities, using the various HD-SDI outputs. This includes 4K modes.

But, please understand that we do not have access to the 4K Raw output from the F5 or F55, as this output is not HD-SDI, but the camera's internal system bus, and this is what the Sony R5 Recorder uses.

But, we do have access to the Full Uncompressed 4K output (via the four HD-SDI outputs) and we will use this as our source for 4K from the F55.

Please feel free to ask follow up questions, in case I have not properly answered your original question.

Respectfully,

[Dennis Hingsberg]

Thanks Dan, you have answered it as I had expected it. I just wanted to be sure if you had any advancements or indication of what might be possibly with the 7Q and F55. I was hoping for the ability to record a RAW stream, but unlike the FS700, the F55 does not provide a RAW bayered output at this time and not sure if it will ever be planned.

cheers,