Just about to head into the wonderful world of Steadicam and Tiffen Australia just contacted me re: a slight delay in delivery of my Zephyr kit. It will now land here end of October. The reason for the delay is good news for me though, and anyone else who was wondering if their full size HD camera might be teetering on the edge of the Zephyr's specs. Not sure if you've heard this news elsewhere but here is a an extract from the email.

"I spoke to Frank Rush who runs Steadicam in Burbank to find out how the new Zephyrs are going in production. There are a couple of upgrades and a gratifying backorder list that mean we are looking at the end of October before delivery - I thought I should let you know and explain why.

Firstly, the designers have up-spec'd the payload capacity of the arm to 24lb (11kg) to give the Zephyr a wider payload range and, just as importantly, to increase the camera payload when the new Tango is operated with the Zephyr. You probably know that Tango currently only operates with Zephyr. The second upgrade was based on a decision to design a vest specifically for the Zephyr rather than simply adapt an existing vest. Steadicam inventor Garrett Brown and Head of Design, Rob Orf and his team are over the moon with the results - and not only because of Zephyr's typically precise and smooth 'Steadicam' operation, but also the speed and ease of control and adjustment the new design permits"

thks for the info. I just heard that the Flyer would be discontinued. Looks like the Zephyr is the replacement while the Scout is to fill in the gap between. The Zephyr is about USD1000 more than the Flyer LE while the Scout is about USD1000 less.

Now I wonder when the scout would be available for shipping.

Scout looks to have specs similar to the Flyer LE...with the Pilot bottom stage.

veeeeeeeery interesting.

Yes Joe, I think a clever move by Steadicam. Maybe they thought people buying this are probably not going to be running mainly DSLRs, therefore the cameras are likely to be larger, therefore we better make sure the specs can handle a wider weight range and the set-up variations that occur with adding wide angles, nanoflashes, monitors etc. Hey, you're only across the Tasman, maybe you can borrow mine for a spin one weekend!

haha might be an idea.. the old Pilot is just getting to small for most things now days.. its either Zephyr or go a bit more and buy an Archer2.. which is the way i really want to go.

My opinion:

For a low-end stabilizer with with a vest and arm, the Steadicam brand dominates. This includes the Pilot, Flyer, Scout, and Zephyr. Other brands make less expensive rigs, but nothing comes close to Steadicam quality here.

For hand-held stabilizers, Steadicam no longer dominates. The Merlin must compete with the CMR Blackbird, which is less expensive and seems to be in the same league quality wise.

For high-end stabilizers, Steadicam no longer dominates. PRO-GPI, XCS, MK-V, and others are very competitive.

The Archer2 only goes up to 26 pounds, which is not enough for many RED One configurations. For the price of an Archer2, you can buy a used full-size rig that goes well over 50 pounds camera load. You can also buy a new ActionCam stabilizer for much less than the cost of an Archer2, and the ActionCam goes up to 50 pounds.

Just my 2 cents. Your mileage may vary.

Thanks Dave,

Having nil, zilch, zero experience with stabilzers (until mine arrives in 2 weeks)
I can blissfully plead ignorance on all that but I'm sure you're right. The research process was long, hard and a little confusing until I finally settled on the Zephyr, which fortunately up-spec'd after I'd paid for it.
Whether I'm right or wrong time will tell but in everything I buy I always try to go for future-proofing, value for money, but most of all quality machines that do what they're supposed to.

Are you sure the Archer 2 only has a 26 lb. payload capacity or am I reading you wrong? That would seem odd for a unit that costs 3 times the Zephyr, which now takes up to 24lb.payload

Archer 2 Comparison Chart (http://www.steadicam.com/archer2_comparison_chart.html)

Archer2 - G40 arm - 26 pound max load

Archer2S - G50 arm - 30 pound max load

It seems like there's little doubt now that the Zephyr will actually be the best bang for the buck in this weight range. That's a lot of weight for the product niche it occupies!

Dave:

The G40 has been discontinued--every model of Archer ships with a G50 now, which has 10 lbs more lift capacity (i.e. 40 lbs vs 50 lbs). While they are still spec'ing the payload at 30 lbs, I don't believe the sled weighs 20 lbs--probably more like 15 at most--so you should be able to squeak up to 35 lbs on a currently shipping Archer. That's plenty for a RED setup unless equipped with unusual components (anamorphic lens, 3D, seat for the director etc). Note that the "proper" Steadicam configuration of the RED would require a clip-on mattebox, powering from the sled and recording to CF cards; with a badly equipped version that includes baseplate, 4 steel 19mm rods, battery and hard drive cage plus battery, you can certainly move the payload beyond 35 lbs but you have literally gained no utility out of the system in the meantime.

Yes, the Zephyr has a great cost/weight ratio, but if 24 pounds isn't enough then you're still screwed.

Here's my take. Again, this is just my personal opinion, others may vary.

For event videography, student films, and other relatively low budget stuff, a smaller camera is often more than adequate, so the Pilot usually works fine. For these types of productions, it's usually better to spend more money on lighting and other things than on the camera.

As soon as you want to do something more professional, then you're bound to run into the RED One. Since this is a modular camera, it's easy to have RED One configurations that weigh 40 pounds or more.

So my opinion is sort of polarized, with a wide gap between normal lower budget requirements and a big rig that can truly support the RED One.

Charles, how much does the "seat for the director" weigh? (LOL)

Seriously, how much do you think a "proper" Steadicam configuration of the RED would weigh? If I had light rails, focus, iris, CF module, wireless video, and power cables, could this squeeze onto a Zephyr, or is a G-50 type rig mandatory?

Price-wise, I'm assuming a used big rig would be better than a new Archer - yes? Also, could there be other things about the Archer that limit the max weight besides the arm (e.g. the gimbal)?

Hi Dave:

My personal best with a pretty loaded down RED was 31lbs INCLUDING sled, that being my Nimblecam which weighs in around 11 lbs with SD monitor. You've probably seen that picture before but I'll link for others: Nimblecam/RED 1 (http://gallery.me.com/chupap#100255/IMG_0833&bgcolor=black), Nimblecam/RED 2 (http://gallery.me.com/chupap#100255/REDfor-20article&bgcolor=black)

Setup consisted of:

REDOne with short RED zoom
Preston single channel for focus (box with blue tape under the lens)
Preston zoom controller (front box on top of camera; rocker is red button on gimbal)
Decimator downconverter for my SD monitor (red box on top of camera)
Clockit for sync purposes (under Decimator)
RED drive (mounted vertically under monitor)
Camwave HD transmitter (very bottom of sled)
RED battery (replacing my own, via v-mount to Anton Bauer adaptor plate).
RED to Steadicam power cable; extended length hard drive cable

That's a full setup but I excluded any possible "fat". I removed rods and metal cheeseplates from the top of the camera and velcroed a simple plastic plate to the top to hold the three components up there (once again velcro is my friend). Configuring the various masses around the sled took a LOT of trial and error. The key was to move things (hard drive, transmitter) that would normally be mounted up top to the bottom of the sled, as that reduced the need to add more counterweight below.

Even with everything powered off a single RED brick, I was able to shoot for around 40 minutes straight on this concert shoot before having to swap batteries.

Moral of the story--RED is a 10 lb camera; there's no need for it to weigh four times as much in Steadicam configuration. Having the right parts to keep it from going overboard (I'm talking to you, RED baseplates, cheeseplates and battery cage) is the key. Unfortunately most privately owned RED's are saddled with those parts as they are inexpensive to buy. If one is going to be working with RED a lot, investing in the appropriate bits and pieces to make it work may result in being able to afford a rig that has a lower weight capacity but is better quality than the alternative.

I've heard that digital cameras in general, and RED in particular, have problems with IR sensitivity, which can change blacks to browns under daylight. DPs also like to use polarizers, grads, and attenuators in exterior shots. So it seems a matte box with a couple of filters would be something people would want outside.

But even so, since your build was only 20 pounds (without the sled), it sounds like a light weight matte box plus a couple of filters and CF rods may come in under 24 pounds, especially if you swap the RED drive for a CF module.

I get your point. It may be less expensive to invest in a bunch of light weight RED accessories that enable a lower priced rig like the Zephyr.

Food for thought...

Clip-on mattebox preferable. A light one with two filters should be under 2lbs.

Nice RED set-up there Charles. Here in the middle of the outback I'm yet to even SEE one yet.
There had been concern on how they'd go here in the heat and dust, but maybe that was several versions ago, and I'm sure the conditions in LA are really not that much different! Your post prompted me to try something myself. Just weighed my Sony PMW-350K and with battery, matte box and Rode mike system weighs in at just a hair under 19lbs, which I think was the original maximum spec for the Zephyr.

So I still have 5 lbs (2.3 kg) to play with on the new spec, but would have had to mix and match a lot for different configurations on the old. All I can say is.... whew!

Will add the Fujinon 0.7 wide converter and nanoflash on top of that, which I think should be handy for a few operators on this forum to know, and report back on the total in the morning (night-time here)
Any other bit of kit anyone wants me to add ? (if I've got it..)

Any other bit of kit anyone wants me to add ? (if I've got it..)
Wireless Video:
If you're working with other people, wireless video makes things a LOT easier, to the point where I would almost consider it essential. In other words, you don't want people hovering close to you trying to see the monitor as you're trying to move around. In the U.S., there are some cheap light transmitters that work very well:
RangeVideo!, Wireless video solutions. (http://www.rangevideo.com/)
There is a switch on the back of the transmitter that allows for international frequencies, but due to legal issues in the U.S., Range Video adds epoxy to make the switch setting perminent. Maybe there's another dealer near you that has the same transmitter with frequencies for your area.

Wireless Audio:
There are basically 4 ways to run sound with Steadicam:
1) Shotgun mic on the camera
2) Use a wireless link from a boom or lav mic to the camera and hope there are no drop-outs.
3) Use a wired link from a boom mic to a small field audio recorder, and then a wireless link from there to the camera. The field audio recorder acts as a back-up in case of drop-outs.
4) Forget about wireless, use a field audio recorder, and slate everything (2 system sound).

Dave, I don't think I made myself clear enough. What I meant was did somebody want me to add any other bits of kit on top of what I had already weighed to see if I was still within Zephyr operating range, but only bits I might already have. I don't have a wireless video set-up but your suggestions are excellent, which I'll get to in a moment.

I added the nanoflash and Fujinon wide converter (but of course had to remove the matte box to do this leaving the rails in place) and it came in at 9kg or 19.8lbs. so well within range. When I get the Zephyr I'll mainly use it for music video so sound won't be much of an issue. When I do need sound, the budget will probably allow for an Audio Operator with boom, lav mikes and field recorder. The jobs in between are where it gets hard, on those I'll more than likely use a combo of your 1 and 2 and end up doing audio monitoring through my Bose noise cancelling headphones which I've found to be excellent for that type of work. But of course trying to do both vision and audio always risks compromising one or the other! I have the Sony proprietary dual frequency receiver on the camera and drop outs seem to be extremely rare.

I can't believe how cheap those Range video units seem to be, any in particular you would recommend? I've used them before when people have brought them with them but always saw them as a luxury I probably couldn't afford. I'm not too concerned on super high quality, just best performance for price, so the Director client can get a good idea of what's going on in the frame.

And getting back to this thread I presume a wireless video transmitter is going to weigh next to nothing?

Chris, not sure what type of battery you are using on your camera but you may want to consider powering from the sled via cable. That will free up another chunk of weight for you.

Thanks Charles, yes i was thinking that would be a great option, especially considering the v-locks on the 350 tend to last about 5-6 hours just for the camera, so I'm hoping for a combined 3 hours. Or do you think I'm dreaming? Also I could wade through all the material but what are the actual power connectors on the cable from the sled usually? Is it one of these 4 pin XLS types, as in straight into the back of the 12v input of the camera? I think the high end gear you use is where there are lots of weight considerations. Then again I suppose it's in all our interests to keep the weight down for our own health. I'm just happy to plod along with my HD format for a few years and am hoping the Zephyr will be fine for the stuff we do, which is usually shooting beautiful scenery and/or shooting beautiful scenery with people in front of it! I'm getting too old to be lugging jibs (especially the weights!) and dollies through red sand and up and down mountains. No doubt I'll have lots of operational questions for you after I play with it, but I promise I won't bother you until I've given it a good try out first.

The Zephyr uses the same 3 pin Lemo found in the higher end Steadicams; a 4 pin XLR for 12v power is supplied with the system. There are various reasons to consider powering off the sled. If you are working with a setup that is already near the top capacity of the sled, having the extra weight up top will force you to have to work with an extended center post, which is less desirable from an operational standpoint. It keeps your battery changes to a more predictable changeout routine (less to have to keep an eye on). With a heavy load, it frees you up to use other accessories that are needed, and to minimize the weight of the system for long operating periods. However, with a light camera it may be advantageous to retain the battery as extra ballast as the rig is always more stable the heavier it gets. It's a useful option to have.

For the kind of work you describe, sounds like you will be doing a lot of shlepping so the reduced weight version may be preferable. At the same time, shooting vistas where the only motion comes from the Steadicam (vs shooting people on the move, which tends to distract the eye) presents operating challenges that may be a bit easier with the heavier payload. You'll likely encounter issues with the wind, so having a windblock in your kit will be important (standard issue is a 4x4 double, however for small crews carrying gear up into the mountains, a bit bulky--a portable system like this (http://www.sunbounce.de/index.php?id=1308&L=1) may be better for you).

Hope you are planning to take a workshop!

Charles, do you think maybe I should take a workshop?...Only joking!

Yes there's a guy In Sydney who does them, so somehow I've got to get there, and I suppose sooner rather than later as I'd imagine it's better not to learn bad habits early on. Had to look up "shlepping" in the dictionary as I'd never heard that one, but as it turns out I have indeed been quite a shlepper over the years. Thanks for the windbreak link, I hadn't given the wind much thought! Very steep learning curve coming up I fear.

When I do need sound, the budget will probably allow for an Audio Operator with boom, lav mikes and field recorder. The jobs in between are where it gets hard, on those I'll more than likely use a combo of your 1 and 2 and end up doing audio monitoring through my Bose noise cancelling headphones which I've found to be excellent for that type of work. But of course trying to do both vision and audio always risks compromising one or the other!


Yes, I find that operating Steadicam requires my full attention. In particular, the combination of keeping the subject framed perfectly while moving smoothly is quite a challenge. Just moving smoothly is not that hard. Just holding frame perfectly is easy if you use more force, but that compromises stability. So a smooth shot that's framed perfectly throughout, that takes a lot of concentration and practice. Charles has a shot from a feature that puts us all to shame in this area, but I can't find the link at the moment.

By the way, running any kind of wires between you and the sled can cause problems, particularly when you change sled positions relative to your body. You can get a good audio field recorder for around $500, and they're small enough to hang around the sound operator's neck. Most wireless lav transmitters have the option to use a line input as well, if you have the right cable. So what I often do is run a microphone wire from the boom mic to the field recorder and then run a line out from that to the wireless transmitter, all attached to the boom operator. This way, you have the sound from the wireless link aligned with the video on the camera, but if there's a drop-out, you can use the good parts of the wireless sound to line up the sound from the field recorder in post. In other words, the field recorder acts as insurance against drop-outs or noise on the wireless link, which usually makes others involved in the project a lot more comfortable.

I can't believe how cheap those Range video units seem to be, any in particular you would recommend? I've used them before when people have brought them with them but always saw them as a luxury I probably couldn't afford. I'm not too concerned on super high quality, just best performance for price, so the Director client can get a good idea of what's going on in the frame.

And getting back to this thread I presume a wireless video transmitter is going to weigh next to nothing?

Yes, the wireless video transmitters from that site are very small and light, but you have to be sure they will work in your area. Countries allocate frequency bands differently. So what I use may not work for you.

I agree that the wireless video link doesn't have to be perfect, just good enough to see framing and a rough idea of content. For lighting, color, and other critical aspects of the shot, its usually better to use the LCD on the camera.

Then again I suppose it's in all our interests to keep the weight down for our own health.
As Charles says, it's actually easier in many ways to operate with a heavier rig, within reason, and provided you know what you're doing. A heavier rig has more inertia, so you can apply a little more force for framing and it will still keep stable. With a lighter rig, a feather touch is often required, which can be somewhat limiting.

Bottom line: Since the Zephyr only goes to 24 pounds, I would tend to favor loading it up to the higher end of its weight range.

By the way, when you first start operating, you won't know what you're doing, so your back will start hurting quickly. This is normal. Once you start to learn how to balance the rig properly through hip placement, the weight ends up going through your legs. At the end of a long day, it's my legs and feet that are tired, not my back so much.

And as Charles says, try to plan on taking a workshop fairly soon, otherwise you can pick up bad habits that are hard to break.

haha on the double mention of a workshop (now exised)! wrote that post in a bout of sleepless jetlag in the wee hours...Dave G., I'm somewhat in your neck of the woods, shooting a music video in the Bronx tomorrow.

Chris: there is indeed a significant learning curve; the workshop will get you on the right foot literally and figuratively. It's something like learning to play a musical instrument.

Charles, thanks, yes you've convinced me I've got to get the training as a priority and Dave really good advice in there. I learnt a long time ago to follow the instructions on things AND to listen carefully to advice from people who really know what they're talking about. You guys are really generous with your time and set a great example to others on this forum. Well done!

On the website for the Zephyr, it says the arm can lift 30lbs and the payload is 24lbs.



Steadicam Zephyr Home Page (http://www.tiffen.com/steadicam_zephyr.html)

I've had many people from all over the world contact me privately for my opinion on the zephyr, (which...and I don't know how to put this delicately...is probably not wise as I've never used a stabilizer before anyway!) thinking it's been delivered. Well, I'm still waiting despite two previous delivery dates given by Tiffen Australia. So just to reiterate, when it does get here, all you'll get from me is really "newbie" impressions, i.e. how easy is it to use for somebody with nil experience with these things, helpful for some, not at all for others.

I spoke to someone at Tiffen UK who said they will not be shipping the Zephyr or the Scout until sometime in December.

If I can, I'll try to get to the factory to spend some time with the prototypes of both rigs and post my impressions here. My schedule slows down next week so I'll put it in the hopper!

Excellent Charles! That would be a great help to lots of people wondering what's going on with Zephyr.
I've had delivery dates of end of October, then mid-November... then nothing. How did your Bronx shoot go by the way? Any links to look at it or hasn't it been cut yet?

Went great. Dave Gish came down to help out after I mentioned the shoot in this thread! It was a long night but a good shoot.

You can see it on my site linked below; go to Reels then Music Videos; it's "Just Tonight" by the Pretty Reckless.

Thanks Charles I'll have a look. I would have popped down too but it would have been a 14000 mile hike :-)

I was at a training workshop in the UK a couple of weeks ago & used the Pilot, Scout & Zephyr. I realise now that the latter two must have been prototypes as I didn't discover until later that they aren't shipping yet.

Rather like Chris my opinion on the Zephyr may not be worth much as a Merlin with arm & vest is the only Steadicam I had used previously but I thought the Zephyr was fabulous & would purchase one myself if funds allowed but have probably got to be content with a Pilot. In comparison to the delicate touch necessary with the Merlin it may be that a bigger & heavier more stable rig suits my ham-fisted manner better but it really was much easier to fly & felt so much better than the little Merlin. The impressive Robocop style vest also made me feel like a proper Steadicam operator:-)

Aaah yes Nigel! Boys with their toys eh? One thing about guys the world over is our love of cars, football (of whatever code) and wearing robocop vests.

By the way Charles great work on the Pretty reckless video although of course I won't fully appreciate the subtlety of how you are achieving each shot for years I guess. My personal favourite is the long lens dolly look, that must be one of the toughest for holding a good frame I suppose. I doubt if you personally have ever had the time to put one together, but do you know if there is a dvd or website that allows you to watch both Operator in action and the shot they are taking, shot by shot? Would I be right in saying that that clip was shot entirely on a stabilizer? In other words no need to set up dolly, jib whatever?

Went great. Dave Gish came down to help out after I mentioned the shoot in this thread! It was a long night but a good shoot.
Good times indeed!

Would I be right in saying that that clip was shot entirely on a stabilizer? In other words no need to set up dolly, jib whatever?
Charles was the DP. He had 3 cameras going: techno crane, steadicam (another guy), and the 3rd camera alternating between handheld and sticks. I was just a camera PA, but I got to do some really cool stuff.

If I can, I'll try to get to the factory to spend some time with the prototypes of both rigs and post my impressions here. My schedule slows down next week so I'll put it in the hopper!

Hi Charles, I would be interested to know if TIFFEN (as well as Jerry & Garrett) have completely figured out an out of the box solution for the weight distribution on the Zephyr sled. From what I can tell, based on the promo shots of the sled, there is on a spot for one battery on the lower spar. You can, of course, add the weight cylinders. I am figuring you will either have to use a Hytron 140 on the bottom or an A/B Hotswap adapter so you can mount a couple of Hytron 50s or Dionics and then still have to extend the post a bit to get the rig to behave if the package on top is around or north of 20 pounds. Maybe there is a battery plate on the rear of the monitor?

-Andrew

Andrew, as I've said many times I'm very new to all this and don't yet understand all the lingo or implications of various changes that may or may not be being made right now. However I will say as somebody who has already paid in full for a Zephyr (some time ago) I'd be more than disappointed if it doesn't work straight "out of the box" to the specs quoted, especially as i'll be working "around and north of" 20lbs" .In other words I expect to drive that vehicle straight out of the showroom, I don't want to be told I'm going to have to pay for new tires as well as I head out the door!

Hi Chris,

In the scheme of things what I am talking about is pretty minor if it is indeed the case.

If there is no provision for a second battery, the simple fix would be to use, as I mentioned a Hytron 140 or an Anton Bauer Hotswap adapter plate on the existing battery mount and then you could mount 2 smaller batteries like Hytron 50s that would total a weight of between 5 and 6 pounds.

I haven't seen your other posts other than this thread but if you don't have the Steadicam Handbook, I would recommend you get it right away. There are a myriad of little tricks and tips you need to know and this book contains quite a few of them along with a whack of other stuff about the craft, art and trade of Steadicam. This is a great way to ease into it and build up some confidence when approaching this thing that is in a lot of ways so foreign.

Pretty much every Operator is going to tell you to take a course. This will give you a good foundation well beyond what the book can do and point you even more in the right direction and give you a jump start into operating the rig and knowing where to devote your time. TIFFEN offers some two day courses. In the US they are generally taught by Peter Abraham who's enthusiasm for Steadicam is incredible. There are also longer courses that take the better part of a week and you would be using bigger rigs and some of the focus of the teaching is on Operating on "sets".

Anyway, it is good that Charles is planning to get his hands on these new rigs and put them through the paces. We are fortunate to have someone of his caliber and experience that is willing to do this and report back.

I will agree that for a rig that can spec up to that weight, not accommodating dual batteries is a bit strange, seeing as it was standard on the Flyer. Yes, you can add dead weight, but batteries are a smart solution as they serve double function. I'll enquire about this if and when I can get to Tiffen (right now work is overwhelming so not sure when that will be).

It's a pity Tiffen don't have an equivalent to Dan Keaton at nanoflash floating around these threads, which would eliminate all this guesswork.

Mind you I've never quite seen a customer service model as thorough as theirs, Dan's forever answering everything and anything down to the finest detail and he's in senior management with the company!

Just occurred to me, the Zephyr is setup to do both 12 and 24 volt. There has to be a second battery plate somewhere. It was also wired to do 24V if need be with an extra spot on the top stage ostensibly for a motor and wireless transmitter, as well as a spot to add another outlet. Things are pointing towards a second plate on the back of the monitor or some provision to change to a dual battery mount.

It's a pity Tiffen don't have an equivalent to Dan Keaton at nanoflash floating around these threads, which would eliminate all this guesswork.I have seen Tiffen Steadicam guys posting on The Steadicam Forum (http://www.steadicamforum.com/) & I guess there is no dedicated nanoflash forum which would explain why Dan posts here.

Hi Nigel, how was your impression of the Scout since you have experience with the Pilot? I have one on order with no news of it arriving yet.

Hi Nigel, how was your impression of the Scout since you have experience with the Pilot? I have one on order with no news of it arriving yet.My only previous Steadicam experience has been with the Merlin so my opinion isn't that of an expert. During the course of the weekend workshop I used the Pilot, Scout & Zephyr & all felt great. As I recall the Scout & Zephyr use the same arm but have different sleds. I think that it was actually an extra Zephyr vest that we were using with the Scout. They all felt great. If I had the money I would buy the Zephyr as that just felt the most stable & easiest to fly but that may just have been because it had the heaviest camera load. The Scout was straightforward to do both static & dynamic balance & worked great. It is the same top notch quality & engineering as the others & I am sure that you will be very happy with it.

Thks Nigel, I hope i would be able to try the Scout next weekend at the Eastern Classic. Looking forward to it!

I've been in touch with my pals at Tiffen and will likely be going in next week to explore the new rigs. Look for an article here at DVinfo.net shortly thereafter.

That would be great Charles, when you do, would you mind putting a note on this thread? I keep forgetting that DVinfo is more than just this forum!. Most of us should then be notified of the article.

Just started a new thread on this, but thought I better put it here as well to conclude this one...for those who haven't heard zephyr has finally shipped. More details when it arrives ( on new thread)