Updated Convergent Designs Flash XDR Brochure

[Chris Hurd]

Rec'd from Mike Schell (2008.01.29):

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We are continuing to make solid progress debugging Flash XDR, the first ultra-portable Compact Flash based HD recorder. We still hope to have prototype units available during Q1 and deliverable units around NAB 2008 (April 14-17).

Some of the key features of Flash XDR include:

· HD-SDI Input at 1080i60/50, 1080p30/25/24, 720p60/50

· Embedded or analog audio input: 48 KHz, 16/24-bits uncompressed

· Video compression using the very high quality Sony MPEG2 CODEC module at data-rates up to 100 Mbps 4:2:2 Long-GOP and 160 Mbps 4:2:2 I-Frame only (full 1920x1080i raster)

· Storage of video / audio on low-cost Compact Flash cards in MXF file format.

· All-solid state design: 7x5x1.7” (127x44x178mm), 1lb (0.5kg), 8 watts power

Applications for Flash XDR:

· Add recording capability to your POV camera (Iconix, Toshiba, etc)

- All solid-state recording

- Very small size / low-power (compared to tape deck)

- Ideal for car races, extreme temperature conditions, sports, medical, etc.

· Upgrade both the video and audio quality of existing HDV cameras:

- 25 Mbps MPEG2 → 50/100/160 Mbps

- 4:2:0 Color → 4:2:2 Color

- 1440x1080i → 1920 x 1080i

- 16-bit MPEG1 audio → 24 bit uncompressed audio

Recent news / updates on Flash XDR:

· 32 GB Compact Flash cards are now available from Transcend. These cards are sufficient for recording up to 50 Mbps video. Four cards will provide 284 minutes of recording time at 50 Mbps! (Projected price of these cards is US $250)

· We have added a +5V power tap off on the top of Flash XDR. This built-in power source will supply about 1.5 amps, which is sufficient for HDMI <-> HD-SDI converters as well as component analog → HD-SDI converters. We will have numerous mounting points available on the box.

· Our off-line configuration program is coming along well. Users can define the various operating parameters (bit-rate, audio source, etc) as well as the metadata using this PC/MAC based application. A configuration file can then be copied to a CF card and uploaded into one (or more) Flash XDRs. (Changes can also be made on the box using the LCD screen and input keys).

We have now opened our order entry program for Flash XDR. If you would like to place a PO for a unit, please send an e-mail to sales@convergent-design.com and we will e-mail an order form. Due to the strong demand for the product, we are creating a priority queue, based on a refundable deposit with your order. Please e-mail for more details.

I will be at the Broadcast Live / Video Forum show this week at Earl’s Court in London, please stop by our EU Distributor’s booth Symbiosis (Stand G27) for more discussion and to see a mock-up of the actual box (see attached photo - courtsey of PoleCam).

Best Regards - Mike

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See attached pic, and see attached PDF for additional views...

Please direct all replies to this thread: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=106861

[Chris Hurd]

Rec'd from Mike Schell (2008.03.04):

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We are pleased to report solid progress on the debug of Flash XDR, our portable Compact Flash based HD recorder. HD-SDI I/O, MPEG2 compression (at 50 Mbps 4:2:2) and the DDR memory are all working well. We hope to stream compressed MPEG2 out 1394 tomorrow and then to start writing and reading to the Compact Flash cards. We are still targeting to have beta units late this month and production just after NAB. We will post (on our website) comparison images (at various bit-rates) as soon as possible.

Please find attached the latest brochure with the new Flash XDR images… now in Black!

Uncompressed 10-bit 4:2:2

In addition to the high bit-rate MPEG2 support (up to 100 Mbps 4:2:2 in Long-GOP and 160 Mbps 4:2:2 in I-Frame mode), we will introduce an uncompressed 4:2:2 10-bit capture and playback option! This new mode, available this fall, will be enabled via a simple software upgrade. (Pricing on this feature will be announced by NAB timeframe). We anticipate wide use of this uncompressed mode in compositing work, commercials and stock footage, among others.

The uncompressed mode will initially support 1080p24 / 720p24 video-only capture, but we do intend to expand this list over time. Just as a quick math check, the new 32 GB cards (more info below) coming from Delkin will support 45 MBps read/write speeds, so four of these cards in a RAID0 (stripped) configuration will provide an aggregate bandwidth of 180 MBps! 1080p24 10-bit video has a data payload of 124.4 MBps (1920x1080x2x10/8x24), so we have ample margin for this format.

Four 32-GByte cards (128-GByte in total) will provide enormous recording capacity without the need to swap out cards. In 4:2:2 10-bit 1080p24 mode, you will get 17 minutes of record capacity, while at the 50 Mbps rate, this time increase to 284 minutes (or 4.7 hours!).

32GB Compact Flash Cards

32 Gigabyte Compact Flash cards are now available from Transcend. These 133x cards should have sufficient R/W speed for 50 Mbps and maybe 100 Mbps. They are priced around US $150, which is an incredible bargain compared to other solid-state video cards.

Delkin currently has the fastest 16 GB CF card (45 MB/sec), with a 32G expected in April (good news for uncompressed support). Pertec has announced a 24 GB CF card with a 50 MB/sec speed, which is expected later this month. We suspect the other major CF card manufacturers: Sandisk, Lexar and Kingston will follow with similar offerings.

We do plan to test a number of these cards in Flash XDR and to publish an extensive summary of capabilities (max bit-rate, etc).

ASI I/O Support

ASI, which is MPEG2 data mapped onto an SDI coax cable will be available as a $995 software upgrade option on Flash XDR. ASI is an important interface for HD ENG, digital signage and IP applications. Since ASI is built on the 270 Mbps SDI transport, most applications can utilize existing coax cabling with lengths exceeding 1000 feet (300 meters). Special HD-SDI cable is generally not required for ASI. Additionally, Flash XDR can be programmed to produce a 19.7 Mbps MPEG2 stream, which is compatible with most microwave links. Both ASI encode and decode will be supported.

MXF Support

We anticipate 100% compatibility with the 50 Mbps 4:2:2 MXF files from the new Sony PDW-700. Since both Apple and Avid plan to support this camera, we should be able to edit our MXF files with these programs. We also plan to send sample 100 Mbps and 160 Mbps files for compatibility testing to Apple and Avid. Both companies indicate that extending their CODEC support to these high bit-rates should be a minor code update.

We have found a simple Windows Media player plugin for MXF support. We are still searching for a similar program for the MAC. More details on these programs will be available when Flash XDR ships.

We will be at booth SL7828 at NAB 2008 with Flash XDR in hand.

Best Regards - Mike

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See attached pic, and see attached PDF for additional views...

Please direct all replies to this thread: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=106861