Hardware vs software feature sets i.e. Amira vs many products

[Brian Merlen]

Random thought, would making reds with identical hardware and charging for software locked features make sense vs so many products? Like from a scales of economies perspective isn't it cheaper? Maybe not cuz of the luxury throughput needed on high end but figured I'd ask it to see what others think. A software locked 6k cf could be identical to Raven til a upgrade is purchased software wise? Seems easier on red too vs hardware changes and swapping parts?

 

[Nick Morrison]

Not sure that wouldnt make sense in a RED ecosystem - where you've traditionally paid for the hardware/performance you got.

Software uprades suggest, to me, the hardware was never that valuable to begin with, because it was included for free. The software unlock has always felt to me like a premium price gauge certain brands did because they could.

Ie like when F55 owners learned F5s essentially had the same hardware (for half the price)..which hackers unleashed w/ firmware that turned F5s into 4K cameras (I believe Im correct yes?).

These software upgrades have always felt depressing to me - to know you have the horsepower, but cant use it, sounds frustrating to say the least.

For example, I like knowing an 8K Carbon costs $75K because it gives me confidence in how incredibly powerful and complicated that hardware must be. If it turned out the 8K VV hardware cost no more than a $6k Raven, Id not only feel dissapointed, but also incredibly skeptical of the technological hurdle 8K presumably reprsented

Paying for the power you recieve in a camera has always seemed to me the most transparent and upfront way todo business.

 

[Bob Gundu]

I'm pretty certain this would be a bad move.

 

[Anton Shavlik]

I do think red locked out the previous two scarlet models from their full sensor size at video framerates. Even if the compression would be high, as I recall scarlet dragon can 'look around' the 6k format size at 24fps so I imagine it could, hardware wise, make a .r3d videostream from it.