Non proprietary media option request

[Brian Merlen]

Any chance cfast 2 cards will ever be an option for low resolution recording? Even just for prores? Some non proprietary options in camera not with a recorder might be a good idea for some productions if a module can be made? Thanks

 

[Maik Müller]

Tethering is an option to record to any media over GBe. Bandwidth is a bit limiting, but you can record directly to a laptop and big SSDs or hard-drives.

Love the REDMAGs, but we all know the pro's and cons. Non-proprietary media would be great, i agree to that. CFast-cards and consumer-SSDs are catching up, even newer SDXC-cards could be good enough for non-highspeed-footage. I'm pretty sure RED continues to test that stuff, they did it in the past.

 

[Tommaso Alvisi]

I think CFAST2 cards would be enough already from a datarate perspective...albeit with a more fragile build...

 

[Gunleik Groven]

In the early days (pre 2007) RED launched the idea of non-proprietary media, as opposed to the digital alternatives at the time, and I think R1 initially recorded just to SATA disks (spinning).
The CF module was definitely a stab at following that up, and works with ONE Lexar card (the 8 GB) out of the box.

But RED is a business and I think media is part of that business.
There are good reasons for certified media in insured productions as well.

And as the R1 SSD module seems to still be available for sale, I'd guess that is how RED has adressed the non-proprietary CF option on the R1.

In short: I don't really this is an issue of other media getting fast enough (which it does look like they have), but more RED wanting to have control of its eco-system, fuck-up sources and the realization that cameras are a great way to sell accessories, if they're just really well made.


A bit of OT rambling on that:
Others have of course realized that, too (non-media):

http://www.arri.com/camera/pro_came..._epicscarlet?node_id=52fe7d303baf673c10037627

Money is money
If you don't buy an Alexa, fine: Buy our accessories and you can still have some ARRI love.

And if RED opened its recording, I bet Codex would be all over them claiming that "finally you can see RAW from RED in all its brilliance"

 

[Brian Merlen]

I understand the history and why red went away from consumer media but was just hoping even prores could be done to a non proprietary media without a recorder. I own like 7 mags but three bought like a week after cut off date happened for that trade deal and the house I sublease with wants carbon not magnesium so I was just hoping to avoid media retooling if possible and I have media for other cameras already with cfast2 seeming like lots of systems can use it these days. I noticed the mini can even do 30fps Arri raw on cfast2 which just makes me wonder if a module could help users have access to another media option for lower budget stuff on reds. Limited function is fine the purpose would be just for low budget shoots either baked in or less fps for red files if possible..

 

[Chad Lancaster]

I talked with Ted about this once long ago and he mentioned how quality control in the 3rd party media was all over the place. The advertised speed by the manufacturers could not be relied upon. He said that even the media that they sourced for the red one, the cf cards, that a small percentage that came in were adequate to use. He gave me a percentage I was shocked by but can't recall the # but it was very low.

I think having 3rd party media introduces too many outside variables that could possibly lead to the camera not working. Then people would bitch and moan how the camera system isn't reliable or this and that when it would just be shitty media. Losing your shots because you bought some card that wasn't thoroughly tested would really suck. Yes Red media is more expensive than you might want but your also buying it knowing it was designed for it and tested that it will work. Plus in the end the media is cheap if you consider all the other costs to getting a setup ready for production. You can shoot a lot even at the minimum compression.

 

[Gunleik Groven]

I think it is fair to say that non-properietary media has developed a bit since the days of Ted, just judging from a few other manufacturers choice of media and embracing of off-the-shelf media. Sony used properetery media for F65 (and of course the SxS), Phantom uses magazines, of course you could buy a Codex... For highspeed, I can see the argument, but the REDs scale compression to capacity.

I don't see this changing anytime soon, though