Mike Naylor
Member
As I'm a little older than most, I do feel entitled to have a good old rant now and again, but I have argued the case for useful products with many talented engineers all my life. Simple ideas are usually the best, but electronics designers always want to add unwanted bells & whistles into their products. Even the humble washing machine seems to need a microprocessor and some believe it should also include a WiFi interface too. The mobile phone is another example which elevates uselessness to the point where wrinklies like me find it impossible to make a simple telephone call.
So, why is P2 bad news. It's bad news for companies such as AJA and Black Magic Design. The idea of not needing to digitise is something they would prefer to ignore. They continue to develop even more ways to digitise, whichhas resulted in the sexiest AJA IoHD device on the planet. But, it's completely useless for tapeless workflow and doesn't even have 6 analogue audio outputs. Their advertising says "In. Out. Simple", but by the time you've added audio disembbeders, it's not simple anymore and costs a fortune.
Engineers never consult the real world - they imagine what we might need and almost always miss the point. All innovations start in one guys garage. Perhaps the most noted are Apple and Microsoft, but when profits begin to rise, all they see are the shareholders and the stock market. Take a look around IBC or NAB and you'll find hundreds of innovative new products from smaller start-up companies. On the larger stands you'll only find updated or enhanced versions of earlier products - or a re-badged product recently aquired from a smaller company. The future is with the start-ups, but they are not always able to afford the necessary development costs required. The result is stagnation and not enough new products. The hardware lags the software.
So now I'm begging. I would like to see the AJAs & BMDs of this world looking at how P2 is being used. We don't need any of the bell & whistles in order to digitise every concievable source, but we would like a simple product to output & monitor the picture and sound. And, as we all strive to jump on the HD roller coaster, we'd like HD Video and Surround Sound too. A simple box with video and audio outputs at a price we are prepared to pay. Simple!
Does anyone know of an upcoming product which will attach to my Mac/PC using firewire and convert it to HDMI for my HD television and provide 6 analogue audio outputs for my 5.1 powered speakers?
Failing this, does anyone know if cryogenic freezing really works?
So, why is P2 bad news. It's bad news for companies such as AJA and Black Magic Design. The idea of not needing to digitise is something they would prefer to ignore. They continue to develop even more ways to digitise, whichhas resulted in the sexiest AJA IoHD device on the planet. But, it's completely useless for tapeless workflow and doesn't even have 6 analogue audio outputs. Their advertising says "In. Out. Simple", but by the time you've added audio disembbeders, it's not simple anymore and costs a fortune.
Engineers never consult the real world - they imagine what we might need and almost always miss the point. All innovations start in one guys garage. Perhaps the most noted are Apple and Microsoft, but when profits begin to rise, all they see are the shareholders and the stock market. Take a look around IBC or NAB and you'll find hundreds of innovative new products from smaller start-up companies. On the larger stands you'll only find updated or enhanced versions of earlier products - or a re-badged product recently aquired from a smaller company. The future is with the start-ups, but they are not always able to afford the necessary development costs required. The result is stagnation and not enough new products. The hardware lags the software.
So now I'm begging. I would like to see the AJAs & BMDs of this world looking at how P2 is being used. We don't need any of the bell & whistles in order to digitise every concievable source, but we would like a simple product to output & monitor the picture and sound. And, as we all strive to jump on the HD roller coaster, we'd like HD Video and Surround Sound too. A simple box with video and audio outputs at a price we are prepared to pay. Simple!
Does anyone know of an upcoming product which will attach to my Mac/PC using firewire and convert it to HDMI for my HD television and provide 6 analogue audio outputs for my 5.1 powered speakers?
Failing this, does anyone know if cryogenic freezing really works?
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