Sound Devices retire their Video Devices brand.

Grug

Grug

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It appears Sound Devices have retired their 'Video Devices' Video/Audio recording operation:

https://www.videodevices.com/

I think this is a real shame, as the proliferation of small mirrorless cameras into the production world frequently requires both external video and audio recording to achieve professional-levels of image & sound quality. And Video Devices were the only game in town that simplified that process into a single recording unit.

Now the only option is to plug (and power) two separate recording units into the cameras - which just adds to the frankenrigging.
 
They needed to do more with their devices and they didn't...and I think that attributed to this result.

Barely updated them. Didn't offer any new features. And the price...way too much money vs. Atomos products.

Almost no one is safe anymore from selling a product as is.

I would not be surprised if Convergent-Design is hanging by a thread (I hope they are not).
 
Fortunately as technology moves forward external recorders will become a thing of the past (I sound like jcs now). Hardware and space limitations in small cameras are the only reason they currently exist. Some day people will look back on external recorders like we now look back on tape and tape decks. Sure, they give cheaper cameras higher quality recording capabilities, but the internal recording of the camera would ideally never have been more limited than what can be done externally. And that's the case with most higher end cameras.

For myself, I only ever use internal recording as I find external recorders too unreliable. Good for a backup recording if your camera doesn't have built-in backup like my C-series cameras all offer.

But man, an extra set of batteries to worry about, if no trigger record then an extra record button to press, sometimes flimsy HDMI cables and even SDI cables can have issues, then problems like the image accidentally recording peaking, zebras, or magnification; I just can't imagine ever relying on an external recording as my main source.

I thought about getting their Video Devices PixE5 to use as a backup recording with the Amira since the Amira doesn't dual record (my biggest complaint about the camera), but I've been living without a backup and using the superior image SmallHD 702. As far as I could tell trigger record would not work with the Amira, which would have made using it a pain.
 
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Franken rigs are annoying. Having to update cameras evry two years is too.
 
The PIX-E5 is a great little recorder. It is especially helpful for punching in and checking focus, providing waveforms, etc.
I have two, one of which has the XLR unit attached to it. Which can be quite useful.
Unfortunately, with new cameras like the Fuji X-T3 the rec trigger does not work.
So their usefulness will become more limited over time. What a shame.
 
Who will bother with external recorders when the internal recording on most cameras becomes so good and will continue to get better? They will die over time.
 
There are still barely any mirrorless cameras with internal 10-bit or 4K/60p. And three new cameras only output 10-bit. And then there are all of the exposure and focus tools. And screen real estate. And no time limit.

And then there's ProRes RAW (or other RAW). New life for potential suitors.

If they become thinner and lighter and even cheaper, you'd go for the recorder just to have it vs. a monitor (which is what many do now anyway).

They could still have a good run for another 2-3 years.
 
NorBro said:
They needed to do more with their devices and they didn't...and I think that attributed to this result.

Barely updated them. Didn't offer any new features. And the price...way too much money vs. Atomos products.
Click to expand...

The Video Devices build quality was more robust than Atomos products, and having most controls as physical buttons made things a lot faster to operate.

I never had a problem with their pricing but I wanted Video Devices to upgrade their models to 1000 NIT displays so they would be easier to use in daylight and for HDR work.
 
Agreed, I think as long as there is a market for external recorders there will be a (smaller) market for external monitors that also record. I love my Shogun Inferno and I have no have no regrets about buying it. The exposure tools were worth the price but ProRes RAW is what closed the deal. Gimbal usage is another area where I think monitors that record could also shine.

On the health of Atomos, I think one of their problems is they might not charging enough for their products. The Shogun Inferno costs half of the 7Q+ with RAW and it's easily worth several hundred more than it's current price. The Ninja V has the potential to transform mirrorless and DSL recording while also potentially serving as a great gimbal monitor. It could cost a bit more than it does. It seems like Atomos is playing the old game of gaining market share at the expense of profits.

I'd like to see Atomos stay around and it seems like a small price increase on future models might make that possible. I'd pay a reasonable premium for a Ninja V with integrated wireless monitoring or some other cool innovation.
 
Atomos is pretty lonely at the recorder market. Why? Because there's little need for external records and the ones that are available are less than ideal.
 
Gary T said:
On the health of Atomos, I think one of their problems is they might not charging enough for their products. The Shogun Inferno costs half of the 7Q+ with RAW and it's easily worth several hundred more than it's current price.
Click to expand...

It once sold for $1999 but had 2-3 price drops to what we see now.

TheDingo said:
The Video Devices build quality was more robust than Atomos products, and having most controls as physical buttons made things a lot faster to operate.
Click to expand...

I agree but these are things only a few of the pros-pros will pay for.

Everyone else cares more about video quality and other features (tools, RAW, ProRes) with build quality and buttons being at the bottom of the list.

J.Brown said:
Atomos is pretty lonely at the recorder market. Why? Because there's little need for external records and the ones that are available are less than ideal.
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Even though they are supposedly losing money, obviously there still appears to be some need if the financial report notes multiples of millions of dollars. They don't sell anything else (or just now a monitor-only product).
 
NorBro said:
... Even though they are supposedly losing money, obviously there still appears to be some need if the financial report notes multiples of millions of dollars. They don't sell anything else (or just now a monitor-only product).
Click to expand...

That's the problem - some need, not great need. At $36 million in sales, that's about 36,000 units sold per year or 3000 per month. That's actually an ok run-rate for a small company and they can get some minor attention from component suppliers. But they are paying higher prices for components at those volumes. Consider that Apple sells 16 million phones a month and they sell at about the same price as an Atomos. You can see the problem. The path to profitability is not to raise prices. They've already tested the market and know what it will bear. People will just do without or use a different camera
 
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Monitors will always have a future but external recorders not so much. Internal formats are really good now and we are starting to see more internal 10bit formats. The Pocket 4k makes external recoding obsolete entirely. The other reason is external recording is tied too much to broadcast standards. All well and good for TV production but the majority of those interested in higher quality formats tend to be film makers. We are increasingly seeing cinema cameras move away from broadcast standards to formats like raw, 4.6k, 5k, 6k 8k, data level 0-255 range and variable frame rates like 48p. These are all things that don't exactly carry well over broadcast formats that HDMI is stuck with.

If we stick to 3840x2160 or 4096x2160 at 24p 30p or 60p we are good but we are increasingly moving away from that limitation. Not that there is anything wrong with 4096x2160x24p at all. Thats a DCI standard and we are really lucky to have that but even 4:2:2 10bit is starting to leave a bad taste for a lot of colorists that would rather just have 12bit raw.

Then you have the thousands of camera owners out there that never saw any quality advantage at all to external recorders. Even when compared two internal 8bit 4:2:0 formats they just don't see any visual advantage and really don't want the added cost/weight/size for zero gain. External recording at best is a niche market of an already small field.

Monitors will always have their place because we still need to see what we are shooting. External recorders typically have really darn good monitors as well but there is an unnecessary cost to pay for something not needed at all if one already records 4:2:2 10bit or raw internally. Plus external recorders are battery hogs compared to monitor only solutions.

I'm still a fan of external recorders but I'm also using cameras like the GH4 which can greatly benefit form an external 10bit device. If I move to the Pocket 4k, external recovering will forever be dead to me.
 
I love Sound Devices. I have thier 702 recorder which I bought after having a Tascam let me down (back in 2010 or suchlike)

The Tascam had the same 'spec' and was 1/4 the price of the Sound Devices.

So Sound Devices is for people who are prepared to pay a 300% premium for reliability real buttons.

Such people do not shoot on mirrorless or use external recorders!

Ergo there is no market for 'Video Devices'

Also the Video Devices recorders were too heavy on a Tragic Arm on a small DSLR rig (again a result of proper construction)
 
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