We are excited to announce the release of our new Version 21 Firmware coming March 1, 2022. V.21 will be available free from our website for Cine RT Systems with Data & Accessory Ports. Clients with older systems can add these ports to their Cine RTs with the Retrofit, a modification that is backward compatible with all systems. A PRG-100 Programmer is required to connect your Cine RT System via USB to professional Lemo connectors.
The new firmware contains a host of refinements to menu operations, display formatting, and system alerts. We have also made it our mission to rework the core Rangefinder to improve data speed and stability. It has been our pleasure to collaborate with several major lens control system manufacturers to provide faster serial protocol speeds, as well as bi-directional communications for the new Arri Hi-5.
Version 21 unlocks these new Serial Output options and offers the new Beta LCS Focus Tracking Menu to enhance focus tracking for the Arri Hi-5, Arri WCU-4, c motion c pro (c pro plus), Teradek RT, and Heden Ymer-3. Distance information is sent to the Preston Cinema HU3 and HU4 in the native Preston Serial Protocol (focus tracking from third-party serial not supported at this time).
Watch this space for more info coming soon!
Hi Keir! Happy 2022! You have the ports and the update is a simple proceedure with video documentation that will soon be in place to guide users through the process, so not hard to load up. Once on your system most of the big technical changes are behind the scenes, so it is not a case of having to relearn anything. There is also the option to "step back" in the new firmware by engaging Old School Mode. V21 has been beta tested on sets for the last year as we have made changes, so we are confident users are going to like it. We like the results of the Beta LCS Focus Tracking Menu DSP so much that we suggest user keep it on all the time, not just when focus tracking is planned to be used.
More info on the new features soon; however, I don't see any reason not to load it on. Bring the system home on the weekend, pour a coffee (or something stronger), load it up and spend some time getting to know it.
Cheers,
L.