Remember that nasty Firmware bug that had the RED EPIC and SCARLET so far behind schedule that some of us were beginning to wonder if it would ever come to market? Well, a new update from RED on their forums today indicates that the bug has been squashed, production is back on track (albeit late) and they’ve even decided to add just over a centimeter (13mm actually) to the size which gives them new space to add more features.
We are not just behind schedule anymore… we are embarrassingly late. Trust me when I tell you this is a complicated and aggressive project. When one of the most respected companies in the industry is just releasing their brightest new star that does 1/5 of the resolution, half the maximum frame rate, in a box three times the size and for 3 times the price… that should tell you how tough a trick EPIC is.
Having said that, we have located the wicked, mean and nasty bug and our engineering team has put a bullet in the back of it’s head. That pesky bug has put us behind in our schedule (obviously) since it also held up the work that followed it. We are now making the type of progress we had hoped to be making a few months ago.
We have working EPIC cameras… and are adding features on a daily basis. Firmware upgrades are happening fast and furious. But please remember that we are not going to release a buggy camera with limited features this time, so keep that in mind. Lots of testing, upgrading, new features, bug patrol… and all of the above happening now. The RED ONE is now one of the most reliable cameras in the industry (after a humble beginning)… EPIC will not be a step backward.
During this development/testing time we have made the decision to add 13mm of length to the brain (about 1/2″ for those who are metric challenged), which means lots of new board spins to fit. This is small stuff compared to the battle we just had on monster bug patrol.
Tattoo cameras will go out as soon as we have a stable platform with a standard set of features… production to follow as soon as the Tattoo owners give us the thumbs up. We are in a hurry… but not so much as to get it wrong. I don’t think it is productive to promise another date… but we all are on the same page. The sooner the better.
Scarlet is moving along side the EPIC program as the big bug hit it as well. Production of Scarlet will trail EPIC… not exactly sure by how far. A lot of it has to do with just how fast we can get EPIC production rolling and solid.
In the end… we have a great project going on here. Once again… this is not an easy task (neither was the RED ONE)… which is exactly the way we want it. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else doing anything different.
Here’s hoping it’s dead and gone (the bug that is) and the EPIC comes along soon.
