The latest patent application by Jim Jannard (RED’s founder) reveals new capabilities for the HYDROGEN One. Appears that RED has developed a technological solution that allows shooting RAW files by smartphones.
Patent: Video Image Data Processing In Electronic Devices
The patent application was filed in July 2018 and updated on January 2019. The inventors are Jim Jannard, Jarred Land and Bhat Manjunath Subray. The name of the application is Video Image Data Processing In Electronic Devices.
The application claims a technological solution that enables shooting of compressed RAW on mobile devices. That’s a pretty ambitious project since mobile devices do not have the needed power resources to process RAW footage.
Revolution in image processing and compression techniques for small devices
According to the patent application, the new image processing techniques can be implemented in small and compact form factors such as smartphones. The technique overcomes the limitation of low power budget, processing capability, and physical real estate of the device. Furthermore, according to the application, the RAW output can be stored internally by using the smartphone’s resources.
DCT (Discrete Cosine Transform) techniques
Existing image capture devices use an off-chip DRAM to calculate motion vectors for H.264 compression. The application suggests using DCT (discrete cosine transform) techniques, thereby facilitating memory-efficient compression, without the need to calculate motion vectors or use off-chip memory. As stated in the patent’s summary, performing compression without the use of a full image frame memory (for example, an off-chip DRAM) enhances power efficiency (such as, by around 0.5 Watts (W) in some implementations), which is particularly useful in a small-form-factor device such as a smartphone.
The application suggests using DCT (discrete cosine transform) techniques, thereby facilitating memory-efficient compression, without the need to calculate motion vectors or use off-chip memory.
Have a look at the picture below (taken from the application) which illustrates an image capture device:
Enter here to read the whole application.
Discussion – professionalize the HYDROGEN
This patent application indicates on RED’s intentions of focusing on high-quality imagery acquisition from Hydrogen. The application also describes some camera modules but not as the main item. It’s hard to tell if the Hydrogen will be able to shoot R3D files or other versions of compressed RAW.
Jim said that the RED team, led by Jarred Land, as of now will be fully in charge of the professional image capture program for HYDROGEN and the HYDROGEN team is fully engaged on the new in-device image capture system. It means that Hydrogen project will be more focused on the pro market that cares about image quality rather than the gimmicky holographic screen.
Will HYDROGEN be able to shoot RAW? Let us know your insights.
First Red hasn’t informed their customers voluntarily or out of a good faith, but it was forced to do so after “some have noticed” the changes” and even then Red was quite reluctant to clarify in a timely manner. Jim’s statements came long after the news gone viral and people were puzzled to the extend that was impossible for Red to not make a statement. I doubt this can be counted as a very decent way of conducting business and treating people who entrusted Jim with their hard earned money placed on Red’s account for over 2 years. It may not be much for Jim, but it was money out of the people pockets anyway.
Second, even then Jim/Red didn’t have any prepared statement to offer, as if he didn’t expect people to even ask about it or even worse expected this to just fade away gradually. Asserting half baked authoritative commandment such as “I said everything can and will change” that is not even completely true yet appears to come from top of a high horse, was adding insult to injury.
What Jim actually said back then when he was fueling the hype was that he was working on this interesting projects for years. He said this was the most important thing he ever worked on, he said they got a working prototype of the modules and he published photos and even shown it to some people. All he ever said about changes was “features” may change -and not “will” change. “Everything WILL change” would have called for different set of actions for many customers.
Third; I am not sure what is the new patent, why discoveries didn’t take place during the manufacturing of the prototype, why Jim doesn’t deliver people what they’ve already made for this time and probably hold on to the improved edition for the next release. If what Jim showed as the prototype is for real -that must be because they have should have the prototyped evidence based on which Red made sure they can actually deliver what they have promised- unless of course the promises made only based on Jim’s fantasy or a dysfunctional or even a ‘fake prototype’. Also if this process that led to discover was necessary to deliver the modules why filing a patent wasn’t the case before going on promising stuff and gathering money? And finally if the up coming product is not an entirely new category how can Jim patent something he made public knowledge 2 years ago, and made implied sales based on the announcement? If it’s entirely new product, why breaching the promises and denting the trust for another category while the existing category has demands? Unless there is NO existing category?
Fourth, Red/Jim’s clarifying statement was anything but clarification! It was as disastrous as the Hydrogen itself. Instead of being forthcoming in making this crucial information available to its customers, the statement was made so carelessly and desperately that Jim had to come back to it ‘twice’ to clarify the clarification! still not saying what exactly is the plan going forward!
The statement is all over the place and is wide open to a variety of interpretations as we can see it happening in people’s comments and now this decoding threat!
None of these stuff are acceptable from a seasoned businessman who actually cares, unless the opposite is true: mismanagement
Hi Mr. Madani,
I tried to remember everything that you thought should have been done or that was acceptable, but I figured that it did not matter as you were not designing, building, or supporting a new product coming to market.
This continued negative thinking is bothersome for the future of new products.
I would think that everyone would want new product development to follow the path that the Hydrogen is taking.
Get a group of enthusiastic users to buy in to a new concept and continue to develop the product based on user input, market changes, and discoveries made during the process. Warn those users that things may change. Then put those users on the best adventure you can.
Support those users as you make changes. Support like a free H1 when the titanium H1 was delayed.
Support like do a major shift when you discover that better things are possible.
I respect RED and Hydrogen more than an other manufacturer I have worked with.
They do things differently and that is SO refreshing. If this is not to your liking don’t join the adventure and get out of the way.
Thanks… Continuing on with exactly what I expected when I signed up…
Hi Yossi, Thx for commenting.
I just a reporter. I don’t work for RED/Jim.
I believe we’ll see an improvements toward professionalize the Hydrogen in regard to image quality. Let’s wait and see. I believe in 2 weeks we’ll get more answers.
All the best!
Yossy (with a y) I’m thinking Yossi with an i is somewhat disingenuous… perhaps nothing more than a shill. He signed up on h4vuser.net (post 26) and this was his first post, word for word. I have my doubts he owns an H-1 and I also am curious if he wrote the post suggesting he is more capable of running a business than a billionaire who has started 3 companies… Oakley, RED Digital Cinema, and now Hydrogen.
Don’t hate the haters. It’s counterproductive. People following you must need something to hate. You think this is easy? You could do better! You couldn’t even start it let alone continue it. If you could, you’d be the billionaire Instead of the person who wishes he was, and shows it by manipulating the unintelligent people of this country just to be noticed. Your funny
Are you scared of the idea of a person of the people getting the gold in this tech, or the people getting this tech. I know if I were a pro I would be worried about my job. Power to the people. Give it to us Jim. Love you man.