The maximum frame rate depends on image resolution as set by the Width and Height settings. There are two Width options: 4096 (4K) and 2048 (2K). The 2K width option uses subsampling, which preserves the crop factor of the Image Sensor but does not increase its light sensitivity. See 4K vs. 2K for more details on the image quality differences of the two readout modes. The table below lists the maximum frame rate by aspect ratio for both Width options. Continuous recording is possible at all frame rates from 1fps up to the maximum in increments of 1fps.

This page contains the latest versions and release notes of the Wave Player (macOS) and Wave Player (Windows) software, as well as the Wave Camera Firmware and User Guide. If you don't have a Wave yet, you can also download sample footage to try out in Wave Player.

Please note that both updates (Wave Player and Camera Firmware) may be required to take advantage of the latest features. Updating Wave Player alone does not automatically update the Camera Firmware.

For previous versions and release notes, see the Previous Versions.

Wave Player macOS

Latest Version

Wave v1.4.4 (macOS) (ZIP, 5.0MB)

​Release Notes

v1.4.4 (2 November, 2022)

• New Features

  • Application stability enhancement

Direct all Wave Player macOS feedback to freeflysystems.com/contact

Wave Player Windows

Latest Version

Wave Player v1.4.0 (Windows) (ZIP, 36.3MB)

Release Notes

v1.4.0 (18 October, 2021)

• Added CALIBRATE tab for creating User Calibrations to reduce Fixed Pattern Noise (FPN).

• Improved alignment of factory calibration data (also slightly reduces vertical FPN).

• Restored Row Filter with improved algorithm and adjustable threshold. This can help reduce temporal row noise in some scenes.

• Added saturation Shadow Rolloff slider. To reduce color shift in shadows, the saturation is gradually reduced from the Saturation setting to zero between the two values set here.

• Increased H.264 export bit rate.

• Fixed some issues with the timeline that would result in 1-3 frame offsets between the cursor or in/our marks and the actual playback position.

• Other minor bugfixes.

Camera Firmware

Latest Version

Wave Firmware v1.4.1 (ZIP, 3.12MB)

Firmware Update Instructions

The camera firmware can be updated over USB using the following procedure:

1. While holding down the Scroll Wheel, press and release the Power Button to power on the camera in Firmware Update mode. Continue to hold down the Scroll Wheel until the Record LED flashes slowly.

2. Plug in the USB cable. The camera will appear as a USB drive. This drive is separate from the one where clips are stored, so your footage won’t be visible but is safe and not affected by the firmware update.

3. Drag the new firmware file (WAVE.BIN) into the fw folder.

4. Click the Scroll Wheel. The Record LED will begin to flash quickly as the firmware is updated.

5. Wait for the camera to automatically restart with the new firmware. This should take at most 30 seconds.

Release Notes

v1.4.1 (11 November, 2021)

• Fixed a file system bug that could cause the start of recording to be delayed on the first clip after a power cycle, sometimes leading to frame corruption at the start of that clip.

User Guide

A PDF copy of the latest Wave User Guide is available below. This Wiki also has information, tips, and tricks for Wave Camera operation.

3D Model

Shrinkwrap Model Link - Fusion 360 Web Viewer. (Downloadable STEP file available from there.)

To reduce the presence of Fixed Pattern Noise (FPN), a User Calibration can be created based on a short clip recorded with no light hitting the sensor. Available in v1.4.1 and in v1.4.0. See below for instructions for macOS and Windows.

At a minimum, this should be done at once for 4K and once for 2K. However, since FPN is affected by temperature and exposure and may change over time, it can be beneficial to generate new User Calibrations periodically or if operating conditions have changed substantially. Use camera settings that closely match the target operating point(s).

macOS

To generate a new User Calibration, follow the steps below:

1. Turn on the camera and wait 10-15 minutes for it to warm up.

2. With the lens or body cap on to prevent light from hitting the sensor, record a short clip (at least 40 frames, but more than that is not beneficial).

3. Connect the camera via USB

4. Show Dark Frame Manager from the Menu Bar (image below)

5. Click "Add Dark Frame"

6. If the list is empty, click "Open Dark Frame Clips" and select WAVE drive

7. Select your target source Dark Frame clip from the list

8. Click "Generate Dark Frame" at the bottom of the window

On macOS, User Calibrations can be accessed from the Menu Bar from "Configuration > Dark Frame Manager"

The best calibration for a given clip is automatically selected according to criteria listed in the table below, and will show "Active" if the User Calibration is being used for the currently opened clip. Use the folder icon at the bottom of the Dark Frame Manager to directly access KWC files containing User Calibration Data.

To delete a User Calibration, select it and use the "Delete Dark Frame" button. This could be used to remove an older calibration that matches more settings and enable selection of a newer calibration that might be more accurate despite matching fewer settings.

Windows

To generate a new User Calibration, follow the steps below:

1. Turn on the camera and wait 10-15 minutes for it to warm up.

2. With the lens or body cap on to prevent light from hitting the sensor, record a short clip (at least 40 frames, but more than that is not beneficial).

3. Connect the camera via USB and open the clip.

4. Switch to the CALIBRATE tab.

5. Select a location for the calibration data using SELECT CAL FOLDER. (This only needs to be done once and will persist across sessions and updates.)

6. Click MAKE CAL FROM CLIP.

User Calibrations already present in the selected folder will be displayed in the CALIBRATE tab. The most relevant calibration for a given clip is automatically selected according to the criteria listed in the table below, and will be highlighted. If no calibrations are valid for the selected clip, none will be highlighted.

To delete a User Calibration, click the Remove button next to it. This could be used to remove an older calibration that matches more settings and enable selection of a newer calibration that might be more accurate despite matching fewer settings. It’s also possible to use a custom folder structure to organize User Calibrations in a way that bypasses the default ranking priority.

General

Firmware and Wave Player Software

Make sure to use the latest Camera Firmware and Wave Player, available on the page, as continuous improvements to the color processing pipeline are made. In v1.1.0 Camera Firmware, highlight handling was improved, providing approximately a half-stop more dynamic range. This was done by allowing some sensor clipping and using the unclipped channels to recover highlight detail, aided by a smoother highlight desaturation curve. In v1.4.0 Wave Player (Windows) software, the ability to create was added to further reduce the presence of Fixed Pattern Noise (FPN), which extends the dynamic range further, especially in underexposed conditions.

Light Requirements

Shooting high speed video requires a lot of light. Each frame has less time to capture light, so more photons are required. The Wave camera's native ISO is 250. To get a feel for how much light is required at a given frame rate, you can compare with another camera using equivalent ISO and Shutter Speed settings:

Bit Depth

To maximize frame rate, Wave captures in 10-bit linear with minimal processing and noise reduction. This is much different than a cinema camera that captures in 14-bit or 16-bit linear and processes the HDR image down to 10-bit log, with significant amounts of on-board noise reduction. As a result:

• The dynamic range is 10-11 stops, vs 14+ stops for a cinema camera.

• More careful control of lighting is needed to fit the scene’s dynamic range to the sensor’s. The image is less forgiving to under/over-exposure.

• Additional tone curve adjustment and noise reduction in post can be used. For example, the Shadows adjustment in Wave Player can help curve out shadow noise.

Contrast-Dependent Black Level and Noise Floor

Black level in high-contrast scenes will be lower than black level in low-contrast scenes. This also has implications for the noise floor.

If a scene is under-exposed, the black level and noise floor will be higher. Additionally, tone curve adjustment and noise reduction will be less effective, since more of the scene's information is in shadows. The noise can't be reduced without also throwing out information.

Magenta-tinted shadows are also a consequence of the artificially higher black level in underexposed scenes: too much color correction is applied to the higher shadow levels. To compensate for this, the black level can be manually adjusted downward in Wave Player, or the Shadow Rolloff setting can be adjusted to reduce shadow saturation.

Indoor

Wave works well for indoor studio and tabletop shooting, as it’s usually much easier to control the lighting. You do need a lot of light, though. Set exposure to exactly fill the histogram with highlights just below 100% (other than light sources and specular). Then add light as-needed to fill shadows.

Choice of Background

• Dark, flat backgrounds will exaggerate the noise. If you want a black background, be prepared to use the Shadows curve adjustment to suppress noise. Add extra fill light to shadowed areas on the foreground/subject to compensate.

• Light or textured backgrounds work well as-is without much adjustment.

Outdoor

There’s plenty of light outdoors, but fitting an outdoor scene into the available dynamic range is more challenging. More discretion and test shooting might be required to know if Wave will work for a given outdoor shoot. Use a daylight-visible field monitor and hood to make sure you can get a good look at the preview image exposure.

Front Lighting

When possible, keep the sun behind you. This will reduce the scene dynamic range by illuminating the subject more, allowing more of the background to also be captured.

Back Lighting

If the scene has to be backlit, it will probably have more dynamic range than can be captured by the sensor. You have some choices:

• Add some fill lighting or bounce some sunlight onto the subject.

• Expose for the subject and allow the sky to clip.

• Expose for the sky, allowing the subject to be in silhouette.

What resolutions and frame rates are supported?

The maximum frame rate in 4K (17:9) is 422fps and in 2K (17:9) is 1461fps. 2K uses subsampling, which preserves the crop factor of the image sensor but does not increase its light sensitivity. Other aspect ratios (from 4:3 to 16:1) are available with different maximum frame rates up to 9259fps (2048 x 128). Continuous recording is possible at all frame rates from 1fps up to the maximum in increments of 1fps. See Maximum Frame Rates for more details. See 4K vs. 2K for more details on the image quality differences of the two readout modes.

What does "continuous recording" mean?

Wave records continuously to its internal SSD at all frame rates. This means it operates as a normal video camera: press the record button once to start recording and press it again to stop. The clip is immediately saved in SSD flash memory. There is no RAM buffer or trigger setup required, and the length of the clip is limited only by the SSD capacity. (See Specifications for more details.) All recording is non-volatile and power-down safe.

What types of lenses are supported?

Wave uses a locking universal mount. There is no electrical connection to the lens, so lenses with electronic focus or iris control are not supported. Likewise, there is no autofocus. Wave is intended for use with manual lenses that cover a S35 sensor. Faster lenses (with lower wide-open f-number or T-stop) are preferable for shooting at high frame rates, where light is at a premium.

Because of its short flange focal distance, E-mount can be readily adapted to almost any other mount. See Lens Recommendations for a list of some good lens options for Wave.

Is there an on-board LCD?

No, an external monitor capable of receiving a 1080p30 HDMI signal is required to view the preview image and interact with camera menus. On-camera external monitors typically also have useful tools such as histograms, waveforms, and focus assist. See Monitor Recommendations for a list of some good monitor options for Wave.

Foregoing an on-board LCD allows the entire back surface of the camera to be used for heat sinking, which is important for continuous high-speed capture. Embedded LCDs also tend to be lower resolution and/or brightness than readily-available on-camera monitors.

Can an external HDMI recorder be used?

The HDMI output is limited to 1080p30 and has minimal image processing, so the use of an external HDMI recorder is limited. There is no RAW output over HDMI available.

What are the key image sensor specs?

Wave uses a S35 color image sensor with 5.5μm pixels and a native resolution of 4096 x 3072 (4:3). The native ISO is 250 and the native dynamic range is 10-11 stops. It utilizes a global electronic shutter with shutter speeds ranging from 1s to (1/66000)s.

This sensor is first and foremost about speed: it produces pixel data at up to 37.75Gb/s. It is not designed as an HDR or a low-light sensor. Review the sample footage available to make sure it will work for your application. Review the Exposure Guide for tips to get the most out of the available dynamic range.

Is there an option for binned 2K? cropped 2K?

While this sensor does have a binned 2K readout mode, it's slower than reading out the full 4K, so it isn't useful in practice. While there is no automatic cropped 2K, it's possible to shoot at 4096 x 1088 and manually crop the center of the image later. This gives an intermediate maximum frame rate (833fps) with higher image quality than subsampled 2K. See 4K vs. 2K for more details on the image quality differences of the two readout modes.

What is the native recording format? Export formats?

Clips are recorded internally in a lightly-compressed 10-bit RGB file format optimized for write speed. At present, these files can’t be opened directly by other editing tools. Wave Player is the PC software used to view native Wave clips, trim them, apply basic image adjustments, and export them to other formats. Export formats include CineForm (.MOV), H.264 (.MP4) and PNG/JPEG sequences.

Do I need a Windows computer to work with Wave files?

Wave Player macOS is now available for files recorded with Camera FW 1.1.0. For files recorded with Camera Firmware below 1.1.0, Wave Player for Windows is recommended.

Most Macs capable of running macOS Big Sur are cabable of running Wave Player macOS. Refer to the following System Specifications for details on supported Macs.

The Wave Player PC software used to view and export Wave clips runs on Windows 10. Refer to the following System Specifications for details on supported PCs.

Wave Player will not run on Parallels, as there is no support for DX12. It will run on a Boot Camp Windows installation.

See Laptop Recommendations for a list of some laptops that have been tested to work with Wave Player.

Is there an app for Wave camera control?

Not at this time, but the camera hardware supports WiFi and Bluetooth, so one may be developed later.

Is there an option for circular buffering / post-triggering?

At the moment, no. Wave always records continuously to its internal SSD, so it has only a small RAM buffer used to ride out variable SSD write latency. This would not be enough memory to support a circular buffer / post-triggering workflow.

Can Wave run on external power? External batteries?

Yes, the DC Input accepts 12-26V from an external power supply (included) or battery, and draws a maximum of 24W to both run the camera and recharge the internal battery. This can be supplied by an external V-Lock battery for longer-duration mobile operation. Note that although the camera will operate at 12V, fully charging the internal battery requires at least 14V at the DC Input.

Can the Wave SSD be replaced or upgraded?

Yes. The internal SSD is a standard M.2 NVMe SSD that can be replaced or upgraded. Only a small number of SSDs have been tested to meet the write speed requirements of Wave right now. But by using a standard interface, the camera can be upgraded as drives get bigger, faster, and cheaper. Details on the upgrade process will be posted at a later date.

Does Wave record audio?

No. Since it’s primarily a high-speed video camera, audio processing wasn’t included.

Amplify is an image processing technique in Wave Player that enhances or amplifies small movements in a video for easier visual recognition. This can be used, for example, to highlight and troubleshoot vibrations in a mechanical system.

Amplify works best when the source video has low noise and minimal background movement such that the region of interest where motion is occurring remains in the same place in the video. The frame rate should be approximately 5-20x higher than the highest motion frequency of interest. (In certain cases, frame rate aliasing can also be used to visualize even higher frequencies.)

A dedicated graphics card with at least 4GB of VRAM is required to use Amplify. Note that due to memory restrictions the 1.3.0 release of Amplify only works with 2K images. 4K images can be used as source material but they will be downscaled to 2K, processed, then upscaled back to 4K. This limitation may be addressed with further memory optimization in a future release. MacOS 1.4.2 adjusts to 2K for preview but exports at 4K.

The following subsections explain the adjustable parameters used by Amplify.

Scale

This determines which features sizes are considered for motion amplification. Small features are at the low end of the scale and large features at the high end. Good results can usually be obtained by leaving at the default settings of 0 - 8. For Height settings below 640, better results may be obtained by setting the high end of the scale to 7 or 6.

Gain

This is the amount of amplification applied to the motion. Settings of around 5 to 10 are usually quite good. Too high a gain can cause noise and unwanted artifacts to appear. A gain of 1 is equivalent to Amplify being turned off.

Frequency

This is the frequency range over which motion amplification is applied. The left slider is a high-pass filter and the right slider is a low-pass filter. The high-pass filter is effective for removing any unwanted bulk movement in the video, for instance caused by slow panning or operator jitter. The low-pass filter can be used to reduce noise and improve the visual appearance of the video.

It is usually best to start with the low-pass filter fully to the right (off) and tune the high-pass filter for best visualisation of the motion. Then the low-pass filter can be used to reduce noise if necessary. Alternatively, if the frequency of the movement under study is known then set the range accordingly to bring out that motion.

An external HDMI monitor capable of receiving a 1080p30 signal is required to view the preview image and interact with camera menus. On-camera monitors typically also have useful tools such as histograms, waveforms, and focus assist. Some good monitor options for Wave are listed below.

Wave uses a passive, locking lens mount compatible with E-mount lenses and adapters. There is no electrical connection to the lens, so lenses with electronic focus or aperture control are not supported. Sony E-mount lenses with electronic focus or aperture control are not compatible with Wave: With no power input, the lens elements move on their own. Likewise, there is no autofocus.

Wave is intended for use with manual lenses that cover a S35 sensor. Faster lenses (with lower wide-open f-number or T-stop) are preferable for shooting at high frame rates, where more light is needed.

Because of its short flange focal distance, E-mount can be readily adapted to almost any other mount. Some good lens options for Wave are listed below with sample videos shot on Wave, if available.

This page contains previous versions and release notes of the Wave Player (macOS) and Wave Player (Windows) software, as well as the Wave Camera Firmware. In general, it's recommended to use the latest versions available on the Downloads page to take advantage of the latest features, improvements, and bug fixes.

Wave Player (macOS)

Release Notes and Previous Versions

​Release Notes

v1.4.3 (30 June, 2022) (ZIP, 4.8MB)

• New Features

  • Color Presets

    • Create color presets and apply them to other clips with one-click

  • Hold to Seek on Timeline

  • Improved application stability

• Additional Notes

  • Additional miscellaneous changes

v1.4.2 (20 April, 2022) (ZIP, 4.8MB)

• New Features

  • Amplify (Apple Silicon macs only)

    • This feature amplifies small movements (down to sub-pixel) to make them more visible to the naked eye, for uses such as drone vibration analysis.

  • AI Enhance (Apple Silicon macs only)

    • This is a deep-learning-based 2K to 4K super-resolution network trained specifically to take into account subsampling artifacts of Wave 2K footage.

• Additional Notes

  • Ai Enhance is only available for 2K Wave footage.

  • Temporary artifacts may be appear when opening clips after thubnail generation. These won't be present in exported clips.

v1.4.1 (9 December, 2021)

Wave v1.4.1 (macOS) (ZIP, 1.9MB)

• New Features

  • User Dark Frame – generate your own dark frame files and use them to further reduce fixed artifacts in exported clips. See User Calibration for more information.

  • Click your GPU to switch on machines with multiple GPUs

• Improvements

  • Faster decode, up to 10% faster on Apple Silicon Macs

  • Mild UI enhancements

  • Users can now 'Ignore All' version compatibility warnings

  • Pressing play at the end of a clip will start playback at the beginning of the clip

  • Color Slider Changes

    • Increased sensitivity of the Black Level slider

    • Highlight Slider Range has been remapped to match other video tools

    • Introduces Saturation Shadows Rolloff slider

• Additional Notes

  • Temporary artifacts may be appear when opening clips after thubnail generation. These won't be present in exported clips.

v1.3.5 (15 September, 2021)

Wave v1.3.5 (macOS) (ZIP, 1.6MB)

• New Features

  • Automatic Queue Recovery

  • Single export dialog when items are queued

• Improvements

  • Fixes a stability issue on Intel Macs

  • Native Export for high aspect ratio video

  • H.264 bitrate increase

  • Improves clip segment visualizer in Queue Panel

• Notes

  • Temporary artifacts may be appear when opening clips after thubnail generation. These won't be present in exported clips.

v1.3.4 (11 August, 2021)

Wave v1.3.4 (macOS) (ZIP, 1.44MB)

• New Features

  • Queue Panel

  • Mutli-Export per clip support

  • Native Wave Exports

  • Per-Clip Time estimates

• Notes

  • Temporary artifacts may be appear when opening clips after thubnail generation. These won't be present in exported clips.

v.1.3.0 (26 Jul 2021)

• New Features

  • Thumbnail Generation for Wave files in selected path

  • Ability to queue multiple clips for export

  • Adds HEVC 10-Bit video exports

  • 16:9 Crop to UHD or FHD for 4K and 2K

• Bugfixes

  • Slider changes on paused last frame will take effect

• Release Note

  • Temporary artifacts may be appear when opening clips after thubnail generation. These won't be present in exported clips.

v.1.2.1 (15 Jun 2021)

• New Features

  • Imports Mark In / Out points set on Wave

• Bugfixes

  • Changes to support FW v1.2.1 release with support for faster CBR codec changes.

  • Manages interframe flicker artifact in some high aspect ratio video recordings

v.1.1.0.3 (3 May 2021)

• New Features

  • Moves file save location to end of export

  • Ability to change file save name

  • Adds HEVC (H.265) output format

v.1.1.0.2 (26 April 2021)

• Bugfixes

  • Enables application use with Intel 6000 series Integrated Graphics

v1.1.0.1 Beta (5 April 2021)

• New Features

  • Camera FW 1.0.1 Support

  • New Mark In / Out Controls

• Bugfixes

  • Application no longer closes when given 4:3 or high aspect ratio video

  • Improves Previous Frame / Next Frame buttons behavior on high aspect ratio video

  • Window can now be resized while paused without distorting the image

v1.1.0 Beta (24 March 2021)

• New Features (Initial Release; Requires Camera FW v1.1.0)

  • This version of Wave Player macOS Beta will not correctly export Camera FW 1.0.1 Footage

• Release Notes

  • Changing Resolution using the Top Control may affect output Quality. If this happens, restart Wave Player.

Wave Player (Windows)

Release Notes and Previous Versions

v1.3.0 (11 August, 2021)

Wave Player v1.3.0 (Windows) (ZIP, 34.5MB)

• Added Amplify (Beta). This feature amplifies small movements (down to sub-pixel) to make them more visible to the naked eye, for uses such as drone vibration analysis.

• Added AI Enhance (Beta). This is a deep-learning-based 2K to 4K super-resolution network trained specifically to take into account subsampling artifacts of Wave 2K footage.

• Refactored the UI into three workflow tabs: Open, Adjust, and Export.

• Added thumbnail previews to the Open and Export tabs.

• Added an export queue for staging multiple exports.

• Added an option for exporting in camera-native format. This will create a new clip folder with *.kwi and *.kwv files for the marked portion of the clip.

• Added an option to crop to the nearest 16:9 output size for resolutions that are slightly larger than a standard format (e.g. 2176 to 2160p).

• The UI window now supports resizing and maximization (full-screen).

• Playback speed capped to the selected export FPS. (Export speed remains unlimited, for those with high-end desktops.)

• Performance and memory optimizations.

• Other bugfixes.

v1.2.1 (15 June, 2021)

• Fixed a bug that would offset codec compression state by one frame. This is necessary to support Camera FW v1.2.1's faster adaptation rate for the constant-bit-rate codec.

v1.1.1 (18 March, 2021)

• Fixed a bug in the 2K shader pipeline introduced in v1.1.0 that was causing some over-sharpening and edge artifacts.

v1.1.0 (9 March, 2021)

• Support for Camera FW v1.1.0.

• Color processing pipeline updated to better match the on-camera HDMI preview. Image adjustment order of operations and settings are now common to both, with settings values stored in clip metadata.

• New export options: Adjustable frame rate (24/25/30fps) and H.264.

• Support for 1920x1080 display resolution.

• GPU compatibility and performance improvements.

• Minor bugfixes.

v1.0.5 (27 January, 2021)

• Support for Camera FW v1.0.1 features and bugfixes.

• Removed redundant setup.exe. WavePlayerSetup.msi is the only program needed for install.

v1.0.4 (8 January, 2021)

• Improved GPU compatibility.

• Removed Calibration Mode checkbox, which was for internal use.

v1.0.3 (21 December, 2020)

• Improved GPU compatibility.

v1.0.1 (10 December, 2020)

• Initial release.

Camera Firmware

Release Notes and Previous Versions

v1.4.0 (18 October, 2021)

Wave Firmware v1.4.0 (ZIP, 3.12MB)

• Minor tweaks to COLOR3 profile: decreased black level and increased shadow saturation rolloff in 4K to reduce magenta-tinted shadows in underexposed conditions. This is only a metadata hint and does not affect the recorded data. (Applied black level and shadow saturation rolloff can be changed at will in Wave Player to suit the scene and exposure.)

• Added level-triggered mode for General Purpose Input (GPI), for easier remote start/stop control in cases where the Record LED or HDMI preview are not being monitored.

• Added STANDBY fan speed setting.

v1.3.0 (11 August, 2021)

Wave Firmware v1.3.0 (ZIP, 3.12MB)

• New default color profile (COLOR3) with gamma of 2.2, better matching Rec.709. This is only a metadata hint and does not affect the recorded data. (Applied gamma can be changed at will in Wave Player to suit the scene and exposure.)

• File format for the internal SSD changed to exFAT, which has lower overhead, improved write speed margins. (This takes effect the next time the SSD is formatted after the firmware update.)

• Internal SSD is now explicitly read-only over USB. This is to prevent cases where files added or deleted over USB create file system fragmentation that negatively impacts peak write speeds.

• Improved HDMI playback buffering and smoothness. Dropping to 1x from fast-forward will now resume 30fps playback.

• Better indication for internal SSD near-full and full.

• Other minor bugfixes and improvements.

v1.2.1 (15 June, 2021)

• Increased the adaptation rate of the constant-bit-rate codec to accommodate more rapid changes in scene contrast with less RAM buffering. Wave Player v1.2.1 or newer is recommended for use with this firmware as it addresses a bug that the faster adaptation rate exaggerates.

v1.2.0 (12 May, 2021)

• Loads camera settings on boot from the most recently recorded clip.

• Continuously update HDMI black level based on sensor temperature when in STANDBY. (Previously required menu interaction to update.)

• Fixed a bug that was referencing incorrect dark frame calibration data at low temperatures (<10ºC ambient). As a result, low-temperature black level and FPN is improved.

• Added support for factory defect pixel mapping and correction.

v1.1.0 (9 March, 2021)

• Updates to compression and color pipeline.

• Improved out-of-the-camera color profile (closer to Rec.709). This does not affect recorded data, but provides a more color-accurate HDMI preview and matching starting point for the Wave Player image adjustments.

• Improved highlight handling, approximately 1/2-stop more dynamic range. This is done by allowing some sensor clipping and using the unclipped channels to recover highlight detail, aided by a smoother highlight desaturation curve. New image adjustments are available in the latest Wave Player to expose these settings.

• Improved match between HDMI preview and Wave Player image adjustment starting point. Image adjustment order of operations and settings are now common to both, with settings values stored in clip metadata.

• Added more scroll wheel filtering to prevent jumpy menu scrolling.

• Moved Shutter Line Artifact compensation to on-camera.

• Additional minor bug fixes and error handling.

v1.0.1 (27 January, 2021)

• Improved compensation for Shutter Line Artifact. This sensor artifact shows up as a dark row across the frame when one frame's exposure starts while the previous frame is still being read out, and is most severe in underexposed conditions. This firmware synchronizes exposure start to an exact row and, together with the latest Wave Player version, uses that information to better compensate for the artifact.

• Fixed a bug that could, in rare cases, cause image corruption after switching between 4K and 2K mode that would persist until the next power cycle. Momentary HDMI preview glitches during the 4K/2K mode switch are normal as the pipeline is reconfigured.

v1.0.0 (10 December, 2020)

• Initial release.

Note 1: Hardware capability, API details TBD. Note 2: Hardware capability, no software support or mobile app available as of this release. Note 3: Only available on Wave Player Mac and iPad. Note 4: Only available on Wave Player Windows.

AI Enhance is a deep learning super-resolution technique used to upscale Wave 2K clips to 4K. It is a Deep Neural Network that has been custom-trained for the Wave 2K frames, to take into account the subsampling used by the Wave sensor to achieve higher frame rates in 2K. So, the Ai Enhance can reduce subsampling and aliasing artifacts around edges during the super-resolution process.

With AI Enhance enabled, 2K clips (Width setting of 2048) will be processed and exported at the equivalent 4K resolution with the same aspect ratio.

A dedicated graphics card with at least 4GB of VRAM is required to use AI Enhance. The deep neural network is implemented in GPU hardware, so a higher-end desktop GPU, or M1 Pro or above will greatly improve the frame rate achievable with AI Enhance turned on.

The figure below shows how AI Enhance improves details on a 2K recording.

AI Enhance is still a preliminary feature and improvements are still in-work. AI Enhance works best on scenes with clear focus and good lighting (avoid underexposure).

Windows

When using AI Enhance in Wave Player, a preview of AI Enhance will activate after the video is paused for approximately 1 second. During normal playback and “scrubbing” on the timeline, the AI Enhance is temporarily disabled to allow faster preview at the tradeoff of reduced preview screen quality, since AI Enhance consumes significant GPU resources. This reduced preview effect is only for the user interface in Wave Player: images and movies exported from the Wave Player will have full image quality of AI Enhance, if AI Enhance is turned on before the Export.

macOS

When using AI Enhance in Wave Player, AI Enhance will be active at 'Full' preview quality, using lower preview quality will disable the feature during scrubbing, but it will be enabled during export and in the export queue.

GPIO Connector

The GPIO connector provides two general-purpose inputs (GPI) and two general-purpose outputs (GPO). The figure below shows the pinout of this connector and the color coding of the Mōvi Pro Wave Remote Control Cable (Freefly P/N 910-00661).

Mōvi Pro Wave Remote Control Cable

The Mōvi Pro Wave Remote Control Cable (Freefly P/N 910-00661) is available on the Freefly Store. You can use this now for remote start/stop on your Mōvi Pro. It will also enable full camera control via UART in a future firmware update. You can also use this as a donor cable to wire up a custom remote start/stop for other systems (see below).

The settings to use for remote start/stop with the Mōvi Pro and Mōvi Controller are shown below:

Custom Remote Start/Stop

A custom remote start/stop cable can be created by following the wiring diagram below. The GPIO are optically isolated, so the host must supply a voltage (3.3V or 5V is okay) to power its side of the optocoupler. The current drawn will be <20mA.

The user input connects to Pin 6: GPI2/RS. It can be a simple switch, as in (a). In this case, the switch connects the GPI2/RS pin to GND (0V). By default, each single press will toggle the recording state on or off, just like the dedicated Record Button. For wireless remote start/stop, a relay- or transistor-based RC switch can also be used.

Alternatively, a logic signal from a host device can be used to drive Pin 6: GPI2/RS, as in (b). The host device should be connected to the same ground (0V) as Pin 1: GND, and the logic high voltage should match the voltage supplied to Pin 2: VIN. GPI2/RS is internally pulled-up to VIN, so open-drain logic can also be used.

The behavior of the input is determined by the GPI Setting:

Edge-Triggered, GPI:EDGE (Default)

The recording state is toggled on or off at each rising edge of the GPI2/RS input, as illustrated in the figure below. In the case of a simple button, recording would start or stop each time the button is released, since the button connects GPI2/RS to GND (0V). There are some restrictions on the pulse width and frequency implemented to prevent glitches, also shown in the figure below.

Level-Triggered, GPI:LVL

The camera records when the GPI2/RS signal is low and returns to standby when the GPI2/RS signal is high, as illustrated in the figure below. In the case of a simple button, the camera would record while the button is held down, since the button connects GPI2/RS to GND (0V). There are some restrictions on the pulse width and frequency implemented to prevent glitches. These are detailed in the figure below.

is now available for files recorded with Camera FW 1.1.0. For files recorded with Camera Firmware below 1.1.0, Wave Player for Windows is reccomended. Most Macs capable of running macOS 12 Monterey are cabable of running Wave Player macOS.

Wave Player macOS

Some computers that have been tested to work with are listed below:

Wave Player Windows

Wave Player will not run on Parallels, as there is no support for DX12. It will run on a Boot Camp Windows installation.

The Wave's sensor has two readout modes, 4K (4096px per row) and 2K (2048px per row), which correspond to the Width setting in the on-camera menu. 2K uses subsampling (row and column skipping):

While this sensor does have a binned 2K readout mode, it's slower than reading out the full 4K, so it isn't useful in practice. The fast subsampled readout allows much higher frame rates in 2K, but with reduced image quality:

• Subsampling does not increase the ISO of the sensor (as binning would), so proportionally more light is needed to achieve at the higher frame rates enabled in 2K mode.

• Subsampling introduces more aliasing due to the sparse distribution of sampled pixels. See below for an example of this effect and an alternative way of capturing 2K at intermediate frame rates.

• The 2K readout mechanism, combined with higher frame rates, introduces more noise as more electrical switching is happening at the sensor with less settling time.

• The HDMI preview quality is limited by hardware constraints to half resolution, so the 2K preview can be difficult to use for focus.

For these reasons, the 2K readout mode is best used for scientific applications where image quality is less important than maximum frame rate. The 4K readout mode is best used for cinema applications where image quality is highest priority.

It's also possible to shoot cropped 2K while in 4K readout mode by setting the Height to 1088px and manually cropping out the center of the image. In this configuration the maximum frame rate is 833fps. The image quality will be better than subsampled 2K, but obviously not as good as full 4K. See below for an example of 4K, cropped 2K, and subsampled 2K.

USB Connection

The camera should mount as an external drive when connected to a computer via USB. Sometimes, driver issues may cause the USB connection to fail, with or without an error message. It may also connect as a USB High-Speed (480Mb/s) device instead of a USB SuperSpeed (5Gb/s) device. Typical real-world file transfer rates when connected as a SuperSpeed device are 250-300MB/s (2.00-2.40Gb/s).

The following tips can help recover a valid USB SuperSpeed connection:

General:

• Make sure the USB cable and the USB port are both rated for USB 3.x SuperSpeed. They should be marked "SS".

• Try removing and reconnecting the USB cable.

• Try rebooting the camera.

• Try a different order of operations: Sometimes powering on the camera with the USB cable already connected to the computer works better. In other cases, having the camera powered on first, then connecting the USB cable works better.

• Try a different USB port.

• Try a different USB cable.

• Try rebooting the computer.

Windows 10:

• Open Device Manager and observe if any new devices are shown when the camera USB cable is connected. If one comes up, but it isn't an external drive, right-click the new device and select Uninstall device. Then, disconnect and reconnect the USB cable.

• Try the additional troubleshooting steps listed , including resetting the USB controllers (Method 3).

HDMI Preview Quality

Due to hardware constraints, the camera only does a limited amount of decoding and image processing for the HDMI preview. As a result, the HDMI preview image quality is lower than the recorded image quality. When recording at 4K, the HDMI preview quality is closer to 1080p. When recording at 2K, the HDMI preview quality is closer to 480p.

This can make focusing in 2K mode with a shallow depth of field more challenging. If the scenario permits, you can set the focus point in 4K mode and then switch to 2K mode. Some additional focus assist tools are planned for future firmware updates.