Convergent Design has a summer sale on where you can get Apollo for $495 USD (normally $695 USD) and/or Raw for $195 USD (normally $295 USD) until 31 July 2023. These are the lowest prices ever offered for these options. Requests must be received by midnight MST on 31 July and be paid for 2 Aug.
All you need to do is supply Convergent Design with your Odyssey serial number to get started. Then you will receive a PayPal invoice followed by the activation key.
Please note that Raw cannot be added to Apollo units, only Odysseys.
It is great to see that Convegent Design is still supporting products that have now been discontinued since August 2020. This doesn’t happen very often in our industry. Despite their age, the Convergent Design Oddessy and Apllo are still feature-packed monitor/recorders that are still very relevant in 2023.
The RAW Bundle works with Odyssey7Q+ and Odyssey7Q, and offers support for more than 5 camera manufacturers (including ARRI, Canon, Sony, Panasonic, IO Industries, and IndieCam) and over 10 camera models. If you own or use a Panasonic Varicam LT, Sony FS700, FS5, FS7, Canon C500, Canon C300 Mark II, or any of the ARRI RAW capable cameras, an Odyssey 7Q/ 7Q+ with the RAW Bundle gives your camera a lot of flexibility
A Convergent Design Odyssey 7Q+ and the RAW Bundle is a great combination to use with cameras such as the ARRI ALEXA PLUS.
With the Quad-channel Apollo option, Odyssey7Q+ customers can enjoy 4-channel 1080p60 or 2-channel UHDp30 recording with no changes to their existing hardware.
You can read my review of the Apollo Option here.
Other Added Support
Contact Person for Tech/Sales Questions
Contact Mike Schell: at [email protected] with all your tech support and sales questions. Mike can be reached by cellphone/text at 1-719-661-3388. Text and/or email are preferred over voicemail.
Convergent Design understands that the Odyssey and/or Apollo are integral to your business. They will do their best to repair and support these products. They can repair most common issues, including power connectors, SDI input, and output failures, and even OLED panel replacements.
Returning an Odyssey/Apollo for Repair
Please ship your unit via UPS/FedEx/DHL or USPS to:
Convergent Design
4525 Northpark Dr.
Colorado Springs, CO 80918
USA
Please include your name, address, phone number, email, and a short description of the issue(s) with your unit. Just to let you know, no RMA is required. Turnaround time is usually one week after we receive your unit. You will receive a PayPal invoice for the repair work, which can be paid via a debit or credit card.
Shipping RMA Units from Outside the US
Creating the proper customs paperwork is critical when shipping units outside the US. Please set a low customs value of $75 USD for the unit to avoid a customs duty charge. In reality, no customs duty should be required, as Convergent Design is not re-selling your Odyssey, only repairing and returning it. If the custom form requests a country of manufacturer, always enter the USA, where the Odyssey was manufactured. If you mistakenly enter China, a 25% duty will be added to the customs bill.
Clock Battery Replacement – $50 USD
While Convergent Design will continue to offer the clock battery replacement at a flat rate of $50, they are developing a short video that details the procedure as they understand many users prefer to avoid the cost, and especially the downtime.
Software Tools, Firmware, Owner’s Manual
Software tools, the latest Odyssey and Apollo firmware, LUT tools, CD transfer tool, owner’s manual, and mechanical drawings can be found here. Convergent Design recommends using the 2018.03.1719 firmware.
Evaluating Raw and Apollo Without Purchase
The Raw bundle and the Apollo quad-channel recording can be evaluated without a license purchase. Both capabilities are already present in your Odyssey if you have the 2018 firmware. The only caveat is that the video will be watermarked with a horizontal bar. Otherwise, you can test the entire workflow. You will need the CD transfer tool (found in the software tools folder) to separate the multi-track file as recorded on the Odyssey into four files.
If you wish to purchase with the Raw bundle or Apollo option, please email [email protected]. Please include your Odyssey serial number. The Raw bundle can only be added to an Odyssey, not an Apollo.
Unable to Load New LUTS
There may be a simple fix if you cannot load new LUTS. Go to the RESET to FACTORY DEFAULTS menu option and RESET (DELETE) LUTS. This clears out the LUT memory and hopefully resolves the issue.
Quad-Channel Monitoring w/o Apollo
If you were unaware, quad-channel (four video streams) can be monitored without purchasing the Apollo option. (The Apollo option enables the recording capability). Under the gear menu, go to setup -> master camera -> multi-stream -> Quad HD monitoring. The system will reload the firmware, which takes a few minutes, but you can now view 4 streams simultaneously.
Low Battery Warning While Recording
While recording, the Odyssey and Apollo require considerable power, upwards of 18W, which strains the power supply. If you have a low-battery warning, try switching to an AC power source. If this cures the problem, you must recharge your battery or consider switching to a higher-grade battery, such as a Sony-branded battery. This is not to be confused with a low clock battery warning requiring an internal battery replacement.
I Forgot To Eject the SSD
Reinsert the SSD back into the Odyssey/Apollo. Under the SSD menu, select REBUILD SSD1 or SSD2, as appropriate. This will rebuild the file system without changing any of your recorded files. After the rebuild operation, do a standard SSD eject.
Overtightening the ¼-20 Mount
Please be careful not to overtighten the ¼-20 mount on the backside of the Odyssey. The best approach is to snug the screw and tighten the knurled nut. Do not tighten this screw by twisting the Odyssey. It’s easy to overtighten the screw, breaking thru the metal barrier and ultimately destroying the circuit board. This is non-repairable; your Odyssey is gone for good!
Burn-Out of OLED Panels
OLED is a fantastic monitor technology. The color rendition and the black levels are far superior to LCD. However, OLEDs can exhibit both burn-in and color shift with excessive use. Convergent Design does have replacement OLED panels available, but they are expensive. The best practice to avoid these issues is to minimize both the on-time and static image display. Please turn off the Odyssey/Apollo when it’s not used to maximize life.
DNxHD Keys
Convergent Design has finally terminated the DNxHD activation key program. While they still have a few open keys to fulfill, they are not accepting any new requests.
The free Titan key will still be added to all the serial numbers submitted for a DNxHD key.
