Blackmagic Forum

Hi

Please would Blackmagic start including change logs with product firmware updates? It is very frustrating to update products and not know what changes have been made. There are countless examples of firmware introducing new bugs and or not addressing issues. Generally in live production the "if it ain't brok don't fix it" approach is best practice, so it really is VITAL to know what a new firmware has changed in the product so that the engineer who carries out the upgrade can carry out a correct testing procedure, specifically looking at the new features and bug fixes to ensure that they are compatible with his workflow and ecosystem.

As can be seen with the 60/59.94hz issue on the ATEM, even a small / minor change to the way the switcher functions can have drastic knock on effect. A change log with each update would enable engineers to assess the relevancy of the update for their own situation and then to fully test out the new / changed functions to ensure system compatibility.

Cheers
Tom

Yes Please!!!

I'd like to throw in on this one as well! Upgrading firmware would be much less stressful if this sort of info was available!

+1

We do put in the notes some highlights to show the larger bullet points of the release. These typically list the major changes to the product, feature changes or major bug fixes that kinda stuff.

Tom_Bassford wrote:...As can be seen with the 60/59.94hz issue on the ATEM, even a small / minor change to the way the switcher functions can have drastic knock on effect...

This is a weird one. Because we've never officially support 60hz, the exclusion of this was not something that was even considered a change. The good news on this is that we are working on getting 60hz back into devices.

Joshua Helling wrote:This is a weird one. Because we've never officially support 60hz, the exclusion of this was not something that was even considered a change. The good news on this is that we are working on getting 60hz back into devices.

But I think that the request would have addressed this issue. If you had noted that you had tweaked the inputs it might cue us to check our different devices to see if there has been a change that would cause them to stop.

Sorry Joshua but a change log should list everything done to the switcher, regardless of how minor you think the change is. Blackmagic clearly don't have the resources to check compatibility with a wide range of equipment and you seem to of abandoned the use of beta testers with the ATEM line at least.

Proper change logs are kind of standard practice from other manufacturers have a look at http://tvone.crmdesk.com/answer.aspx?ai ... %2bupdates for an example of the kind of info we are used to getting from manufacturers.

If Blackmagic intends to be seen as a serious broadcast company then treating the users like serious broadcast users is essential. A lack of changelog info combined with frequent firmware updates and shipping products which do not meet their advertised specification is a sure fire way to alienate professional users.

I'm very supportive of Blackmagic, the ATEM line and the possibilities which these switchers can offer, however the current lack of information regarding changes is embarrassing and something which ultimately makes it difficult to fully recommend the products to clients.

Cheers
Tom

I understand your point and appreciate the input.

+1 to what Tom wrote.

Detailed changelogs are absolutely essential to our daily work.

General stability improvements are great... but rather vague and scary as well. We can't live in fear of upgrading our equipment and those detailed changelogs are key to forging that bond of trust we have in that equipment we bought and the manufacturer.

So far, I've had a great contact with your phone customer support (thanks Sarah!), but more detailed changelogs would be very appreciated, especially considering some great features seem planned for in the next updates.