If HES DO make an upgrade kit, they may only sell 1-200. nobody can say how many they will sell. The only thing I can think of is doin a few surverys on light network and at things like LDI & PLASA. Im sure Brad will have some more input on this as he is the control systems manager.
Kits for fixtures is different like the mac 2k wash >>> mac 2k wash XB, are different. Consoles are not modular designed fixtures ... suddenly if everyone is opening up thiers to add parts, this could void warrenties and HES could be swamped with "upgraded" consoles that havnt been done properly and are breaking... Then the people who originally suggested it are going to look bad if everyones RHs are misbehaving because of thier idea... Think about it from HES point of view, not just you own..
Nunny, My understanding is that for an upgrade to full boar, there most likely would need to be changes to the computer that runs the console. There is much more processing power inside the full boar. That is not really an end user type of upgrade. I would strongly suggest selling your desk and purchasing a used full boar. There are many out on the market right now for a very reasonable price. That is going to be the best way to "upgrade" your desk. I found a few used Road Hogs for 10.5K. and I found few Full Boars for 15k. Considering the differences in the desks, I find the price difference to be very reasonable. Good Luck! Joshua Wood
I disagree.. actually it would be very easy.. the network port is already there.. all that would be needed is a new "plate" with usb and ethernet on.. too me it looks like HES thought about a possible upgrade when they decided to have that "plate" with usb on.. The computer is powerfull enough to run the network.. Actually it a is already doing it internally, so it´s not any more resource demanding sending it out the network port..
-The only problem that i can see, would be how to "unlock" the features in software.. Maybe a dongle of some kind, or a firmware tool update to change the frontpanel firmware in some way.. The reason for not delivering an upgrade sollution is much more a "politcal"/"business" decition!
Ok, the network port for console networking is available, I understand that. But it is part of the design (and pricing) that networking is not enabled. Of course, Artnet will never happen in that desk, as the processor won't support it.
However, if they allow networking in the road hog, then what is the point of the full boar. People who bought the full boar will be pissed off that the 5K cheaper desk will do most of what the more expensive desk does. Networking is one of the most key features to the full boar. What is the sense in making a cheaper desk do almost the same thing as a much more expensive desk? Say they were to allow networking in the full boar, for a 5K dongle, would that really be all that much better? And you absolutely correct, the decision not to include networking has to be a buisness decision. And as a consumer, I 100% understand the decision they have made.
[quote=nunny]....there is many things been said about how HES werent forthcoming in advertising the FB so the likes of myself purchased the RH to only find a few months later the FB is released.....
I guess we are going to have to agree to disagree on this point.
Please don't take the following personally....but I am going to be blunt about this....
HES was very forthright in making people aware of what the feature set of the RH was when it was released....there was a very nice product cut sheet available, as well as product brochures detailing what the desk was capable of.
If you needed remote focus capability....then you bought the wrong desk and that is really your fault....not theirs.....it would fall under "caveat emptor" in my book.
It was no "big secret" that the Full Boar was being worked on and would be released shortly after the RH.....you can't blame someone else if you didn't do your homework properly.
I have enjoyed reading this forum and want to throw in my $.02.
The market seems to be flooded with used RH's, but I have yet to see a used RHFB. I take this to mean that there are many people that are not very happy with their RH's. I am happy to see the the RH's seem to all be priced about the same (somewhere around $10,000) and they are holding value, but I wonder what will happen once some RHFB's start to hit the used scene.
Also, I can't imagine a professional lighting console, entry level or not, that does not have remote focus unit capabilities. This is crazy to me. I would imagine that if HES would make one available, there would be one purchased for almost every console.
" It was no "big secret" that the Full Boar was being worked on and would be released shortly after the RH.....you can't blame someone else if you didn't do your homework properly. "
It may not have been a "big secret", but I don't think it would have qualified as "public knowledge" either. I consider myself fairly up to date on the basic information that the big boys put out there (HighEnd, Vari*Lite, Martin etc...) but I'm in no-one's inner circle, for sure... in any event, I was quite surprised at the Full Boar's arrival so shortly after the release of the Roadhog. Reactions on the Lightnetwork and from several (potential) end users were no less surprised.
if the release of the Full Boar was as well-known a fact as you make it out to be, then maybe the original poster should have paid better attention before purchasing the RoadHog, if it doesn't give him all the options he needs. but I don't think it was, so i understand how he might feel cheated. He thought he was getting the maximum amount of hog3 that fit in his price range, but would have held out for the FB had it been known it was coming. If the FullBoar was always going to be released so close behind the RoadHog, the least HighEnd and its dealers could have done would have been to give potential buyers a heads-up that a more powerful version of the same desk was follwing soon...
It has been said before here, but I will say it again: both the RH and RHFB have a place in the market, especially as they're the best way to get Hog3 OS into "cheaper" productions. but releasing the FB so close behind the RH without advance warning has deprived some people of a very important choice, one they would have gladly waited for a bit longer.
I agree with the Dutch Guy, as a Road Hog owner if I'd have known about the iminent release of a desk with the extra features that the RHFB has and for such a small amount of difference in price I would have waited. I would like to know where Marty finds out such information as to what products are about to be released or is it just on the Grape-Vine? If it was no "Big Secret" then as a potential customer there is no excuse for me and the other early Road Hog buyers to not be informed.
What's done is done, from what has been said in this discussion it is clear that HES have no plan to satisfy the needs of early Road Hog owners to the extent that they would like.
If only HES had dealt with this the same way they did for the DP8000. Whilst the DP8000 was being advertised if you were forced into buying a DP2000 because you couldn't wait you would be offered a trade in deal once it had been released. That shows consideration for their customers.
I consider this a PR disaster. For some people the purchase of a Road Hog signalled their first ownership of HES equipment and only a few months after purchase they feel cheated. Like it or not that shows a lack of respect for their customers.
I agree It is a pr disaster. I would have waited for the full boar as well. I have a roadhog and I am now looking at the next console to buy. I am now looking at the new grand ma. The other issue is that there is next to no support in Australia. I thought that there was going to be a high end office opening in Australia. To solve most of everyones issues they should unlock a usb wireless key like the dlink unit so they can remote the console and that is all. From what I have been reading that is the main feture that every one is after. Buy doing it that way you dont have to give artnet out ect ect so it is still limited to 4 universes out. . Give it a fixed ip address and thats it. similar to what they did with the vga usb adapter.
Roadhog Full Boar over Roadhog: Artnet Output Direct from Console - No Artnet output on RH 2 External Monitors - Only 1 External Monitor with ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT Midi In/Out/Through - No MIDI Available Hognet Output (for DP8K, DP2K) - No HogNet output on RH Console Edition Visualizer Dongle - No Visualizer Dongle on RH
