Lytro Support/Feedback Forums & Feature Requests/Lytro Desktop
Transfer of raw data to Windows (NOT view/edit/share, just backup files)
Daniel Ritchie
suggested this on April 08, 2012 11:01 am
Lytro, I love what you guys are dong over there, but I've discovered a brutal restriction. A quick look suggests that the files are locked down pretty good. I'm sure you're insanely busy sorting out issues and getting these shipped, but after only 2 days of use I'm down to 39% capacity on my red hot. I purchased with the expectation I could get started with the camera long before the Windows software was ready, but I've realized that once I fill up my memory I'll be twiddling my thumbs until I have access to a Macintosh. I thought I could wait for the Windows software to view/edit/delete...but being unable to download the files? That takes me from having to deal with manageable hopes and dreams of editing someday (after all, I did buy it knowing the software might not be available), to being desperate for Windows software or access to a Mac...that's a big shift in 2 days of ownership.
Aside from the trial-and-error of learning something new, this is especially painful since I am experimenting with panoramas that can take up well over 100 pictures in one go (this morning I took a 360 shot with the moon, mountains, red rocks, and the sun rising over the plains...that alone burned up close to 200 images). I'm also concerned based on other feedback that I won't be able to simply dump all the pictures to a friends computer temporarily and then copy them to my computer later since it sounds like there is some type of tightly managed library involved...which substantially complicates this issue for me.
I can tolerate waiting months before I can view/edit/share my pictures...but a few days before doubling the price of the camera (assuming I have to buy a Mac) or start offing my least favorite/experimental pics? I'm having flashbacks to the early days of digital, asking myself "Am I willing to delete this pic to make space?" or worse, "Do I have enough film to justify taking this picture?" Being a tech guy I do understand that full blown Windows software could potentially be a massive undertaking. Even still, I can't imagine a simple copy/download/transfer/backup wouldn't take that much to pull off. Otherwise the embedded flash memory leaves me wondering how much longer I have until I can't use the camera anymore...it's feeling like using a 750 picture disposable camera (granted, I have the ability to delete...but I wouldn't bother taking the picture in the first place if all I was going to do was delete it).
My panoramic needs are probably a corner case for you so I don't expect this to be a big priority, but from my perspective one image can easily be 100+ pictures. That turns a 750 image camera into maybe 10 images...which makes this product far less exiting and is disenfranchising during the experimental phase. I'm hoping there's some type of interim solution available, even if you would consider me for beta testing (I'm probably not your average user, being that I working in development and QA). A generic command line utility would be OK (if the process was painful I'd be willing to script it). I have 32bit XP and 64bit W7 machines available. I also have a 32 bit instance of Fedora (Red Hat derivative), in case you are closer to having something more aligned with the Mac OS.
Have been waiting since November for the camera, keeping my fingers crossed that I won't have to wait much longer before I can make any real use of this. Lastly, I'm not an unhappy customer, and fully understand that this comes with the territory of being an early adopter. I'm wholly understanding that I'm not going to register high on your to-do list right now, but optimistic that you might have something that you could roll out for limited release.
Comments
Lytro definitely needs to make it possible to move files from a mac to windows and it would be even awesome if we could store the files on windows so we can keep using our cameras.
Lytro please could you at least make it possible to upload files via windows even if they are unprocessed off the camera so that we can have more space. Another idea would be to have a slot for memory expansion for SD cards or so. This non-compatibility with windows for now is really not a great way to go. At this early stage in order to gather momentum one would have expected you to go for the mass market first, but no. You went for Mac first. Sounding too much like the early days of apple! In fact sounds like a progeny of Steve Jobs: conmtrol software and hardware....tightly. Goodluck but remember that the real Steve Jobs is dead!
I totally agree, just the ability to "offload them" from the camera would be nice... actually, offload and upload from.to the camera is what needs to happen - this way we would have a way of later pulling them into desktop software once it's available, but putting them back on the camera, and making the desktop pull them off and process..... I am not really certain why that is such a problem.. it would seem to me, that saving raw files off should be easy.. unless we are talking about some more complex filestructure being involved... There's also a question of how the internal memory is presented - I have not looked, but it could be also Mac/BSD filesystem based.... But would be nice to see this for people who are running out of memory on their cams, and have no Mac to fall back on. I would definitely like that sort of process to transfer my images later from the Mac to Windows too....
Annnnd no answer? +1
This is disappointing, thought that this camera would mature into something that is easy to use and innovative on the PC as much as with the Mac.
Another thread mentions that developing the windows software is one of "top priorities" - so it seems that Lytro is taking it seriously - just not communicating it as widely as one would hope.
Agreed, a minimal Windows tool to just free up space on the camera would be amazing. Lytro staff, please get this out first at least, we understand it might take a while to get the full Lytro Desktop for Windows but we need storage!
I tried offloading my pictures on my friend's MacBook this evening but he didn't have the minimum 5 GB free (five gigs?!?)
My poor old pop ordered a Lytro 4 months ago. He's fairly technically savvy, an engineer and a long-ago photographer too. But he's been waiting for the PC software this whole time. When he asked for an ETA, he received a rather strange email response from Lytro, kinda frustrated or angry-sounding: "We'll know when we know <goddammit>" was the gist. Since I'm the Mac-head, and he mistakenly believes I can solve problems like this, about every week he asks me if I've been able to find out anything new.
Today, the clincher was when he asked me if the new plug-ins for Google+ or Pinterest would help him. Poor man. He receives Lytro's marketing emails, and he's totally hoping for something to save him. Instead he's going to be driven mad by social media sites that can only help if you can actually access the pictures on the camera.
I think better communication and expectation-setting from Lytro, and more empathy and understanding about the customer's viewpoint, would go a long way.
Please? For my dear old dad?
- Margot
I am quite surprised Lytro is not on it as far as contributing to this thread and others like it.... from elsewhere I know they are big on customer service... and yet this issue seems to be running well under the radar.. quite puzzling! Well, either way they DID promise 2012.. let's just hope they will deliver a working product in 2012. I just have to hope that if they got the Mac version working, and it works rather well, they can do the same for windows... Patience is not my strong quality, but I am willing to give them 2012.. of couse I am NOT stuck not using my camera.. so I certainly feel for those of you who have no Mac access.....
LYTRO! Get with it! Say something to at least try to calm your eager windows customers!
Hail fair Windows users!
Apologies for not posting here sooner; we've been fielding a lot of Windows questions in a similar topic elsewhere and this topic somehow slipped under our radar. Sorry about that, communicating with you is obviously of crucial importance and it was not done on purpose!
Our Windows FAQ should answer most of your questions, or if you have feedback or feature requests about Lytro Desktop for Windows, please leave it in our Lytro Desktop forum.
I will be closing this topic to new comments next week sometime, since our Windows release takes care of the reason for the initial topic, but I wanted to give you the opportunity to let me know about any questions or concerns you might have before I do.
Have a great weekend,
--Adam "Goolie" Gould
Support and Community Manager
Lytro, Inc
Adam, please realize that with the limitation of windows to 64bit (which many older laptops are still not capable of, and the users may not want to get a new one just because of LYTRO), it may still be wise to attempt to release an app that would work on all unsupported windows (xp 32/64, vista 32/64, win7 32), to allow people to "make room" on their camera till they get back to a machine that is capable of processing the images. That up would also need to provide ability to either put the images back on the camera, or transfer them to LytroDesktop. Personally I think you guys can whip up something rather easie that would simply download images from the camera, then allow for putting them back. This way Lytro Desktop will never know, and everything will work as designed - accept some of the images would have temporarily be offloaded for a perid of time to a "foreign queue" awaiting their turn....
So as much as I think you guys did a great job on the Desktop app; I think that does not necessarily completely nullify the need for some multiplatform offloading app.
GT
XP is a decade old and very near the end of it's life cycle, there is truly no reason to support it. Also because of the need for memory alone with a graphics card that will do justice t the pics is enough reason to not support 32 bit architecture. If your hardware will support Win 7 64 bit it's past time for an upgrade. Do it just for the benefit of a more stable system or faster OS, not just for the Lytro. Read the minimum requirements.
http://support.lytro.com/entries/21742846-faq-lytro-desktop-for-windows-7
OS: Windows 7 64-bit ONLY: Home, Professional, or Ultimate. (Windows XP, Windows Vista, and 32-bit versions of Windows 7 are NOT SUPPORTED.)
CPU: Intel® Core 2 Duo or better
RAM: 2 GB or more
Graphics: DirectX 10
Brian - I am not doubting XP is old, but it's still strong with many users - hence I am talking about only ability to offload/reupload the images onto the camera - say while traveling. My assumption is that it's not very complicated, and it's worth allowing the "archaic users" to recover memory on their camera while maybe they are traveling and have no access to their Mac or Win& box. Of course if it is very troublesome, it maybe not worth it, but it never hurts to ask... ;) 32 bit version of Win7 is also that that uncommon quite yet, and many peopel may not want to reinstall their laptop even if it is 64 capable...
All depends on the amount of effort required - but I'd still consider that a "nice to have"
GT