1042xsv & 1242xsv.....?

[GetReel]

Do these units support UHD & Livescope? I'm assuming yes but it doesn't specifically say.
also, would they automatically turn on/off together with my current 7610xsv models? (All power up and all power down together with the push on a button on 1 unit)

[LWINCHESTER2]

Yes to all.

[GetReel]

Yes to all.

[pfisher]

How easy is the 7610 to view in sunlight. Sitting next to my HB Helix the 1242 is tougher to see in the same light, or it may just be the panoptix screen. The 2d is easy enough. If the 7600 series has a brighter screen I may switch.

FWIW my eyes aren't the best.

pfish

[LWINCHESTER2]

My 1242xsv Touch seems to have a brighter screen than my 7610xsv.

[puhlw]

Been thinking about upgrading one of my 1040s to a 1042 my only concern is Garmin support. Seems like the higher end models are supported longer. Thoughts?

[LWINCHESTER2]

There is some reason to believe that but no guarantees. The 7400/7600 series was like a flagship series when it came out rather than something to fill a niche. I bought my first one in April 2015. That's 3 1/2 years. It's still compatible with all the new stuff. What makes a flagship series hold up that long is that when they are released, they have been engineered with beefier CPUs and more memory. It also cost $2700 in 2015. The market demand is what stimulates the production of niche models that may not hold up to CPU and memory demands of new products later introduced. Users want the same functionality but at a cheaper price. So things like CPU speed and memory may get whittled down but the product will still be compatible with "existing" devices. Then they come out with a new product that needs more CPU or more memory and you have a relatively new unit that is not compatible. IMO Garmin has done a reasonably good job on this. The 7" and 9" echomap Chirps were specifically offerred as a more economical alternative to be able to run existing Panoptix transducers. And they did. Later introduced Panoptix transducers were not supported. Now we have the echomap Plus units that were introduced to fill this hole and they added limited networking. The bonus came when they were also compatible with UHD and LiveScope. My crystal ball says that will be their limit. If Garmin comes out with another new implementation, my guess is that the Plus units won't be able to handle it.

It is an awkward time to be considering a 7400/7600 unit. TroyBoy30 speculates that a new series is about to be introduced. I see the logic. He thinks that the black boxes for UHD and LiveScope will be integrated into a new series. We have seen that kind of thing happen. If it does, I expect to see even brighter screens too. I don't have any inside information - just speculating. Also within the market we have seen that just before a big introduction that some big price drops or big rebates are announced for existing lines to liquidate inventory. We've not seen that level of price reduction on the 7400/7600 so again I would guess that replacing the series is not imminent (within 6 months).

I probably gave you more questions than answers. Just my 2 cents worth. Your opinion is worth just as much as anybody else's. What does your crystal ball say?

[pfisher]

There is some reason to believe that but no guarantees. The 7400/7600 series was like a flagship series when it came out rather than something to fill a niche. I bought my first one in April 2015. That's 3 1/2 years. It's still compatible with all the new stuff. What makes a flagship series hold up that long is that when they are released, they have been engineered with beefier CPUs and more memory. It also cost $2700 in 2015. The market demand is what stimulates the production of niche models that may not hold up to CPU and memory demands of new products later introduced. Users want the same functionality but at a cheaper price. So things like CPU speed and memory may get whittled down but the product will still be compatible with "existing" devices. Then they come out with a new product that needs more CPU or more memory and you have a relatively new unit that is not compatible. IMO Garmin has done a reasonably good job on this. The 7" and 9" echomap Chirps were specifically offerred as a more economical alternative to be able to run existing Panoptix transducers. And they did. Later introduced Panoptix transducers were not supported. Now we have the echomap Plus units that were introduced to fill this hole and they added limited networking. The bonus came when they were also compatible with UHD and LiveScope. My crystal ball says that will be their limit. If Garmin comes out with another new implementation, my guess is that the Plus units won't be able to handle it.

It is an awkward time to be considering a 7400/7600 unit. TroyBoy30 speculates that a new series is about to be introduced. I see the logic. He thinks that the black boxes for UHD and LiveScope will be integrated into a new series. We have seen that kind of thing happen. If it does, I expect to see even brighter screens too. I don't have any inside information - just speculating. Also within the market we have seen that just before a big introduction that some big price drops or big rebates are announced for existing lines to liquidate inventory. We've not seen that level of price reduction on the 7400/7600 so again I would guess that replacing the series is not imminent (within 6 months).

I probably gave you more questions than answers. Just my 2 cents worth. Your opinion is worth just as much as anybody else's. What does your crystal ball say?

That all makes sense. I will always think that part of my issues with the original panoptix were trying to run it on the 93sv instead of a more beefier unit. It would be nice to not have the black box BUT I have always said that when Lowrance pulled away from the imaging black box it took them a couple of years to catch up. Of course HB has never had one and their imaging, IMO, is superior to the others by far.

I will just keep what I have for now until I figure out if this PL is going to be worth having that dang box in the floor.

Thanks
pfish

[LWINCHESTER2]

Many prefer an all-in-one box implementation over the black box type. Personally, I like it. The black box type does have some advantages. The CPU/memory requirements can be assessed and provided, giving reliable and consistent performance. Sometimes in a unitized system if it is loaded up with accessories and other functions there can be a strain on resources and delays can be seen based on what priority is assigned to each funtion. You should see the same performance of Panoptix regardless of the unit. All of the Panoptix are black box systems. For the PS21/22/30/31 the black box is the transducer. In the transducer you have the cpu, memory, power supply, transducer elements and ethernet. The unit receives and displays the work of this black box-xd. Looking at the size of the LiveScope box all that just got too big to include in the xd. I think this modularity is a very smart design. If I have a problem with the unit, I can swap it and keep trucking. If an issue with LiveScope jumps up, I can turn it off and the rest of the system keeps right on going.

[pfisher]

Many prefer an all-in-one box implementation over the black box type. Personally, I like it. The black box type does have some advantages. The CPU/memory requirements can be assessed and provided, giving reliable and consistent performance. Sometimes in a unitized system if it is loaded up with accessories and other functions there can be a strain on resources and delays can be seen based on what priority is assigned to each funtion. You should see the same performance of Panoptix regardless of the unit. All of the Panoptix are black box systems. For the PS21/22/30/31 the black box is the transducer. In the transducer you have the cpu, memory, power supply, transducer elements and ethernet. The unit receives and displays the work of this black box-xd. Looking at the size of the LiveScope box all that just got too big to include in the xd. I think this modularity is a very smart design. If I have a problem with the unit, I can swap it and keep trucking. If an issue with LiveScope jumps up, I can turn it off and the rest of the system keeps right on going.

I agree BUT they need someone designing the systems that has actually rigged a boat before.