Spark Update — Shipping Progress, Factory Improvements & IBC

Spark Series
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Hey Pixboomer,

Time for another update. Same rhythm as always — just real stuff, no spin.

:package: Shipping Progress

We’ve shipped it to Backer #340 as of today.

Regions currently on hold (pending local certifications):

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For everyone else: The next wave is planned for late September. That said, I want to be upfront — this period overlaps with China’s National Holiday (Golden Week), when factories typically shut down for ~5 days. Realistically, units from this wave will start arriving with customers around mid-October.

Why We’re Not Rushing — Factory Improvements

During production, we identified an issue: fine dust that, in certain extreme scenarios, could contaminate a small number of optical filters. Rather than push through and risk minor defects that would require units to be returned for cleaning, we stopped and fixed the root causes.

Here’s what we’ve done:

  1. Overall, factory capability upgrades — improved systems, automation, and visual management across the production floor

  2. Cleanroom environment upgraded by 1000% — that’s a 10× improvement in air purity

  3. Component pre-treatment before assembly — optical filters, sealing rings, and brackets now go through dedicated cleaning and vacuum treatment before they ever touch the line

  4. Strict cleanroom access control — entry is permission-based, with fixed personnel assigned to specific stations

These aren’t small tweaks. We’re building the kind of production environment that Spark deserves. The tradeoff is time — and we think it’s the right call.

Bottom line: Based on where things stand today, we’re on track to fulfill all orders placed before September 2026 — including all backers and pre-orders — by end of October.

Come Find Us at IBC Amsterdam

IBC 2026 | Amsterdam | September 11–14 

Hall 12, Stand F60 — right near SHAPE

Come say hi, get your hands on Spark, and enjoy some free coffee + a small gift on us. :wrapped_gift:

We’ll also be showing something many of you have been asking about: the handle. More on that when you’re there.

Software Update — Wi-Fi Remote Control, HDMI & SDI Frame Rates & More

Another important firmware release is here. Grab the latest:

 

What’s New?

Wi-Fi Web Remote Control
One of the most requested features — it’s finally here. Spark now supports remote camera control over Wi-Fi through a web browser, with no dedicated app required. Check the Remote Control User Guide for setup details, and keep the feedback coming — we’ll keep refining this based on real-world use.

 

Expanded HDMI & SDI Output Frame Rates
New HDMI output support:

  • 1080p 25fps / 50fps
  • 4K 25fps / 50fps

New simultaneous SDI + HDMI output support:

  • 1080p 25fps / 50fps
  • 4K 25fps

Fractional frame rate support is still on the roadmap — coming in a future release.

 

Improved Menu Interaction
Further optimizations to GUI navigation and overall menu flow. Not always the flashiest changelog item, but it makes a real difference in daily use. This is ongoing work, not a one-time pass.

 

Bug Fixes
A number of smaller issues reported by the Pixboom community have been resolved. If anything still feels off, keep reporting — your feedback directly shapes every release.

What’s Next?

We’ve now shipped several of the most-requested firmware features: SDI improvements, Wi-Fi remote control, and more.

Next up, we’re planning:

  • OSD (On-Screen Display)
  • Exposure assist tools

More to come.

Next Update

We’ll be back during the week of September 21st.

As always — we’re here, we’re being straight with you, and we’re not going anywhere.

 

Jing & the Pixboom Team 🧡

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Have fun at IBC!

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End of October would be great for me! Can’t wait to shoot the Zhuhai air show in December! Just enough time to get used to it and get parts needed.

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Thank you for the update!

Can’t wait for the next firmware release! Yay! OSD and exposure control tools! :heart_eyes: 

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Happy to know that I’m on the “Cleanroom environment upgraded by 1000%” batch.

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Hi there, I’m Backer #237, and I’ve been eagerly waiting for an update for over a month now. The last update mentioned that certifications for shipping to Saudi Arabia would take about a month to complete, but I haven’t received any new information or a shipping email.As I see, only UAE and South Korea are currently pending for certification, so I believe the Saudi Arabia certification is ready. Could you please provide an update on the shipping status? 

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I found a way to use the Pixboom Spark web interface as an “app” on iPhone, which makes it much nicer and faster to use.

-Connect your iPhone to the Spark Wi-Fi network.
-Open Safari and go to http://192.168.1.1
-Tap the Share button in Safari.
-Scroll down and select Add to Home Screen.
-Add it to your Home Screen.

You’ll now have a Spark Remote icon on your Home Screen. When you open it from there, it behaves basically like a normal app: the Safari address/search bar and normal browser interface are hidden, so you only see the Spark remote interface.

It makes the whole web remote feel much more like a dedicated Spark app instead of just a website.

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We aren’t good listeners. We ordered in January.. are we getting that small cage or if not, where can we order? 

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Hi Jing,

Your latest update opens with the statement: “Same rhythm as always — just real stuff, no spin.” If that is truly the case, we need to look at the unspun facts of where this project currently stands. Calling the current situation “on track” , lol, simply does not match reality. By my count, Pixboom’s delivery timeline has derailed five—or six—times since January!

According to your update, you have shipped up to backer #340, leaving roughly 110 backers still waiting. It is pretty concerning that it has taken four months to supply just 340 cameras since shipments began trickling out in late May. We all pledged and paid within the same one-month window a year ago. Forcing the final 25% of your original backers into a five-month delivery gap behind the first shipped batch is unreasonable. While delays in crowdfunding are par for the course, again pushing shipping back into late October or even November for actual delivery is unacceptable. On the upside the last 100 plus backers should at least have dust free cameras. 

Chinese holiday excuses aside, if the factory cleanroom is truly operational with a 1,000% improvement, clearing a relatively small batch of 110 cameras should surely not take this long. The issue here points less to the excuse of holiday delays, but more to a strategic fulfilment bottleneck. Several retailers already had limited stock back in late July when I first inquired and many others are scheduled to receive a new batch of inventory within the next week or two.  I actually hold an invoice for immediate delivery from a European vendor. While I understand from you that Pixboom has commercial agreements with global vendors; however, these agreements were negotiated long after the original backers funded your project and we should surely come first. The timelines strongly suggest that the final 110 backers are being deprioritised so that September and October commercial retail orders can jump the queue, not to mention Pixboom making easy quick revenue.

The cleanroom narrative raises a critical technical red flag. A controlled, dust-free environment is the absolute baseline requirement for manufacturing cinema cameras. By admitting that you had to upgrade your cleanroom environment by 1,000%—a 10× improvement in air purity—to prevent optical filter contamination, you are acknowledging the frailties of your initial manufacturing environment. Logically, this implies that the first 340 backer cameras and early vendor units were assembled under questionable conditions and were therefore compromised. In light of this admission, please clarify Pixboom’s company policy regarding a potential recall, or outline an inspection and servicing policy for early backers who want peace of mind to ensure their sensors are dust-free ?

It’s been disheartening seeing Pixboom at IBC offering marketing perks to court new retail business while the original backers who financed this venture are left waiting.

Can I ask you to please confirm the exact operational schedule for shipping the remaining 110 backer cameras, as presume this will be in smaller batches ?

Will Pixboom commit to fulfilling all remaining original backers before releasing any further inventory to commercial retail channels?

Given the urgency and delay here a biweekly update on the progress and shipping status would be good please..

On a positive note, the development of the HMI OSD is welcomed. It’s imperative for many of us and we were surprised this was not available from the start.

Jing, I respect your role as the corporate spokesperson and messenger for Pixboom. However, please make sure to  escalate this post to management so they can hopefully get their shop in order and urgently address these manufacturing and distribution priorities.

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is there an ETA on additional cards shipping?  I’m finding the one card is quite a bottleneck on commercial sets and I preordered a second one with the camera

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I have 2 extra silver cards ordered, they said mid to late September next batch is eta for cards 

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Hi @Pixboom,

Just checking in about your update this week and when we’ll get new info about the next batch of shipments.

Best regards.

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110 people are still waiting, but a B&H customer can purchase one have it by Thursday.

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The fact that BH has pixbooms for sale now but backers from a year ago are still waiting is disheartening 

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Hi Jing and Pixboom Management,

Your failure to respond to my previous lengthy community forum post and Pixboom support tickets—combined with you missing yet another update as promised to us for September 21st —confirms in my opinion that Pixboom is not acting in great faith.

You have exploited the backing community’s tolerance and patience and used our capital as an interest-free loan to clearly also fund distribution production, prioritising global retail outlets over the original backers who made this camera possible. I simply do not buy your ongoing delay excuses about public holidays or that resellers were also backers and I can prove this from first hand correspondence received from well know international vendors. Trust me this has been extensively researched. 

It is completely unacceptable that we all basically paid at the same time, but some backers received units in early June while the final 110 are forced into a potential five-month delivery gap so you can chase quick retail revenue !

Management must address these four points immediately:

  • Production Transparency: Provide the exact manufacturing figures. How many total units have been produced, and how many are being diverted to retail instead of backers?
  • The Retail Prioritisation: Justify why global retail orders are jumping the queue ahead of the people who financed this venture.
  • The Cleanroom Contradiction: You admitted halting production to fix a dust issue. This implies the first 340 backer units were built under substandard conditions. What is your official service, inspection, or recall policy for those compromised early cameras?
  • Hard Schedule & Accountability: Provide us with clear transparency, stating the exact shipping schedule for the remaining 110 cameras and commit to weekly progress updates until fulfilment is 100% complete.

As has been the tactic, please do not delete my post or try to bury this thread  by starting a new update thread to conveniently put our comments and the  current dire situation into the background.

As a new player in the camera industry, let me advise you that the filmmaking community is small and word travels fast. We expect a direct response from management to this thread and our support tickets without further delay.

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My Spark’s been totally fine. No dust issue, no problems, I’ve been using it without any trouble. And yeah, the filmmaking world is small. What I’ve seen is the Spark performing well and getting pretty solid feedback. Even the Sony FX5 got delayed. Making camera gear isn’t exactly simple.

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Great to hear you are happy with your camera and hopefully we will be too when that day finally arrives.

However, standard industry delays cannot be compared the Pixboom debacle and situation. Sony would never accept a $10,000 interest-free loan from clients or in this case backers and leave them empty-handed nearly a year later while prioritising retail stores.

Established companies have better principles, strict quality control standards, and reputations they actually protect.

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I get the frustration, man, but I’ve seen your posts in multiple threads, and they’re all still there. They haven’t been deleted. At some point, if the wait is really a dealbreaker for you, asking for a refund probably makes more sense than posting the same thing over and over. The refund process is posted publicly and seems pretty straightforward.

I’m in the last 110 too, so I’m stuck waiting just like everyone else. Am I happy about the delay? Of course not. But personally, I’m willing to give them a bit more time. The people I know who already have the Spark seem happy with it, and for what I paid as a backer, I’m okay waiting a little longer. That’s just my take.

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I Concur, this has taken RED cameras business model of taking in millions of dollars making interest and holding the buyer hostage. and to boot, no responses to what is as eloquent a message about the situation as could be drummed up!

JING what the F34& say you?

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Hi Trevor,

Thank you for your patience, and we’re sorry this experience has been so frustrating for you.

Our support team has already been in touch and offered a solution — we hope we can get this sorted out through that channel.

We’ve also done our best to address the questions raised in our previous responses, and we don’t want to keep going in circles as we don’t think that’s helpful for anyone.

What we can tell you is that our next update will be ready by next Thursday — we’ll share everything there.

Jing & The Pixboom Team