We spoke to Brompton CEO Richard Mead about the new SQ200 processor and put to him some of the common questions heard from customers.
Question: I have heard that there are several variants of the new SQ200 processor where the SX40 has only ever had one – can you explain what that is about?
As a direct successor to the SX40, the SQ200 offers Brompton’s entire suite of functionality enabled at roughly the same price-per-pixel as the SX40 that has been the benchmark for many years. The SQ200 with all functionality enabled is a fully-flexible product needed by our customers in top-end rental, virtual production and broadcast, and it comes with a guarantee of free upgrades for all future Brompton software enhancements for the platform – just as we’ve done with previous Brompton processors, giving great return-on-investment.
However, we’ve also been listening to customers who have said they don’t need the full depth and breadth of Brompton functionality and want more flexibility. So, in the future we also intend to offer other configurations of the SQ200 that are tailored towards live events, corporate and fixed install applications. These variants will give customers a viable option to use Brompton for a wider range of applications by only paying for the functionality they actually need – but always getting Brompton quality, reliability and support.
Question: The SQ200 is an 8K processor – but what if the screen I need to control is lower resolution than that?
Just as there are choices on functionality, we will also now be offering choices on capacity. An 8K screen has up to 36 million pixels (equivalent to 4 SX40s), but you can also specify the SQ200 with 27 million pixels (3 SX40s), 18 million pixels (2 SX40s) or 9 million pixels (1 SX40). That means the SQ200 is a realistic option whether you are working at 4K, at 8K or somewhere in between.
Another real benefit of the SQ200 is that it will be able to support ultra-wide or ultra-tall canvas sizes – with a maximum dimension of 64K. The classic example would be a thin strip around the edge of an arena – that would have needed many SX40s but could be driven from a single SQ200.
Question: Support for AV-over-IP protocols (such as SMPTE ST 2110) is a headline capability of the SQ200, but is that an additional cost?
When we say that SQ200 is the same price-per-pixel as SX40, that is the price-point with all functionality enabled including AVoIP input at 100G with full network redundancy as well as baseband video input on DisplayPort 2.1, HDMI 2.1 and 12G SDI.
For customers who aren’t using AVoIP there will be the option to save some money with a baseband-only video input configuration, but we are prioritising the AVoIP input at launch based on customer requests.
Question: It is great to have choices, but what if I buy one configuration and later decide I need something different – for example 27 million pixels instead of 18 million, or a different feature-set?
No problem. The SQ200 hardware is the same for all configurations and the difference is a software licence. You’ll be able to buy an upgrade at any time in the future, and it can be applied in the field – you won’t need to return the hardware.
Question: So is the software licence perpetual or will it expire/need to be renewed?
We will continue to sell processors with perpetual licences in the same way we have always done, and this of course includes SQ200. These perpetual licences will never expire. We know that is the right model for many of our customers, particularly in rental.
Question: Will there be any change in how Brompton delivers technical support?
No change. Brompton has a reputation for excellent technical support and that is extremely important to us. We will continue to provide free technical support, product training and software updates to all our users.
Question: When can I get my hands on SQ200?
We will start shipping SQ200 units from October, but early units will be in high demand to fulfil existing commitments, and new orders are likely to be delivered from Q1 2026. Talk to your Brompton sales representative about your requirements and we will be happy to help.
The other configurations will follow in due course – our first priority is to ensure that we meet the needs of our existing loyal customer-base.
