Installing Software Updates
Download the software update package 1.8.0 here:
Online-software update procedure video
The following section provides a step-by-step description of the 4K12’s online software update procedure.
Download the software update package from the link provided above.
For Windows, Mac and Linux, download and install the "Raspberry Pi Imager" software from https://www.raspberrypi.com/software/
Ensure the camera is powered off. Use a Phillips screwdriver to remove the Service Door on the side of the camera to access the microSD card.
Note: The microSD card for version 1.6 should have a minimum capacity of 32GB.
Press the microSD card inwards to eject it, and then remove it from the camera.
Insert the microSD card into your computer's SD card slot. A microSD to SD card adapter might be required for this.
Launch the Raspberry Pi Imager program.
Click the "CHOOSE OS" button, and select the "Use custom" option at the bottom of the list.
Select the software update file downloaded in step #1.
Click the "Choose Storage" button, and then select the microSD card.
Click the "Next" button, and then select the "No" button in the popup labeled "Use OS customization?"
Click "Yes" to begin writing the update to the microSD card. This process will typically require 15 to 30 minutes to write & verify. The verification step is optional but recommended.
A "Write Successful" popup will appear when the Raspberry Pi Imager is completed. Remove the microSD card from your computer and re-insert it to the camera.
Reattach the Service Door removed in step #3, and then reconnect the power supply to the camera.
Verify the camera starts up successfully. In the About tab of the System Settings screen, the Software Version should now read 1.8.0.
Software version 1.8.0
Released February 27, 2026
Download the software update package 1.8.0 here:
New Features
New resolutions have been added. A complete list of supported frame rates is available here.
A CSV sidecar that contains the camera configuration at the time of the last recording can be saved alongside the footage.
Improvements and Fixed Issues
Inter-frame compression is now used when saving using H264/H265 resulting in smaller files.
Device mode now works on all platforms.
Device mode refreshes the file list on hosts when files are changed by cameras
Linux hosts users need to reopen the window manually to load the file changes
Windows hosts can reopen the window automatically when files are changed
TIFF and DNG files now contain ISO in their metadata.
Fixed an issue where TIFF files generated by 4K12 mono could not be opened in certain programs (MatLab).
Fixed an issue where the camera takes a long time to boot in Windows after NFS was used.
Stability improvements.
Fixed an issue where applying unchanged values again may round the value down in Record Settings and Record Modes.
Fixed an issue where the Stop button doesn’t switch back to the Record button immediately when recording is stopped with Auto Save enabled.
Fixed an issue where the HDMI display may flicker.
Fixed an issue where the HDMI unsupported error isn’t shown when cameras boot up with an unsupported resolution monitor connected.
Fixed an issue where the minimum value of Record Length in seconds couldn’t be applied.
Fixed an issue where the H.264 format Maximum Quality preset Target Bits/Pixel is marked as out-of-range.
Fixed an issue where some record settings may display as 0.00 when 0 is out-of-range.
Fixed an issue where switching to DHCP takes about 1min30sec to get an IP address.
Fixed an issue where the Trigger Delay graph needs to tap the Reset To Defaults button twice to reset.
Fixed an issue where the Apply button for SMB connection remains disabled after Test returns No SMB is connected.
Fixed an issue where the GUI disappeared when tapping the Test button for the NFS connection after disconnecting the Ethernet cable while the NFS share was connected.
Fixed incorrect frame-rate and exposure period metadata in TIFF and DNG files.
Fixed an issue where the information dialog is still shown when gui is closed by API calls from other clients.
Fixed an issue where the recorded footage is displayed on an HDMI monitor during saving.
Fixed an issue where the wrong frame number appears in the 8px Text Overlay.
Software version 1.7.0
Released August 14, 2025
Download the software update package 1.7.0 here:
New Features
Playback can be viewed on the HDMI display.
REST API is available.
MP4 files can now be played on Win and macOS (YUV420 format is used).
Target Bits/Pixel is used to configure H.26x saved files instead of bitrate.
Improvements and Fixed Issues
There is no longer any restriction on sensor frame rate or resolution when the HDMI is active - all combinations are supported.
Users can now select the desired HDMI video mode from the System Settings screen.
Small resolutions are full screen on LCD (they are scaled up).
Trigger delay functionality has been reworked and simplified. The trigger delay settings are now more similar to the implementation found in Chronos-2.1/1.4 products. The Start REC slider has been removed from the Trigger Delay screen and record length is now controlled from the Record Modes screen. The way delay frames are counted has changed: post-trigger delay now includes the last frame and pre-trigger delay does not include the first frame.
Added ability to disconnect network shares.
Adjust Trigger Delay button is disabled when none of the channels are selected as Record End.
Fixed an issue on the Record Settings screen where the frame period jumps to 1s after exposure is increased above frame period.
Fixed an issue where the camera accepts input signals of lower value than the threshold voltage specified in the Trigger I/O menu.
Fixed incorrect relative frame values in CSV files when time based trigger delay is used or when a subset of recorded footage is saved.
Frame preview is no longer visible when saving to CinemaDNG to make it consistent with saving to other formats.
Minimum frame rate is changed to 10fps.
White balance changes made after a recording is completed no longer affect the white balance of recorded footage stored in RAM.
Removed inaccurate sensor temperature information from the About screen.
Toggle trigger now functions on all possible screens instead of only the Main screen.
Add shortcut buttons for quick navigation between Main and Playback screens.
Add Turn Off LCD button to turn off LCD backlight; pressing anywhere on screen can turn backlight on.
Add Max buttons for resolution and bit depth settings to quick-select the maximum values under the current record configuration.
Software version 1.6.1
Released December 11, 2024
Download the software update package 1.6.1 here:
New Features
TIFF is now available as a save format
Advanced trigger and synchronization modes
Shutter Gating mode allows the sensor shutter to be completely driven by an external source.
Exposure Trigger mode allows the start of exposure to be controlled by an external source.
These two modes complement the Frame Sync Out feature made available in release 1.6.0. Using these modes, 4K12 cameras can now be synchronized with legacy cameras, other 4K12 cameras, or external devices such as an illumination lamp.
Improvements and Fixed Issues
Fix intermittent horizontal lines in saved H26x footage at 384x96 resolution
Text input fields now allow users to place the cursor among characters to modify contents more easily
Voltage threshold configuration fields for triggers 2 and 3 were previously swapped
If custom IP Address settings are applied instead of using DHCP, the custom configuration is still displayed after Ethernet is disconnected to enable restoring the settings if Ethernet is reconnected
Software Version 1.6
Released on October 1, 2024
Download the software update package 1.6.0 here:
Improvements
Advanced Trigger Options
Toggle
Record End
Trigger delay settings, in units of time and frames
IRIG-B time code receiver and frame timestamping
Text Overlays for frame metadata
Persistent Settings across reboots
Frame Sync Output
Known Issues and Current Software Limitations
Playback of recorded footage via HDMI out inactive
HDMI output is unscaled, HDMI monitor must support the exact record resolution
Gamma correction is not applied to built-in LCD and HDMI outputs
USB-C Port 1 Device Mode direct to computer connection incompatible with Windows
USB-C Network Adapters must be reconnected to camera on camera power cycle
Performing a forced shutdown by holding the power button for 10 seconds will restart the camera if the button is not released immediately after 10 seconds
Aliasing may appear when high resolution video is scaled to the built-in LCD
Windows Media Player is unable to decode H.264 and H.265 videos due to a lack of support for 4:2:2 video.
○ Workaround: Use VLC Media player when playing MPEG-4 video files
Software Version 1.5.2
Released June 24, 2024
Download the software update package 1.5.2 here:
Improvements
Changing HDMI output resolutions is more reliable and does not require physically reconnecting cable to camera
Bug fix for intermittent artifacts visible at the bottom of the frame in compressed H.264 and H.265 footage at small resolutions
KT Logo now appears on boot
LCD is disabled prior to video feed in shutdown, LCD no longer shows RGB screen for a few seconds when shutting down
Network share credential text inputs are not deleted on invalid credentials entry
Added option to disable calibration (dark frame subtraction) to gain slight increase in sensitivity in low light conditions, ie. 1280x96 @ 20,000 FPS
○ Procedure: Settings → Factory → Enter service password “4242” → Check Disable Calibration → Restart cameraNew Power Management System update wizard for future firmware updates
SD cards with multiple partitions can now be reformatted such that all partitions are removed and the entire SD card is formatted to have one single partition
Added Select Save Location button to System Settings → General screen to enable easier selection of save destination when using the auto-save feature
Added reference table containing supported resolutions and maximum frame rates to the Record Settings screen
Known Issues and Current Software Limitations
Playback of recorded footage via HDMI out inactive
HDMI output is unscaled, HDMI monitor must support the exact record resolution
Gamma correction is not applied to built-in LCD and HDMI outputs
USB-C Port 1 Device Mode direct to computer connection incompatible with Windows
USB-C Network Adapters must be reconnected to camera on camera power cycle
Performing a forced shutdown by holding the power button for 10 seconds will restart the camera if the button is not released immediately after 10 seconds
Aliasing may appear when high resolution video is scaled to the built-in LCD
Windows Media Player is unable to decode H.264 and H.265 videos due to a lack of support for 4:2:2 video.
○ Workaround: Use VLC Media player when playing MPEG-4 video files
Software Version 1.5.0
Released May 27, 2024
Improvements
30% frame rate increase in 10-bit mode for 4K and UHD resolutions
Longer record durations in 10-bit and 12-bit modes
Addition of compressed H.264 and H.265 save formats with quality/file size adjustability
Ability to set USB-C Port 1 as Device Mode, enabling direct to computer connection to copy files from internal 1TB NVMe SSD to computer (MacOS, Linux, iOS, Android)
Improved detection of monitors connected via HDMI
Fixed bugs for DNG file outputs at resolutions: 384x256, 384x96, 256x160
Current Software Limitations & Known Issues
Playback of recorded footage via HDMI out is inactive
HDMI output in live mode is unscaled, monitor must support the exact record resolution
Gamma correction is not applied to built-in LCD and HDMI outputs
LCD Backlight is not enabled immediately on power up, making the KT logo appear dimly lit as the camera is booting
USB-C Port 1 Device Mode direct to computer connection incompatible with Windows
USB-C Network Adapters must be reconnected to camera on camera power cycle
Performing a forced shutdown by holding the power button for 10 seconds will restart the camera if the button is not released immediately after 10 seconds
Aliasing may appear when high resolution video is scaled to the built-in LCD
Horizontal line artifacts visible in compressed H.264 and H.265 footage at low
resolutions: 384x256, 384x96, 256x160
Viewfinder frame rate on built-in LCD decreases in 10-bit and 12-bit record modes
Windows Media Player is unable to decode H.264 and H.265 videos due to a lack of support for 4:2:2 video. Please consider using VLC Media Player to play MPEG-4 files from the camera.
Release dates of software updates are also applicable to factory-installed software. If your Chronos 4K12 was ordered on or after the release date denoted above, it will contain the updates as standard.
To check your camera's software version, navigate to Settings -> About, then denote the Software Version number.