Humminbird adds Down-Imaging!

Hot off the presses from Humminbird!

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Humminbird® Expands Innovative Sonar Offerings
With the Addition of Down ImagingTM

Highly Popular “Side-to-Side” Picture-Like View Now Includes View Below the Boat

EUFAULA, Ala. (Sept. 28, 2009) – Expanding on an impressive list of sonar capabilities, Humminbird® announces the addition of Down ImagingTM Sonar to its groundbreaking Side Imaging® technology.

“Humminbird’s goal continues to be to provide anglers with the most innovative technology and Down Imaging is the next step in that process,” said Dale Logue, product manager for Humminbird. “Adding Down Imaging to Side Imaging, and our new SwitchFireTM Traditional Sonar, the opportunity to find highly productive fishing spots is unprecedented.”

Like Humminbird’s innovative Side Imaging Sonar, which revolutionized the marine electronics industry, Down Imaging presents picture-like images of the bottom. Down Imaging views are focused directly beneath the angler’s boat, giving a detailed look at structure and the water column. Down Imaging and Side Imaging together give anglers an incredibly detailed, full 180° view of the bottom.

Split-screen viewing options provide the ability to view Side Imaging, Down Imaging and SwitchFire Sonar separately, in groups of two, or all three at once.

“Humminbird created an entirely new category with Side Imaging, and now Down Imaging uses that same technology to give anglers an advantage like no other,” said Logue.

A free software upgrade to add Down Imaging will be available in January to current owners of Humminbird models with Side Imaging (except 797c2 SI) by simply registering their product at Humminbird.com. No new hardware or transducer is required. All new Side Imaging models (998c SI and 898c SI) come standard with Down Imaging capabilities, with existing models (1197c SI and 798c SI) adding the feature as a running change in 2010.

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I know a lot of guys are interested in this feature….now there’s no reason to look further than the industry leader in Side Imaging technology for a picture-like image of what lies directly beneath your boat.

Cool beans!! It just keeps getting better.

Sweet

You just have to love the competition between HB & LOW. It only makes it better for all of us fishermen. They just need a way to tell us if the fish we image are hungry and what they are thinking would be good to eat…

What I really like is they are not getting greedy and charging for this feature.

Will this be available for the 997 as well?

Yes it will.

From the press release:

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A free software upgrade to add Down Imaging will be available in January to current owners of Humminbird models with Side Imaging (except 797c2 SI) by simply registering their product at Humminbird.com.

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If you have a 997 already, you’re all set. Just get the new software release in January.

Sweet! I just got mine so I know I still have a ton to learn. Anymore of those Hummingbird seminars planned?

I have two Humminbird seminars schedule for 2010 at this point. One will be at Skeeter Boat Center, and the second is likely to be in Rochester MN.

I knew something like this would happen. Just didn’t know if it would be loadable into the older models. I’ve been eyeballing the 997 and the 1197 but was waiting to hear what was going to happen next. With $$$ being as tight as it is, I didn’t want to invest the coin only to find out I should have waited. Looks like I have NOW made up my mind.
GREAT INFO just in time
Hopefully the upgrade won’t poor man me

Here are some screen captures showcasing Down-Imaging.

These are direct from the head technical guru at Humminbird.

Post deleted by TDomaille

That’s great, except that I have a 797.

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That’s great, except that I have a 797.

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Do you know why they eliminated the 797?

Thats great news Jason thanks for the heads up on this one. The images look exceptional and now im curious to see if this down imaging will work on hardwater. I know the ducer has to be moving but i think the images maybe interpreted by hole hopping. Maybe even see rising fish on it, any idea what the refresh rate on the down imaging will be?

The 797 was replaced by the 798. I believe that change occurred within the past year.

OMG… I think I’m about to cry.

But its a GOOD cry.

After reading the whole article, I honestly put my hands in the air like the Packers just scored a last second touchdown agains the Vikings. GREAT NEWS!!!!!!

I was afraid the article would say, “add transducer and cables for only $xxx extra.” Jason, give your HB buddies a hug for us. First Lakemaster, WHICH ROCKS – Love the Rainy/LOW chip… and now down imaging. How much cooler can it get!!

I know that down imaging is not really that much different than the SI… If you know how to read the SI, the SI gives you the exact same information as the down imaging. However, I have to admit that I was a little jealous of LOW when I saw their shots.

Way to go HB, you just upped your awesome factor. This is two thumbs waaay up!

PS – Jason – Make sure to let us all know when you do your next SI seminar. I’d love to be there for that one. Feel free to use any of my shots as well if they would help…

Thanks again… Always keeping us informed and up to date!

Mike

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OMG… I think I’m about to cry.

But its a GOOD cry.

After reading the whole article, I honestly put my hands in the air like the Packers just scored a last second touchdown agains the Vikings. GREAT NEWS!!!!!!

I was afraid the article would say, “add transducer and cables for only $xxx extra.” Jason, give your HB buddies a hug for us. First Lakemaster, WHICH ROCKS – Love the Rainy/LOW chip… and now down imaging. How much cooler can it get!!

I know that down imaging is not really that much different than the SI… If you know how to read the SI, the SI gives you the exact same information as the down imaging. However, I have to admit that I was a little jealous of LOW when I saw their shots.

Way to go HB, you just upped your awesome factor. This is two thumbs waaay up!

PS – Jason – Make sure to let us all know when you do your next SI seminar. I’d love to be there for that one. Feel free to use any of my shots as well if they would help…

Thanks again… Always keeping us informed and up to date!

Mike

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My thoughts exactly! Well, except the football part, I wouldve reversed the teams.

RIP LOWRANCE

O my gosh Lowrance and all there troubles

And it is free with Humminbird

If this were Lowrance this would be in a new unit for the low low cost of $2999.99

O boy a Ipilot and a new box of Crank’s on the way

hec I think if Humminbird made crank bait’s

I think they would let you download new colors on them

Currently I rigg about 60% HB (I average about 7 or 8 a month during open water season) 40% Lowrance, If HB keeps this up I will be rigging 99% HB… alot nicer to rigg too

Thats a very smart business move by HB. A lot of guys would be PO’d and have a bad taste. This way, HB strengthened their market share and know they will get a LOT of GOOD free press with this. And that is the best advertising a company can have.

that is awesome. i cant wait to get it. but janurary? come on man! they werent thinking of the frozen people! i have to wait untill at least march to try it out! going to be a looooooong winter…

I’ll be sure to post a bunch of cool Down-Imaging screen captures from the upper reaches of Pool 4 this winter.

found this

I’m trying to get a better idea of how the picture is taken. If I’m going straight forward is the picture from an angle infront of my boat? 20 feet behind the boat looking forward? Or from the side?

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I’m trying to get a better idea of how the picture is taken. If I’m going straight forward is the picture from an angle infront of my boat? 20 feet behind the boat looking forward? Or from the side?

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I was thinking the same thing… How does the screen image move in relation to the boat path?

Mike

Sort of looks like as the boat travels forward, the screen will travel right to left, just like a normal downlooking 2d sonar. It seems that the view will include stronger marks showing brighter (whiter), and weaker marks or marks off to the side of the tranducer cone showing as less bright marks). But is our viewing angle perpendicular or parallel to the boats path??
Maybe it doesn’t really matter. Thats what the SI is for, the DI will be an added bonus for directly under the boat….

It a little weird to think about, because you are trying to represent a 3-D scanned image on a 2-D screen, but still hoping to recreast the 3-D aspects as best you can…

Anyway, maybe I’m overthinking this. Probably self explanatory once you see it in person. HB guys have any more info on this, or anymore screenshots or video??

Thanks, Mike

I’m picturing it as taking an underwater camera and mounting it on a pole say 20 feet out to the starboard and then aiming it under the boat.

There’s not a ton more information available at this point. Below is a link to the product info sheet that is starting to get distributed to Johnson Outdoors staff and vendors. I think this may be where Moreyes obtained the image shown above.

Humminbird Down Imaging product info sheet

My thoughts are it is like taking a picture directly under the boat like 2d sonar does from were the boat has been going forward starting at the left of the screen being the oldest moving to the right. So what is at the left most of the screen is the farthest back. It is all history been there done that kind of thing.