HiPerFACS and DIVA

From: Frederic Preffer (preffer@helix.mgh.harvard.edu)
Date: Tue Feb 27 2001 - 09:50:48 EST


Steve/Joe

There is understandable confusion in the flow community regarding the names of
these products which are, among other things, the software interface between
the user and the BD digital electronics. I purchased a BD HiPer-FACS . This is
the digital software and hardware interface based on a LABVIEW platform you
may
have seen at the last ISAC meeting in France, last May. I think HiPerFACS is
ABSOLUTELY EXTRAORDINARY! While not without some problems, it is conceptually
everything I would want as a software interface.

 I simply dont know if the DiVA interface has been shown as widely as the
HiPER-FACS interface.   Other than the software interface, there are
differences in hardware as well, but both DiVa and HiPerFACS consist of
'digital' front end electronics with cell sorting capacity. Confusion
understandably abounds, since what was shown in Montpellier  [HiPerFACS] is
NOT
what BD is now calling and selling as  "DiVa". DiVa was not shown in
Montpellier- I have no idea if it has been shown in any similar public
situation...ask BD where to see it.

As I understand it, DiVa is the actual platform that BD plans on promoting as
its primary digital interface. Personally,  I was not at all  a fan of the
DiVa
interface when I saw it last fall, although I have heard it has much improved
since then. I certainly hope so; my personal opinion was that while there was
some merit to DiVa, conceptually it was too far from my idea of what a user
interface should be.    I 'hear' some people like DiVa... but I dont know who
those folks are. I too would be interested in knowing what they like about
it.

 In my opinion, the researcher /cytometrist will be far more impressed with
the
HiPerFACS interface and features, and I hope BD will continue to develop
it; it
is what has raised the bar of excellence in flow cytometry in bringing digital
electronics into our hands as users!  Personally, I do not understand why
BD is
dragging its feet and not developing the HiPerFACS platform further- it is an
amazing platform!   If interested in the future and  "digital flow", I  would
suggest you take a look at both DiVa and HiPerFACS interfaces and decide for
yourself which suits your needs.

F Preffer
MGH
Boston




At 09:44 PM 2/24/01 +1100, Joseph Webster wrote:
>
>At 12:27 21/02/01 -0500, Steve G. Hilliard wrote:
>>I'm full of questions;  I'd love to hear from anyone with direct
>>experience with BD's new DIVA electronics.
>>
>>Steve
>
>You're not the only one.....
>
>Joseph.
>



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