Ptool for beginners / Ptool FAQ

[Car3o]

I've seen way too many questions regarding how to use the ptool. That's understandable. But it's ongoing and needs to addressed. So here are some steps from beginning to end on how to use it. Hope this helps.

This is where you can download the latest ptool
http://www.gh1-hack.info/ptool3d.zip

You can go here to read the latest development, but do not post unless you're testing
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=206788

These efforts are not cheap and require patience, hardwork and dedication. For all those who've benefited from this patch, show your support by donating to Vitaliy Kiselev and click the link below:
http://www.gh1-hack.info/













Q). Is it possible to revert to the official Panasonic firmware if the camera has to be sent in for repairs under warranty?
A). Yes: http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showpost.p...0&postcount=14

Q). Will the patch void my warranty?
A). It's uncertain. If you modify existing hardware or software, most companies do not honor your warranty.

Q). Is it able to shoot 1080p without pulldown?
A). Tested and working. You can now shoot full 1080p without the need of pulldown.

Q). Can u playback videos with increased audio bitrate in camera?
A). No, not at the time, being looked into.

Q). Do any of these patches work for the stills function on the Gh1?
A). No, not at this time. Maybe later.

Q). Does the AVC bitrate adjustment work without the "native 24p" setting?
A). Tested and working.

Q). Does tester's firmware work with this Gf1 and will i get full HD? (1920x1080)?
A). Most all patches work with the Gf1, however, the sensor is not capable of shooting FHD.

Q). Does it effectively remove the 30min time limit on PAL cameras?
A). Tested and working.

Q). Does it allow 3rd party batteries now?
A). Tested and working.

Q). Can I change the language in my camera now?
A). Tested and working

Q). Can I change my camera from PAL to NTSC?
A). Tested and working.

Q). Is the 720p MJPEG 24p?
A). Tested, not perfect. Right now the 24p is skipping 30p frames to get.

Q). Can you view HDMI out while recording?
A). No, not yet, maybe soon. Still testing.

Q). Are you able to disable the AGC?
A). No, not yet, maybe soon. Still testing.

Q). Are you able to get rid of the MUD in 1080p?
A). Testing and working. The most recent patch makes you able to adjust various bitrates that make panning and high detail eliminate almost all mud that the camera incurs.

Q). Will my camera overheat with the new bitrate settings?
A). There has never been a report of the Gh1 overheating with or without the patch. The Gh1 wasn't designed like the Canon's or the Nikon's, and can handle long record times without issues.

***Go here to input your settings***
*** http://bit.ly/PToolsForm ***

***Go here to view settings***
*** http://bit.ly/PToolsList ***

***Go here to view successful settings for MJPEG and AVCHD***
*** http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=213486 ***

***YOU CAN NOW PLAYBACK FILES IN CAMERA USING THE NATIVE 24P PATCH WITH ADJUSTED BITRATE SETTINGS***
***THERE HAVE BEEN REPORTED ISSUES WITH THE NATIVE 24PN PATCH AND ADJUSTED BITRATE SETTINGS THAT MAY CAUSE AN ERROR ON HIGH DETAIL STATIC SCENES***
***YOU CAN NOT PLAYBACK FILES IN CAMERA IF YOU INCREASE THE AUDIO BITRATE***



Q). Have you been able to mess with 720p MJPEG bitrate?
A). Testing. There have been reports of stable bitrates of 100mbit/sec footage. Nothing is final, but the outcome is positive.

Q). Is it possible to maybe make MJPEG full 1080p HD?
A). Testing. Right now there is the option. Appears to be 1080 upscaled from 720. More to come.

Q). Are you able to shoot native 60p/50p/24p in MJPEG?
A). Testing. Right now new developments are being made. More to come.

Q. Which card is best for hi-bit-rate filming with tester´s patches?
A). Any real Class 10 cards will be the best choice.

Q). I've heard of cards not being fast enough for MJPEG, what's that mean?
A). The newest MJPEG patches allow you to maximize the bitrate up to speeds of 100mbit/sec, but the camera's maximum write speed is 80mbit. If you use the patch, consider speeds in the 70-80mbit range and you can record without interruption and use cards that can write 10MB/sec.

Q). Can you do anything with the audio bitrate?
A). Tested and working. You have a few options to adjust the audio bitrate.

Q). Will the ptool get chics to notice me?
A). Tested and working. At this time, only one report of chics being attracted to GH1 owners with the new hack have been reported. They really like how bad you are when you mess with electronics without permission.


****If have questions and answers PM and I'll add to this. I've read every page since the beginning and have a pretty good idea of what's working and what's not working and what might work. Hopefully this will help those in need of answers****

[Car3o]

If version number increases to 1.41 or beyond and next Panasonic official firmware is version 1.40, are we locked into custom firmware updates?

Yes.

Or if custom firmware increases to high number, can we reverse back to official firmware if new official firmware is released?

You can always revert back to official firmware. But not the original version NUMBER.

Or does tester13 have to patch this firmware for it to become operational (with higher version number count)?

I don't understand.

[Car3o]

I think this question and response needs to be phrased better. Allow me to make the question more specific:

Q) Can I change PAL to NTSC, OR NTSC to PAL, as many times as I want, or is this a ONE TIME permanent change that can only be done upon applying patch?

A) ?

Nothing in any of these patches are permanent. You simply load Panasonics firmware into the ptool with no patches selected, accept the version change, and load it in your camera. And you now have original firmware loaded. Only difference is the version number is higher.

[Car3o]

Car3o, thanks for response but this only answers half my question

question is… should Panasonic release official firmware, and it has lower version than the custom firmware increment in my camera, we would need to wait for PTool to become compatible with the new official firmware .bin file before we can load it to our camera with version increment?

Right?

What concerns me is if Panasonic release official update and I cannot immediately install it because the version number would be lower than what PTool's has incremented my camera to.

If Panasonic releases an official firmware, and it's a lower version than the custom firmware you have, tester13 will most likely have an updated ptool that will allow the new firmware by the same night Panasonic releases it. He did it for Pana's latest, I'm sure he'll continue. If Panasonic releases a new one at all. If this is a concern, you may not want to load the patch.

[Car3o]

Is having no pulldown a big plus with the no playback side effect?
Im not sure I'm gonna try until more is done with the MJPEG. I rather get .MOV files to edit than to have to Log and Transfer. 1080 MJPEG with variable framerates would be a dream come true.

It's subjective. Some love not having to deal with pulldown, while others hate not being able to view videos in camera. I myself love just being able to pop my video on a time line and be able to edit without any intermediate steps.

[mohanohi]

Here in India there is no GH1 Camera in panasonic Brand Shops!! Only GF1 model available. This model only records upto maximum 1280x720. Does tester's firmware work with this model and will i get full HD? (1920x1080) ?

[John Caballero]

AVCHD 1080p24/25->720p24/25 patch added (tested and working).

Ok, when you apply this patch does the new 720p24 version shows as an option in the SH menu? You still have the 1080p option right? Or how does it work?

[Vitaliy Kiselev]

Ok, when you apply this patch does the new 720p24 version shows as an option in the SH menu? You still have the 1080p option right? Or how does it work?

It replaces 1080p.
Any substitutions can be possible much later.

[svecher]

Here in India there is no GH1 Camera in panasonic Brand Shops!! Only GF1 model available. This model only records upto maximum 1280x720. Does tester's firmware work with this model and will i get full HD? (1920x1080) ?

tester13 releases patches to firmware, not actual firmware. Some GH1 patches have been ported to GF1 as of version v3.32. Follow the instructions in this post http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showpost.p...84&postcount=1. The only difference is that you will be patching GF1 firmware file http://panasonic.jp/support/global/cs/dsc/download/fts/dl/gf1.html. When you load it into Ptool a list of available patches will be shown.
I don't believe there were any GF1 patching reports yet, so please feel free to share your findings.
To address your second question, there is no capability to get full HD on GF1 via patching process (yet). Ability to switch sensor modes is currently being tested in latest GH1-only patches, so any insights gained there could potentially answer if that's possible in the future.

Car3o, great work on FAQ. Perhaps you could add:
[Q] What Panasonic models are supported?
[A] GH1 (all patches), GF1 (some patches, please test and report).

[abasfly]

Here in India there is no GH1 Camera in panasonic Brand Shops!! Only GF1 model available. This model only records upto maximum 1280x720. Does tester's firmware work with this model and will i get full HD? (1920x1080) ?

he said something about different sensor on the gf1 so it may be limited by hardware.
tho I tried the patch on the gf1 and work with no problem. I only hope that he make a patch for recording video in manual mode.