25fps with PTool - OR - Manually convert to 25fps??

[Shawn Storm]

I live in the U.S. and have a NTSC version of the GH1. I am working with a TV station in the UK that wants 25fps footage only. I noticed that PTool appears to be able to change the camera to capture in PAL and I am wondering if this hack is completely stable?

Would I be better off applying this hack to capture in PAL or should I capture at 24fps and convert to 25fps?? I want to maintain max quality and not lose any frames, so I would probably use something like JES to convert and maintain all frames which would result with footage that is slightly faster than the original....

Thoughts anyone?

-shawn-

 

[rambooc1]

Just apply the lpowell reliable patch and switch your cam to PAL in the Setup menu and you're good to go. You can switch to NTSC or PAL using the camera menu AFTER applying the hack, just have to clear or use different SD cards to record to, cannot have both on the same card.



http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?219132-40Mbps-AVCHD-High-Reliability-Patch

 

[Shawn Storm]

Just apply the lpowell reliable patch and switch your cam to PAL in the Setup menu and you're good to go. You can switch to NTSC or PAL using the camera menu AFTER applying the hack, just have to clear or use different SD cards to record to, cannot have both on the same card.

Really? How convenient! I actually already applied the LPowell Reliability Patch... but I cannot find the PAL option in the setup menu. Where exactly is it? When I go into "Setup" I only see the following options:

Clock Set
World Time
Travel Date
Fn Button Set
Economy
Auto Review
Highlight
Monitor
LCD Mode
Scene Menu
Beep
Volume
No. Reset
Reset
USB Mode
TV Aspect
HDMI Mode
VIERA Link
Version Disp.
Language
Format

I also looked through every other menu I could see and still don't see this option anywhere...

Am I missing something?
-shawn-

 

[PJF]

In that list the Video Out setting would be between USB Mode and TV Aspect. It appears on the top of page 4 of the SETUP above TV Aspect.

lpowell's "Reliable In-Camera Playback Patch Settings File" (the auto-applying INI file one using the "J" button in PTool) enables the NTSC - PAL switch by default, so if you don't have it then it probably means you've either manually deselected it in PTool or you're applying the patch to a too early version of PTool.

Note that the Reliable Patch does not apply Native 24p/25p by default, so your 25fps footage will be in a 50i interlace wrapper. Native 24p is not reliable as things stand. Not sure about Native 25p.

 

[rambooc1]

Thanks PJF, yep the native thing is optional, some are using it, some are not.

Strange, video out selection should be available regardless of hack or not, at least that's how it is on the original unhacked PAL models

Choose NTSC or PAL out.

 

[Soldier]

Native 24p is not reliable as things stand.

What do you mean by "not reliable?" Is it too risky to use the native 24p mode in the hacked GH1 on paid jobs?

 

[Fool4UAnyway]

24p/25p native not reliable as opposed to 60i/50i

24p/25p native not reliable as opposed to 60i/50i

What do you mean by "not reliable?" Is it too risky to use the native 24p mode in the hacked GH1 on paid jobs?

Thread dealing with the problem of unreliability:

"Native 24P/25p settings/problems discussion"
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?215356-Native-24P-25p-settings-problems-discussion

An optimistic approach, at least at first, but no solid solution yet:

"Possible breakthrough on Native 24p!"
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?222904-Possible-breakthrough-on-Native-24p

A more recent thread dealing with the same issue of unreliability, started by the OP of this one:

"Native 24p Causing Issues"
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?232352-Native-24p-Causing-Issues

A recent development, still no certainty yet:

"Fast action GOP 2 54 mBS settings for GH1"
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?233651-Fast-action-GOP-2-54-mBS-settings-for-GH1

Unreliable refers to the problem of possible (or even likely) freezes when recording, possibly (or probably) resulting in loss of the complete recording (file).

I've had problems with 25p with highly detailed scenes. When taking static shots, the camera might just freeze and the only way to get it to respond again was to remove the battery and insert it again. I've had no occurrences when an actual file was written to the SD card, some report they had (the luck?).

When I kept the camera moving, there seemed to be no freezes. So it may depend on the types of videos you want to take if you are (likely) to suffer from this unreliability issue.

 

[Shawn Storm]

In that list the Video Out setting would be between USB Mode and TV Aspect. It appears on the top of page 4 of the SETUP above TV Aspect.

lpowell's "Reliable In-Camera Playback Patch Settings File" (the auto-applying INI file one using the "J" button in PTool) enables the NTSC - PAL switch by default, so if you don't have it then it probably means you've either manually deselected it in PTool or you're applying the patch to a too early version of PTool.

Ohh! I actually manually applied the LPowell "40Mbps AVCHD High Reliability Patch" and didn't do the one you mention. I have never figured out how to load saved settings for some reason (and perhaps I haven't tried that hard.. but I have a Mac so the whole Wine thing etc was already confusing enough).

So now I have re-hacked the camera and entered the settings manually (the 40Mbps High Reliability settings), but also enabled the checkbox "PAL<->NTSC Menu" under "Movie related restrictions" in addition to all the other settings.

Now I can change the camera between PAL and NTSC... HOWEVER - when I try to record in PAL I get a message saying "No Additional Selections Can Be Made" and it won't let me record! I made sure my disk is clear, yet it still won't let me. It does let me record if I switch back to NTSC...

Any more suggestions?

-shawn-

 

[Shawn Storm]

So now I have re-hacked the camera and entered the settings manually (the 40Mbps High Reliability settings), but also enabled the checkbox "PAL<->NTSC Menu" under "Movie related restrictions" in addition to all the other settings.

Now I can change the camera between PAL and NTSC... HOWEVER - when I try to record in PAL I get a message saying "No Additional Selections Can Be Made" and it won't let me record! I made sure my disk is clear, yet it still won't let me. It does let me record if I switch back to NTSC...

By the way, in case it helps anyone.. here are the exact settings I am using in PTool for my version of the hack:

Prevent Version Compare Checked

"PAL<->NTSC Menu" checked in "Movie Related Restrictions" menu.

MJPEG:
E1 Quality 256
E1 Table 5
E2 Quality 220
E2 Table 5
E3 Quality 200
E3 Table 5
E4 Quality 184
E4 Table 5

AVCHD (LPowell "40Mbps AVCHD High Reliability Patch"):
FHD/SH Video Bitrate: 41,000,000
H Video Bitrate: 24,000,000
L Video Bitrate: 16,000,000
Overall Bitrate: 43,000,000
Patches for Testers:
AVCHD Compression->Preset Bitrate: 180
AVCHD Compression->Preset Bitrate 2: 180


-shawn-

 

[Fool4UAnyway]

Only one type of footage allowed on the same SD Card

Only one type of footage allowed on the same SD Card

So now I have re-hacked the camera and entered the settings manually (the 40Mbps High Reliability settings), but also enabled the checkbox "PAL<->NTSC Menu" under "Movie related restrictions" in addition to all the other settings.

Now I can change the camera between PAL and NTSC... HOWEVER - when I try to record in PAL I get a message saying "No Additional Selections Can Be Made" and it won't let me record! I made sure my disk is clear, yet it still won't let me. It does let me record if I switch back to NTSC...

Any more suggestions?

Only one type of footage is allowed on the same SD Card. You find that you can record NTSC. Probably you did format the card when the camera was still in NTSC mode.

If you want to record PAL, you will have to either use another, PAL formatted, SD card (preferable if you want to shoot both types of footage), or format the SD card after switching to PAL mode.

 

[rambooc1]

L I get a message saying "No Additional Selections Can Be Made" and it won't let me record! I made sure my disk is clear, yet it still won't let me. It does let me record if I switch back to NTSC...

Any more suggestions?

-shawn-

After changing mode, power down the camera remove the battery/reinsert and then try again with a formatted card. That's the only way it will work for me.

 

[Shawn Storm]

After changing mode, power down the camera remove the battery/reinsert and then try again with a formatted card. That's the only way it will work for me.

Wow! What a pain in the ass.

Ok, so that worked for me. Yay! Thanks so much for helping me with this.. I would of never figured it out on my own! My peeps on the UK will be stoked.

-shawn-

 

[rambooc1]

Wow! What a pain in the ass.

Ok, so that worked for me. Yay! Thanks so much for helping me with this.. I would of never figured it out on my own! My peeps on the UK will be stoked.

-shawn-

Not really,it's not like you would be swapping PAL/NTSC every 5mins, maybe once a day.

 

[Shawn Storm]

Not really,it's not like you would be swapping PAL/NTSC every 5mins, maybe once a day.

I know.. its really not that bad. I am only going to use PAL when I do footage for certain projects so not a big deal. I was just surprised that we have to format the disk, power down the camera, etc.

Thanks again!

-shawn-