AVCHD high bitrate tests- MUD FREE footage

I wouldn't think it would matter one way or the other. Cineform is a frame-independent codec, and so it probably wouldn't be affected at all by the GoP structure of the underlying footage.

All my recordings have awful muddy first frames, and Cineform has always been a little bit dodgy with its first frames (like when removing 24p pulldown, it doesn't always start off right on the first frame).
 
Barry and Pappas,

Don't know if you guys are editing on a Mac or PC, but if it's on a Mac, may I suggest shooting 60i, leave the GOP at factory settings, and Log and Transfer into FCP and then use JES Deinterlacer to deinterlace the footage.

Been very pleased with the results of that so far.

But if you're editing on a PC, that path is not open.

Best,
-Tim
 
Barry_Green said:
All my recordings have awful muddy first frames, and Cineform has always been a little bit dodgy with its first frames (like when removing 24p pulldown, it doesn't always start off right on the first frame).
Click to expand...

I've had 2 GH1's and neither of them have ever recorded the first few frames as mud. Or are you saying that's strictly after a Neoscene transcode? I've been using FCP L&T and then Compressor for pulldown and never got the first few frames mud there either.
 
Here with Ptool firmware the first few frames appear unfocussed just playing back from the card in the camera or on the PC with Nero. Others have I think reported the same. As far as I can see that's something that Ptool causes regardless of how you later handle the footage. GH1 footage starts have always been a bit odd eg missing audio for the first second.
 
Hi All,
If this has been answered then feel free to let me know where.

I;ve previously used this patch to go from NTSC to Pal, and to go to English.
But would like to try the video quality settings, but my main concern is I still want to be able to play it back on the camera itself...

Is there a table or posting that lets you know what seetings if applied still let you view in through the camera (GH1)

Eg I want to do MJPEF E1 Quality (to be hones I just want MJPEG quality better, so not sure what one to use)

Also the A,B and C settings for AVCHD usnig Testers suggestions, and also using Native 24p/25p setting

Thanks
 
Barry_Green said:
I wouldn't think it would matter one way or the other. Cineform is a frame-independent codec, and so it probably wouldn't be affected at all by the GoP structure of the underlying footage.

All my recordings have awful muddy first frames, and Cineform has always been a little bit dodgy with its first frames (like when removing 24p pulldown, it doesn't always start off right on the first frame).
Click to expand...

Was wondering, good to know.. Thanks!
 
Ozpeter said:
Here with Ptool firmware the first few frames appear unfocussed just playing back from the card in the camera or on the PC with Nero. Others have I think reported the same. As far as I can see that's something that Ptool causes regardless of how you later handle the footage. GH1 footage starts have always been a bit odd eg missing audio for the first second.
Click to expand...

I just checked a bunch of my footage (factory and Ptool) and none of it has first frames like that. And that's with the kit lens and with my prime lenses. I checked a variety of shots. And I usually start with a slate on the first frame, so I'd notice something like that as I go through logging my shots.
 
Pehaps you are the kind of expert user who doesn't ever use autofocus, Mike - I confess that I do use it - could that be the difference between us?
 
Svart said:
There is a new check box that patches the firmware so that you don't have to increment the .bin number anymore. Once you apply the patch you can stay on GH1__133.bin forever if you want. This allows you to also go back to 132 if you need to.
Click to expand...
Really? Which box is this?
 
Ozpeter said:
Pehaps you are the kind of expert user who doesn't ever use autofocus, Mike - I confess that I do use it - could that be the difference between us?
Click to expand...

No. I typically use autofocus when I use the kit lens. The primes are manual though. Either way, I still haven't seen muddy or unfocused first frames in any shots.
 
Hmm. I get a second or two of focus hunting at the start of each shot (AF on, kit lens) regardless of Panasonic firmware or PTool. Maybe it's a setting, or I press the shutter straight down without prefocussing or something. Never mind.
 
I also use Cineform for the transcode, have never changed the GOP setting, but am not seeing any mud in first frames. I agree with Barry though, that for things like pulldown it always took neoscene a few frames to get in the swing of things.
 
PappasArts said:
Barry,

I'm using Cineform Neoscene, and I'm wondering isn't that tailored to 15Gop files from the GH1. If it's doing the reconstruction of the Mts to a quicktime, would that mix things up? Or does that not matter?

I notice that the first few frames of a cineform conversion have a mud look, then after that no more.


Here are my AVCHD settings that I'm trying today:
GOP - 12
52.000.000
55.000.000
65.000.000


Pappas
Click to expand...

Dear Pappas, I noticed that also the patched AVCHD footage straight out of the camera has a muddy look in the first few frames in high detailed scenes. I think this is because we have now more bandwidth on the p-frames, but not on the I-frames. As the cam seems to start with an I-frame, it takes a couple of p frames to push the image quality up.

Hence, you should also not compare on the camera LCD AVCHD vs. MJPEG, as the the cam seems to use the first I-frame as a thumbnail.

My 2 cents
 
Just tested the following settings with the .37d ptools:

Version compare patch
Language change
Battery check

MJPEG
420->422 sampling
Quality settings (E1 to E4) - 352, 220, 200, 184
Table settings (E1 to E4) - 24, 24, 24, 24

AVCHD
Video bitrate adjustment simplified - 48.000.000
Video bitrate adjustment H - 48.000.000
Video bitrate adjustment L - 48.000.000
Overall bitrate adjustment - 50.000.000
Limiting bitrate adjustment - 58.000.000

SDHC card: Transcend 16GB class 6

Indoor tests went fine without freezes.
Outdoor tests for MJPEG and 1080p AVCHD worked great, no freeze. My 720p AVCHD though stopped recording after 10-15sec. I am attaching a screenshot from one of the failed .mts. I wonder what's going on...

1276858212.jpg
 
Another thing I noticed with the 1080p video. The P-frames get a lot bigger than the I-frames as you can see from the attached screenshot. No freeze whatsoever... But i wonder if that's normal. There is also one dropped P-frame (or of extremely low size 1,152KB i think) in the beginning.

1276860589.jpg
 
Mud galore in that screen shot (bushes on the far side). Today I noticed something similar in some static camera tests in the garden in late afternoon. As the garden became shadowed and the high trees behind were still in bright sunlight, and there was a gusty wind waving bushes near the camera, the mud was really bad - slightly less so with "38/40/42" settings, but still very noticeable. Your shot above is a similar kind of example - lots of shadow and movement and the detail in the shadow falls apart.
 
The main problem is possibly the VBR algorithm. It takes some time to increase the bitrate when the details changes. During this time, the compression is too high for the detail in the scene and there is mud.
If we could use CBR or even better specify a minimum bitrate with allowance for spikes upto a max bitrate, this problem would be reduced if not eliminated.
 
GH1 Overheats, stops functioning after roughly 1 hour

GH1 Overheats, stops functioning after roughly 1 hour

Been using 2 GH1s for over a year now in a 'professional' environment. Both NTSC Jap imports used in UK. Recently discovered this firmware hack, tried the 'stable settings' with 'no problems' (1st post here). Yesterday whilst filming a stage show, both cameras on tripods using external power. After roughly 55 minutes one of the cameras stopped recording and shortly after so did the other. Pressing record again, only shot for a few seconds and stopped, then camera 'froze' and refused to function until power was disconnected. The 55 minute clip was intact and useable, luckily the show had just ended. Both cameras were very hot, and only worked again when coooled down. Memory card not an issue. Point is, as somebody elsewhere on these forums pointed out, it seems there is a trade-off for this hack, the camera does indeed overheat during extended recording (or at least that's the only explanation for this failure I can think of). Has anybody else tested these settigns for extended recording and found overheated GH1s failing to record? If not, watch out, this is a warning. I took a big risk using this hack for real work, now I know that there is no such thing as a 'free lunch'. BTW, one camera fixed had LCD on and Olympus 4/3 17mm 2.8, the one I was using on tripod I used viewfinder, with canon FD 135 2.5. Shooting 720p in PAL dropped to 25 fps AVCHD. The other thing I changed was Audio encoding bps to 448000 bps. Also no clips would play on camera, but I think this is down to audio bitrate?
 
Last edited:
jobless said:
Don't use Video Bitrate Adj 32000000 and Video Bitrate Adj Simp 32000000 together...
Go to first page and read first two posts.
Click to expand...

I don't see Video Bitrate Adj box in 3.36 but how was he able to use it? Didn't that one got removed in 3.36? Or Am I crazy?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top