GH2 Best format for Web and DVD - 720p60?

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xocomil

Well-known member
I 'm starting work on a short film for an NGO using my newly acquired GH2 (hacked). There will be some locked off interview/beauty shots, as well as some slow pans/tilts, and a fair bit of handheld as well (using monopod or gorillapod for a bit of support). Delivery will be on web upload, DVD and .mov file for projection. I'm tempted to shoot 720p60 at 32mb settings, as I've read this gives good motion and image quality. Plus 720p60 is good for web delivery, and, from what I've read, for DVD authoring.Thoughts from those in the know?
 
720p60 is great for DVD. It is not the best for web delivery as 60fps is a lot for people to play over the internet. But, 720p60 is very versitile as you can easily convert it to 24 or 30p in post. I shoot a lot in this format and have come to see 1080p as overkill in many cases.
 
Thanks Bassman. 720p60 looks so smooth!! and at 32mbt I don't see much of a difference between it and my GH13 shooting 1080p at 40mbt.
 
On the rare times i put GH2 footage to DVD the quality loss is extreme as to be expected as DVD is less than mini dv quality ,so i cant see the mtb matters,frame rate smoothness possibly.
 
Thanks Flinty. Final output is for both DVD and a .mov (which could then be projected, connected to HDTV, etc), as well as internet uploading. Seems like 720p60 is the way to go. Please let me know if you feel otherwise (and why of course).Cheers
 
On my set up DVDs made from my GH2 the sharpness resolution looks identical on all the 3 recording modes,720 would be best if slow motion is needed,but for my personal discs i use blu ray and only make dvd for relatives and friends.
 
720p60 is good for sports or any high motion scene. Also good for turning the footage into slow motion. However, 720p60 gives the "video-ish" look. So if you are making a documentary or film, 720p60 is not a good option.

DVD won't support 720p. Your encoder will change it into 480i30.
 
I've found that 1080p25 - what I've shot for HD broadcast in the past - can look too choppy with motion. I know I know, it's all about knowing the filmmakers camera moves ... but when you're a self shooter who can't always afford to shoot on sticks or some elaborate shoulder rig or a steady cam stabilizer, having smoother motion is nice (even if it doesn't have the motion of 24p).

Taky - what would you suggest?
 
It really depends on what you are making. If you intent to have slow motion, or any high motion sports, go with 50p or 60p. Otherwise, 24p/25p/30p would be good.
 
Hmm. I think I actually prefer the motion of 50/60p to 24/25p. Again, might be different with job/dolly shots on a set, but with real world shoots with real world people doing real world things, I find (with my filming anyway) that 24/25p can be a bit too stuttery.

Just my opinion of course.
 
If you shoot 50p/60p, you final result will be video-ish. With bad camera work, it will look cheap like home made video. That's the thing you have to put into consideration. 24p/25p gives a rich expensive film look.
 
Taky said:
If you shoot 50p/60p, you final result will be video-ish. With bad camera work, it will look cheap like home made video. That's the thing you have to put into consideration. 24p/25p gives a rich expensive film look.
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This is an asinine statement. Capture frame rate is everything in slow motion. The faster the frame rate the faster the shutter can be. You want the fastest frame rate you can possibly get for good slow motion.

Right now 1080p @ 60 FPS is the highest consumer HD goes to. However, the 720p @ 60 FPS of a hacked GH2 probably has the same resolvable resolution of most of the current 1080p @ 60 FPS solutions.

1080p @ 24 FPS is not a good choice for slow motion. 24 FPS requires 1/50[SUP]th[/SUP] of a second shutter which will show motion blur. If you can’t get 120 FPS or more then 60 FPS will work. 24 FPS will not.

There is nothing good about the Filmic look. It is just that we are so used to it that everything else looks different. If films were originally shot in 60p or 120p you would never have even considered using 24p.
 
cheap home made videos from 50P/,thats a matter of opinion also 24P is crap in pal areas and 25P fine but lets not forget DVD is little better than SVHS.
 
mpgxsvcd said:
There is nothing good about the Filmic look. It is just that we are so used to it that everything else looks different. If films were originally shot in 60p or 120p you would never have even considered using 24p.
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I'm not a big 24p person. I shoot weddings at 30p. However, 24p is just not only 24 frames per second. It was designed in a way to an alternative to film. It delivers the filmic look. It is also exactly what people get used to it that audience perceive it as film. If someone is making a film, he or she wants the audience to feel they are watching a film, but not a home made video (that were shot in 60i).
 
Taky said:
I'm not a big 24p person. I shoot weddings at 30p. However, 24p is just not only 24 frames per second. It was designed in a way to an alternative to film. It delivers the filmic look. It is also exactly what people get used to it that audience perceive it as film. If someone is making a film, he or she wants the audience to feel they are watching a film, but not a home made video (that were shot in 60i).
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Only to have it ruined by factory default settings and a 120Hz TV. Even though I have shot almost entirely 24p since I got my DVX-100 in 2005, this argument is increasingly silly every day. Shoot in every setting your camera does. Shoot inside, outside, motion and static. Look at the footage and decide what look is right for your individual project. Me personally, I shot a High School State football championship (focused on one teams cheerleaders) last year and have been cursing my decision to use 60p. It looks like a soap opera. To make it in this business you need to know your equipment in and out and you need to trust your instincts. Go with what works best for you.
 
Well said! You have to know your audience and the kind of project will be working on. Try different settings to see which result you like the best.
 
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