I was having a discussion with a friend and we recalled hearing in the past something like shooting 4k 422 can be compressed down to 2k 444 and the color depth will be the same as if it was shot in 2k 444 to begin with. Can anyone speak to this on a technical level (not just yes it does, no it doesn't)? Ideally provide sources. Thanks!
C300: C300 Mark II - 4k 422 to 2k 444?
- Thread starter mizzar
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NorBro
Major Contributor
This is a chicken or egg debate...lots of fierce conversations about this here and other places.
There was one solid, long thread about it here somewhere, but I unfortunately don't remember what it was called. Might have been in one of the DVX200 threads when the camera was first released. Lots of inputs/opinions/theories.
There was one solid, long thread about it here somewhere, but I unfortunately don't remember what it was called. Might have been in one of the DVX200 threads when the camera was first released. Lots of inputs/opinions/theories.
seanarmada
Well-known member
From what I understand 2k 444 can be scaled up to 4k quite successfully. A few people here have screened such footage and said it holds up really nicely.
I tend to stick to 2k 444 most of the time as it is clearly the sweet spot for the C300 MKII. The 4k codec eats up my cfast cards crazy quick. The 2k 444, at half the bitrate, is the more logical choice if I had to upscale.
I tend to stick to 2k 444 most of the time as it is clearly the sweet spot for the C300 MKII. The 4k codec eats up my cfast cards crazy quick. The 2k 444, at half the bitrate, is the more logical choice if I had to upscale.
Due to noise and effective dithering, you'll get 2K 444 and also greater than 8 bits per pixel (again, from averaging noise to create variance, which helps reduce banding). See also: http://www.shutterangle.com/2014/shooting-4k-video-for-2k-delivery-bitdepth-advantage/ . This exercise also shows why 4K really needs more than 4K to truly capture 4K (5.7 - 8K for best results re: max real detail and minimum aliasing).
The C300 II provides 2K 444 *RGB* 12-bit (vs. YUV, which is another form of quality-loss vs. RGB and RAW: https://discoverybiz.net/enu0/faq/faq_YUVbyBreeze_test_00.html ), which when compression doesn't cause issues gives RAW-like latitude in post. For my relatively simple web-target usage, I haven't found 12-bit RGB to provide visually significant better results vs. 10-bit 422 YUV. With low motion & green screen, even the 50Mbps IPB option is fine for web targets. If doing extreme grading and/or shooting blue sky, there will be definite benefits for 12-bit. So it helps to have this option even if only using it occasionally.
The C300 II provides 2K 444 *RGB* 12-bit (vs. YUV, which is another form of quality-loss vs. RGB and RAW: https://discoverybiz.net/enu0/faq/faq_YUVbyBreeze_test_00.html ), which when compression doesn't cause issues gives RAW-like latitude in post. For my relatively simple web-target usage, I haven't found 12-bit RGB to provide visually significant better results vs. 10-bit 422 YUV. With low motion & green screen, even the 50Mbps IPB option is fine for web targets. If doing extreme grading and/or shooting blue sky, there will be definite benefits for 12-bit. So it helps to have this option even if only using it occasionally.