I think, with Barry, that the launch of HyperDeck Shuttle 2 with DNxD 220 MB .mov wrapped footage gave us all what we needed. And since hacking the AF100 probably cannot unlock what is not there - real (not padded) 10 bits colour depth - the external SSD recorder gives us all the juice that we can hope to squeeze out of the AF100. Moreover, smaller, lighter, better external readers will appear on the market rather sooner than later. So in a foreseeable future, we might buy only camera heads with thunderbolt and/or HDSI ports and choose our preferred recording mode.
FINALLY!! AF100 HACK Pledge
- Thread starter dtzfilms
- Start date
tacotim
Well-known member
For me, an external recorder is not an option, The stuff i shoot requires me to be very mobile, nimble, and ready to shoot at the drop of a hat. I don't have time or space in my bag for another gadget. I'm also less interested in the codec improvement aspects of this hack idea and more interested in things like user definable curves / highlight handling. If we can match the highlight handling of the GH2 I'd be very pleased and consider it money well spent. Cheers to you DTZ for getting after this. Best of luck to you.
Brian@202020
Veteran
Custom color profiles are worth the hack. Would being able to shot P-Log be worth it?
Barry, you're absolutely right. There's an even cheaper alternative for a mere $249.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...PERD_PT_HyperDeck_Shuttle_Video_Recorder.html
These solutions do exist. We are aware of them.
The purpose here is possibly two fold. One, to see if we can improve internal recording. Two, to see if we cannot influence or at least widen the constriction on this trickle down technology collusion. Clearly, Panny could have made the AF100 come out with 4:2:2, 10-bit, AVC-Intra 50-100, possibly even 150Mbs for the "petrol heads" all recordable to SD cards. This whole campaign is beyond just the AF100 now, for some at least. The GH2 hack, I'm told, was more of a here: "'see what's possible' hack. They're lying to us." We're simply looking for the same with the AF100. So don't think we're not aware of external solutions. We are.
For now, I"m looking into finding alternatives to VK, just in case his response is unfavorable. There are many sites out there that have freelance engineers and programmers who will gladly bid for such a seismic project. There's more than one way to bone a pig. So again, PM me or email me, if you must - I'm in the dark here: before I set up this project on some of the bidding websites, what qualifications would a potential modifier have? Electronics Engineering? What? One person informed me of something similar happening to, I think it was a HV20 HV30 project? We could do the same. Put a team together and take this Improvement project to a fund-raising site. Again there are many out there. Kickstarter is old hat now, I'm told. But anyway, we still wait...
Cheers mate. You're much appreciated. This point is what people seem to miss. We know about the externals but they're not options for some of us.
No, they couldn't have. First, you probably wouldn't be happy with the 1440x1080 resolution of AVC-I @ 50Mbps. Second, the only SD card that can reliably record 100-150Mbps without failure (so far in my experience) is the newly released SanDisk 95MBps 64GB SD card (around $180-200).
It would be utterly stupid of Panasonic to release an AF-100 that can write to one, and currently only one, brand and model of SD card available (one that didn't exist when the AF-100 was released on top of that).
Will we see more high end codecs shooting to SD in the future? Probably. Give it 2-3 years from now.
I find two things interesting about your post. 1. How did you put up "Do not see the need to hack an AF100?" title on your post?
2. A firmware is on its way from panasonic that might turn it into a 50-100 Mbs, 4:2:2, 10-bit beast?
I'm always suspicious of single digit posters. Sleeper! Corporate spy! Plant! Kidding of course, but hmmmn. If something like that were on the way, I think Barry would know before you did and Barry doesn't ergo it's not coming, unless Barry's been sworn to secrecy. I know we'd all love to see that! A firmware update like that would be seismic!
Good point, Sir Gary Huff. LOL! I posted with full knowledge of what you wrote here about the availability of cards and I extrapolated, with trickle-down technology in mind, that the card could have been made available. Anyway, here's where I need enlightening - what's AVC-Intra 50Mbs compared to the 24Mbs that we currently have? Is our 24Mbs better? Silly me, I'm thinking AVC-Intra 50 is better than what we currently have. Enlighten me, because I'm dead happy with my 24Mbs for my current needs. I'd only need more for larger projects. So enlighten me, why would I not be happy with AVC-Intra 50 - is it worse? (Not tongue in cheek, nor is this a rhetorical question) Is it worse?
PS
I have two of those Sandisk 64Gb 95Mbs cards.
Cards have been available at half that speed and space before. 32GB 45Mbs?
This just happens to be the fastest for now.
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If you had read my original post instead of just skimming it, you would have seen that I gave you the answer:
So, there you have it. The resolution of 50Mbps is 1440x1080 (like HDV) not full-raster 1920x1080.
And they don't work for keeping up the write speed necessary to write out video at 100Mbps and above and for maintaining that bitrate whilst also starting a second video stream at the same bitrate for spanning (i.e. not stopping once the FAT32 file size limit is reached). Unless you're okay with 12 minute record times and write errors at random times in a $5000 camera.
I didn't skim, Gary. I probably didn't understand. Okay, back up, explain this to me like I'm a 5 year old, because I might just be. The AF100 currently shoots at 24Mbs, if that were bumped up to 50Mbs it'd be worse?
And yeah, clever bollocks, I see you didn't address this: "Good point, Sir Gary Huff. LOL! I posted with full knowledge of what you wrote here about the availability of cards and I extrapolated, with trickle-down technology in mind, that the card could have been made available." lol. Not so clever now, are we? hahahaha!
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You keep changing what question you are asking. So you need to calm down and decide just what it is you want to know. Do you want to know why the AF-100 doesn't shot AVC-Intra to SD cards, or why Panasonic won't make AVCHD's bitrate 50Mbps? Both have already been answered, and you either just cannot comprehend the answers in front of you or are trolling and I don't know which.
Okay, I think I'm getting this - AVCHD 24Mbs is better than AVC-Intra 50? Now I understand. Jeez, no wonder you're getting testy! Sorry, mate.
You don't need to get personal, mate. I'll get someone with a level head to explain to me. Cheers, have a good day.
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No, but they have done the next best thing -- they've updated the AVC-Ultra spec to include LongG, a 25- to 50-Mbps, 10-bit, 4:2:2 long-GOP profile. I'd be a little surprised if it didn't show up on a product announced at NAB. Unfortunately, I don't think it supports 1080p60, but I could be wrong about that.
Oh yeah, I had forgotten about AVC-Ultra. Yeah, they have changed the specs to get those higher bitrate, Long GOP codecs that will work on the newer variety of SD cards without being overly ridiculous (like AVC-Intra 100MBps 10-bit 4:2:2 on a Sandisk Class 10 35MBps card that simply wouldn't be reliable).
But Panasonic's release of the AVC-Ultra spec came after the AF-100, so you'll probably see some implementation of that in the next AF/AG models.
But Panasonic's release of the AVC-Ultra spec came after the AF-100, so you'll probably see some implementation of that in the next AF/AG models.
Mate, you sound distraught. Everything is open to interpretation. You said I wouldn't be happy with AVC-Intra 50Mbs when I'm happy with AVCHD 24Mbs, so it stands to reason that I ask that question. But never mind, mate. If you cannot be civil, please excuse yourself. I'd rather be in the dark than be insulted. I can simply ask Barry to explain and he'll do it kindly without condescension.