GH5 Panasonic equivalent to Sonys Catalyst Browse

I got it once for a project that required mass conversion from progressive to interlaced and the client paid for it.
I do agree that Panasonic would be wise to develop a catalyst type of software. Clients often complain they can’t screen the 10bit footage outside of their NLE‘s requiring me to convert everything to prorez with Sony icould just have them download a free version of catalyst. So yeah Dough def. has a point.
 
You may want to suggest that your clients use Catalyst Browse. It doesn't show very much metadata for Panasonic files but it does work quite well as a viewer for all kinds of footage, including 10-bit Panasonic files. It will even transcode to dozens of different codecs, resolutions, and framerates. Not sure about interlaced, though. I haven't touched any interlaced footage since 2006 when I retired my Betacam and went HD. :)
 
I tried to get them to go progressive all the way down the pipeline and then convert the final to 50i for broadcast but they were too retarded. I needed a fast solution and Kyno lets you batch convert into XDCAMHD interlaced so I just got that. good info on catalyst and Panasonic files I never checked if that works.

QUOTE=Doug Jensen;1986812167]You may want to suggest that your clients use Catalyst Browse. It doesn't show very much metadata for Panasonic files but it does work quite well as a viewer for all kinds of footage, including 10-bit Panasonic files. It will even transcode to dozens of different codecs, resolutions, and framerates. Not sure about interlaced, though. I haven't touched any interlaced footage since 2006 when I retired my Betacam and went HD. :)[/QUOTE]
 
Command line, but scriptable -

ffmpeg -i myclip.mov -f ffmetadata metainfo.txt

Example GH5 output:

;FFMETADATA1
major_brand=qt
minor_version=537986816
compatible_brands=qt pana
com.panasonic.Semi-Pro.metadata.xml=<?xml version\="1.0" encoding\="UTF-8" standalone\="no" ?>\
<ClipMain xmlns:xsi\="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns\="urn:schemas-Professional-Plug-in:Semi-Pro:ClipMetadata:v1.0">\
<ClipContent>\
<GlobalClipID>060A2B340101010501010D21130000009FB55345B0641334601E1060B8D60030</GlobalClipID>\
<Duration>168</Duration>\
<EditUnit>1/24</EditUnit>\
<EssenceList>\
<Video>\
<Codec BitRate\="150">H264_422_LongGOP</Codec>\
<ActiveLine>2160</ActiveLine>\
<ActivePixel>4096</ActivePixel>\
<BitDepth>10</BitDepth>\
<FrameRate>24p</FrameRate>\
<TimecodeType>NonDrop</TimecodeType>\
<StartTimecode>02:15:47:12</StartTimecode>\
</Video>\
<Audio>\
<Channel>2</Channel>\
<SamplingRate>48000</SamplingRate>\
<BitsPerSample>16</BitsPerSample>\
</Audio>\
</EssenceList>\
<ClipMetadata>\
<Rating>0</Rating>\
<Access>\
<CreationDate>2019-10-23T16:17:04-05:00</CreationDate>\
<LastUpdateDate>2019-10-23T16:17:04-05:00</LastUpdateDate>\
</Access>\
<Device>\
<Manufacturer>Panasonic</Manufacturer>\
<ModelName>DC-GH5</ModelName>\
</Device>\
<Shoot>\
<StartDate>2019-10-23T16:17:04-05:00</StartDate>\
</Shoot>\
</ClipMetadata>\
</ClipContent>\
<UserArea>\
<AcquisitionMetadata xmlns\="urn:schemas-Professional-Plug-in:p2:CameraMetadata:v1.0">\
<CameraUnitMetadata>\
<Gamma>\
<CaptureGamma>CINELIKE_D</CaptureGamma>\
</Gamma>\
<Gamut>\
<CaptureGamut>BT.709</CaptureGamut>\
</Gamut>\
</CameraUnitMetadata>\
</AcquisitionMetadata>\
</UserArea>\
</ClipMain>\

encoder=Lavf58.33.100
 
Panasonic was the first company to ever offer such software with the venerable P2 Viewer. Panasonic does not offer a player for these files as they are a consortium standard as opposed to a codec that is proprietary to Panasonic. In other words, if you develop a proprietary codec then the onus is on you to offer a player of those files, but if you use an agreed upon format shared by multiple companies than that’s not the case.

As for the issue of 10-bit 422 files not playing in the free version of Resolve, this is hardly limited to Panasonic. This affects several manufacturers and their formats and of course BMD can do as it sees fit from a business standpoint. The paid version is only $299.

About what metadata is recorded by the GH5, I honestly don’t know as it is not a product I deal with directly. Please check with our support & service dept.
 
Mitch Gross said:
Please check with our support & service dept.
Click to expand...

Does anyone else get a sinking feeling when it’s suggested they ask LUMIX support anything more complicated than how to insert a battery? I’m not sure about the USA, but the European lot are advising on domestic products and know literally nothing useful about the professional use of GH cams. Try talking to them about issues with a paid-for V Log license. I had to give up in the end.

Ben.
 
For what it's worth, I have a utility program called "Convert V6" that will read 4:2:2 10-bit files from the GH5. In addition, Convert V6 lets me look at pages and pages of metadata recorded by the GH5, including things like the angle at which the camera is held at -- there is no question that the GH5 saves lots of metadata. Finding a convenient way to look at the metadata seems to be the problem.

Which brings me back to Convert V6. In addition to letting you see extensive metadata, it will also convert 10-bit 4:2:2 files to a variety of other formats, including ProRes. I just tested it last night and it took at least 15 minutes to convert an 86-second 10-bit 4:2:2 file to ProRes standard, which I could then edit with using the free version of DaVinci Resolve I have on my computer. However, Convert V6 is quirky, and it is not always obvious how to convert files or look at metadata. It does do it, and if you use it often enough, it will become familiar. But you will scratch your head the first couple times you use it.

Convert V6 is shareware and is ostensibly free, but I paid the developer $5 (which he refers to as "Just Testing"). Here's the link to its site: https://hdcinematics.com/wnorton/2017/10/16/v6-intro/
 
Try doing that conversion with Catalyst Browse. I'll bet it does it faster than real time or close to it. Catalyst isn't freeware but it is free.
 
Doug Jensen said:
Try doing that conversion with Catalyst Browse. I'll bet it does it faster than real time or close to it. Catalyst isn't freeware but it is free.
Click to expand...

Doug, on your strong endorsement, I downloaded Catalyst Browse and kicked the tires. Sadly, it is super buggy on my HP (Win 10) computer that has also struggled to run other programs. With HD material, I got Catalyst Browse to play the file some of the time. With 4K material, it crashes every time after playing a second or two. (I tried 8-bit 4:2:0, 10-bit 4:2:2 and 400 Mbps All-I files... all crashed.) There is something about Panasonic video files that this HP computer doesn't like. I sometimes use Corel VideoStudio editing software, but stopped using it when I got this HP computer (four years ago) when VideoStudio randomly crashed when editing Panasonic video files -- both HD and 4K. That's when I started using DaVinci Resolve. VideoStudio will edit non-Panasonic files all day with no problem... I edited most of a short film on the HP using VideoStudio, but the short film was shot on a Sony Camera. Once I started editing in scenes I shot on my Panasonic cameras, VideoStudio started crashing.

Long way to go to say that Catalyst Browse will not run on my computer. I'm sure it's the ghost in my crappy HP... I will not buy another.
 
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