Sanity 4 - UNBELIEVABLE PERFORMANCE!

R

Ralph B

Well-known member
I'm starting a new thread because this is something really special.

Here is the new version of Sanity for firmware 1.1. What makes this special is:

*Picture Quality - across-the-board, no-compromise, high quality images in all modes: 24P, HBR, 1080i and 720p. And all at very modest bitrates. There are improvements in all modes. 720p is especially notable because I have successfully got B-frames working in it, and it makes a huge difference.

*Stability - I hate write errors - hate em', hate em', hate em'. Sanity 4 is rock stable. I use Sandisk 30M Class 10 cards and have not had any write errors in any mode, including ETC. Of course, your milage may vary, but I hope not.

*Spanning - Sanity now spans in 24L, FH, SH & H mode.

*Samples - I've uploaded a zip file containing four raw MTS files, which show the same scene in 24P, HBR-30P, 1080i60 and 720p60. The shutter speed was set to 1/2000 sec, to really torture the codec. Even if you're a confirmed intra-junkie, you owe it to yourself to check this out. You just might be amazed.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/9j72rc

NOTE: When downloading from Sendspace, click the button that says "Click here to start download from sendspace". Do not click anything else.

Also, be sure to check Sam Mallery's website for excellent instructions on how to apply the hack.

http://www.sam-mallery.com/2011/11/an-ez-guide-to-hacking-the-panasonic-gh2/


UPDATE: SANITY 5

Sanity 5 is a significant update based on an unexpected discovery. I found a way to increase image quality and at the same time lower the bitrate. Sounds incredible, but it's true. Typical bitrates will be about twice stock. I applied this technique to all shooting modes - 24P, 720P 1080i and HBR. Sanity 5 works for both NTSC and PAL. There is only one version. Try it. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised, if not outright amazed at the quality.

*************************************************************************************

UPDATE: SANITY 5.1

Sanity 5.1 is an important update that fixes a problem where on rare occassions, the image could severly break up. This update is highly recommended.
Details are here: http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthrea...MANCE!&p=1986256311&viewfull=1#post1986256311
 

Attachments

  • Sanity 5.1.zip
    994 bytes · Views: 2
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Thanks Ralph - I've been a big fan of Sanity since I hacked my camera last month. Can't wait to try out the latest!
 
Hi Ralph,

What is better, the old sanity or this new one? I still have the old patch for the old firmware. I never changed it because I really like the stability.
If there are no difference from the old patch using the old firmware then I may just use the old one instead. I am thinking they are the same thing
but this one has support for the new HBR mode.
 
@cam123
The only way to answer your question is to ask what modes do you shoot in? If you use mostly 24P, then there's really no reason to change. But if you shoot a lot of 720P or 1080i, then you might want to consider the new version. Actually, I have a version of Sanity 4 for firmware 1.0. I didn't post it because I thought no one would be interested. But if you like, I could. That way, if you want to go back to 3.1, you won't lose your custom settings, which would happen when you go from firmware 1.1 back to 1.0.
 
I use 720p from time to time. I guess it's time to upgrade now to Sanity 4 - Firmware 1.1.
All your work is very much appreciated Ralph. I hope you continue to do this because it helps us a lot.

In cineform there is this checkbox, "Deinterlace 1080i and DV Sources"
I tried to convert 1080i for slomo but it became "29.970 fps progressive" instead after conversion.
I am expecting it to be like 59.94 progressive. What is the proper way of converting this 1080i for 60p slomo?

I am thinking if this is right, in vegas open a 1920x1080 59.94 progressive project.
Then disable resample and apply Yadif to deinterlace.
Then export the footage as 59.94 progressive.
Open vegas again for a 24p project then drop the 59.94 progressive footage for a good slomo.
Does this make sense or just use 720p and be done with it?
 
Unless I'm missing something, I don't see any way for the Vegas version of Yadif to export 59.94P.
You can definitely convert 1080 29.97i to 59.94P using Yadif in Avisynth and rendering it out in Virtualdub. I do it all the time. And yes, you could then bring it into Vegas, or whatever, as 23.976P. It will give better quality than 720p, but it is a lot of steps to go through. Only you can decide whether it's worth it or not.
 
My first test with Sanity V4:


Details are in the video description on Vimeo.

FYI, I'm really liking this patch! Thanks Ralph!

Tony
 
though i like what i am seeing out of the camera, im more on the 60p side and it stops recording at around 6 seconds. im using the sandisk 30m class 10. at first it really does not record at all, it appears on the monitor that it stops motion recording because the card is bla bla bla. :) I need the 720 60 because I use the cam for the glidecam.
 
@MTS
Out of curiousity, what ISO are you using when you get these freezes? And what lens are you using?
 
@MTS
I have a Pana 20mm and I have not been able to reproduce your problem. I threw my worst death charts at it, and it passed without a hitch.
What type of subject matter are you shooting? Is this a rare occurance, or is it happening consistantly?

Here's some things to try:

Verify that you're in NTSC mode, not PAL.
Reformat the card.
Try a different card.
Try shooting in H mode instead of SH.
 
SANITY 4.1

Here is an update for SANITY with vastly improved stability for the PAL version. This sucker is STABLE. In fact, so stable that I was able to raise the data rate in FSH/SH mode to 36M. So, there's better picture quality, too.

I've also updated the NTSC version, although there was nothing wrong with version 4.0. I simply applied some of the things I learned from the PAL version, to make it even more stable. Call it preventative maintenence.

Again, what SANITY is about is top picture quality is ALL shooting modes with reasonable data rates and 100% reliability.
 

Attachments

  • SANITY 4.1 PAL.zip
    721 bytes · Views: 1
  • SANITY 4.1 NTSC.zip
    725 bytes · Views: 0
Thanks for the hack. I tried and it works great for all movie modes except for 24P. When I shoot in that mode and try to play back directly from SD card on my PS3 I get very choppy/jittery playback. And only in this mode. In FSH or HBR mode everything is fine. My shutter speed is 1/50 so don't know what is going on. Thanks
 
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