Stable MJPEG and AVCHD settings
- Thread starter Vitaliy Kiselev
- Start date
Shawn Storm
Active member
Need Good MPEG Settings that Play in Camera
Need Good MPEG Settings that Play in Camera
Hi Martin,
I tried all the settings suggested in this thread and kept getting write errors. Then I tried your suggestions (above) and haven't gotten a write error yet (but haven't tested much), but also cannot view the video in camera.
Does anyone have any MPEG settings that will work for a SanDisk 8 Gig Class 10 card that will not have write errors and also let me play it in camera? I don't need super high bitrate. Anything decent is fine (maybe between 30-50Mbps?).
I usually shoot AVCHD 720p SH mode, but I often find myself in dark situations without extra lighting and since 720p SH footage dies under 60 fps, I am trying to have a decent MPEG setup to do 30 fps shots when in darker conditions.
Thanks for any help. By the way, I am using PTool 3.50d
-shawn-
Need Good MPEG Settings that Play in Camera
Hi Martin,
I tried all the settings suggested in this thread and kept getting write errors. Then I tried your suggestions (above) and haven't gotten a write error yet (but haven't tested much), but also cannot view the video in camera.
Does anyone have any MPEG settings that will work for a SanDisk 8 Gig Class 10 card that will not have write errors and also let me play it in camera? I don't need super high bitrate. Anything decent is fine (maybe between 30-50Mbps?).
I usually shoot AVCHD 720p SH mode, but I often find myself in dark situations without extra lighting and since 720p SH footage dies under 60 fps, I am trying to have a decent MPEG setup to do 30 fps shots when in darker conditions.
Thanks for any help. By the way, I am using PTool 3.50d
-shawn-
Shawn Storm
Active member
Re: Need good MPEG settings that play in camera
Re: Need good MPEG settings that play in camera
I actually found some stable MPEG settings provided by LPowell in a different post. I tried them out for a day and although the footage played in camera and was considerably smaller, I was not happy with the quality. I have now decided to deal with the "not playable in camera" issue so that I can have higher quality footage.
I am relatively happy with my current settings. I am using Martin's MPEG settings and Jobless' stable 720 AVCHD settings. So far no major issues (other than some strobing in flat/underexposed areas with AVCHD) and in general I am happy with the results. I am using AVCHD 720p for general purpose shooting and MPEG 720p for tricky scenes that break the AVCHD (but sparingly since the files sizes are HUGE and eat up my disk space very quickly).
Here is a recap of my current settings:
MJPEG:
E1 Quality 256
E1 Table 5
E2 Quality 220
E2 Table 5
E3 Quality 200
E3 Table 5
E4 Quality 184
E4 Table 5
AVCHD:
FHD/SH Video Bitrate: 38,000,000
H Video Bitrate: 38,000,000
Overall Bitrate: 40,000,000
-shawn-
Re: Need good MPEG settings that play in camera
I actually found some stable MPEG settings provided by LPowell in a different post. I tried them out for a day and although the footage played in camera and was considerably smaller, I was not happy with the quality. I have now decided to deal with the "not playable in camera" issue so that I can have higher quality footage.
I am relatively happy with my current settings. I am using Martin's MPEG settings and Jobless' stable 720 AVCHD settings. So far no major issues (other than some strobing in flat/underexposed areas with AVCHD) and in general I am happy with the results. I am using AVCHD 720p for general purpose shooting and MPEG 720p for tricky scenes that break the AVCHD (but sparingly since the files sizes are HUGE and eat up my disk space very quickly).
Here is a recap of my current settings:
MJPEG:
E1 Quality 256
E1 Table 5
E2 Quality 220
E2 Table 5
E3 Quality 200
E3 Table 5
E4 Quality 184
E4 Table 5
AVCHD:
FHD/SH Video Bitrate: 38,000,000
H Video Bitrate: 38,000,000
Overall Bitrate: 40,000,000
-shawn-
questions about stable settigns for MPEG - an dremoving banding in shadows
questions about stable settigns for MPEG - an dremoving banding in shadows
OK - I love the ability to shoot in low light and have a relatively inexpensive way to shoot with film lenses - Previously I have been using a movietube SLT with PL and Nikon mount with a HVX 200 - but loose so much light - and HVX small chips - that I have to use a lot of light to get the effect I want - I used probably three 2Ks and three 1ks for backlight (mostly aimed towards camera) and two 2ks and a one 1k for front light to get the cool club looking effect in a music video for example -
it is worse then shooting on film - which I would have been able to use half the light -
this is why I have been playing with HDSLR - but no matter how much I try (although greatly improved) - I still get this banding in the shadows that makes it unusable - the workaround has been to use more light and then in post use mattes - but it is the ability to shoot shadows and areas of dark that I am interested in - I have linked a photo (from a test mpeg movie) using available light shooting wide open at 1/30 sec - with the pancake lens the settings are basically the I stable settings I got from somewhere on this board - modified for 24 p = link to picture -<a href="http://ampfilmstudios.com/gh1">frame grab here </a>
So my question is about the compression in the frame grab both the shadows (upper right) and the worse part - the graduation from shadow to light (in the lower left) - does anyone have settings they can share with me that has been tested to work already - AND why not publicize and make available for down load the actual firmware? ALSO understand that they way many of you express your settings makes no sense to me - in some respects - I want compression that will give me great color - great image in low light - no noise and no banding - and no MUD - as u can see from the frame grab - I want better image -
Finally - there has been much mention of the A B C D E F etc = settings - yet I was only able to find downloads for I and J - where can I get the presets? or do I have to keep making them up (long process) - ??
version of ptool (3.50) patch using - lpowell - reliable in camera play back patch - 35 mbs mpeg - modified to use 24p =
BTW the MPEG is better at 35 mbs then the 40mbs AVCHD in this tyoe of shooting.
questions about stable settigns for MPEG - an dremoving banding in shadows
OK - I love the ability to shoot in low light and have a relatively inexpensive way to shoot with film lenses - Previously I have been using a movietube SLT with PL and Nikon mount with a HVX 200 - but loose so much light - and HVX small chips - that I have to use a lot of light to get the effect I want - I used probably three 2Ks and three 1ks for backlight (mostly aimed towards camera) and two 2ks and a one 1k for front light to get the cool club looking effect in a music video for example -
it is worse then shooting on film - which I would have been able to use half the light -
this is why I have been playing with HDSLR - but no matter how much I try (although greatly improved) - I still get this banding in the shadows that makes it unusable - the workaround has been to use more light and then in post use mattes - but it is the ability to shoot shadows and areas of dark that I am interested in - I have linked a photo (from a test mpeg movie) using available light shooting wide open at 1/30 sec - with the pancake lens the settings are basically the I stable settings I got from somewhere on this board - modified for 24 p = link to picture -<a href="http://ampfilmstudios.com/gh1">frame grab here </a>
So my question is about the compression in the frame grab both the shadows (upper right) and the worse part - the graduation from shadow to light (in the lower left) - does anyone have settings they can share with me that has been tested to work already - AND why not publicize and make available for down load the actual firmware? ALSO understand that they way many of you express your settings makes no sense to me - in some respects - I want compression that will give me great color - great image in low light - no noise and no banding - and no MUD - as u can see from the frame grab - I want better image -
Finally - there has been much mention of the A B C D E F etc = settings - yet I was only able to find downloads for I and J - where can I get the presets? or do I have to keep making them up (long process) - ??
version of ptool (3.50) patch using - lpowell - reliable in camera play back patch - 35 mbs mpeg - modified to use 24p =
BTW the MPEG is better at 35 mbs then the 40mbs AVCHD in this tyoe of shooting.
questions about stable settigns for MPEG - an dremoving banding in shadows
questions about stable settigns for MPEG - an dremoving banding in shadows
OK - I love the ability to shoot in low light and have a relatively inexpensive way to shoot with film lenses - Previously I have been using a movietube SLT with PL and Nikon mount with a HVX 200 - but loose so much light - and HVX small chips - that I have to use a lot of light to get the effect I want - I used probably three 2Ks and three 1ks for backlight (mostly aimed towards camera) and two 2ks and a one 1k for front light to get the cool club looking effect in a music video for example -
it is worse then shooting on film - which I would have been able to use half the light -
this is why I have been playing with HDSLR - but no matter how much I try (although greatly improved) - I still get this banding in the shadows that makes it unusable - the workaround has been to use more light and then in post use mattes - but it is the ability to shoot shadows and areas of dark that I am interested in - I have linked a photo (from a test mpeg movie) using available light shooting wide open at 1/30 sec - with the pancake lens the settings are basically the I stable settings I got from somewhere on this board - modified for 24 p = link to picture -<a href="http://ampfilmstudios.com/gh1">frame grab here </a>
So my question is about the compression in the frame grab both the shadows (upper right) and the worse part - the graduation from shadow to light (in the lower left) - does anyone have settings they can share with me that has been tested to work already - AND why not publicize and make available for down load the actual firmware? ALSO understand that they way many of you express your settings makes no sense to me - in some respects - I want compression that will give me great color - great image in low light - no noise and no banding - and no MUD - as u can see from the frame grab - I want better image -
Finally - there has been much mention of the A B C D E F etc = settings - yet I was only able to find downloads for I and J - where can I get the presets? or do I have to keep making them up (long process) - ??
version of ptool (3.50) patch using - lpowell - reliable in camera play back patch - 35 mbs mpeg - modified to use 24p =
BTW the MPEG is better at 35 mbs then the 40mbs AVCHD in this tyoe of shooting.
questions about stable settigns for MPEG - an dremoving banding in shadows
OK - I love the ability to shoot in low light and have a relatively inexpensive way to shoot with film lenses - Previously I have been using a movietube SLT with PL and Nikon mount with a HVX 200 - but loose so much light - and HVX small chips - that I have to use a lot of light to get the effect I want - I used probably three 2Ks and three 1ks for backlight (mostly aimed towards camera) and two 2ks and a one 1k for front light to get the cool club looking effect in a music video for example -
it is worse then shooting on film - which I would have been able to use half the light -
this is why I have been playing with HDSLR - but no matter how much I try (although greatly improved) - I still get this banding in the shadows that makes it unusable - the workaround has been to use more light and then in post use mattes - but it is the ability to shoot shadows and areas of dark that I am interested in - I have linked a photo (from a test mpeg movie) using available light shooting wide open at 1/30 sec - with the pancake lens the settings are basically the I stable settings I got from somewhere on this board - modified for 24 p = link to picture -<a href="http://ampfilmstudios.com/gh1">frame grab here </a>
So my question is about the compression in the frame grab both the shadows (upper right) and the worse part - the graduation from shadow to light (in the lower left) - does anyone have settings they can share with me that has been tested to work already - AND why not publicize and make available for down load the actual firmware? ALSO understand that they way many of you express your settings makes no sense to me - in some respects - I want compression that will give me great color - great image in low light - no noise and no banding - and no MUD - as u can see from the frame grab - I want better image -
Finally - there has been much mention of the A B C D E F etc = settings - yet I was only able to find downloads for I and J - where can I get the presets? or do I have to keep making them up (long process) - ??
version of ptool (3.50) patch using - lpowell - reliable in camera play back patch - 35 mbs mpeg - modified to use 24p =
BTW the MPEG is better at 35 mbs then the 40mbs AVCHD in this tyoe of shooting.
-<a href="http://ampfilmstudios.com/gh1">frame grab here </a>
correct link - and sorry for posting twice.
correct link - and sorry for posting twice.
Shawn Storm
Active member
FYI - You should be able to edit your posts to update info, so your three posts really only needed to be one (note that I edited this reply 2 times).
Regarding your desire for perfect footage, I am right there with you - however my time in this forum and doing personal experimentation has convinced me that the GH1 simply has limits and you have to learn to work with those limits. It is possible to get amazing footage with certain conditions and a good understanding of how to achieve the best results, but that can be quite the process.
Since I can't afford a better camera (like a RED or whatever), I am trying to stretch the limits of my GH1, but it can drive you crazy (as it has done to me). I will echo what other people in this forum have said before:
* Figure out the camera's strengths and weaknesses - then find various settings that work for what you are trying to accomplish (hack settings and otherwise).
* Avoid situations that cause known quality issues.
* Remember that Image Quality isn't everything. A well made video makes up for minor artifacts, a bit of mud, etc. Not many people are actually scrutinizing the pixels of your footage, most people are focused on the content instead. I am always amazed that the majority of people viewing my videos can't even see the IQ glitches unless I pause the video and point it out to them. It is just us quality freaks who are obsessed with maximum IQ that really notice.
And with all that said, I do wish I could find the perfect hack settings that give maximum IQ, minimal banding/mud, and won't freeze up my camera or suddenly stop in the middle of filming with read/write errors. The quest continues . . .
-Shawn-
Last edited:
Shawn Storm
Active member
I have been loving the 80mbps MJPEG footage, but there are a few things that challenge me about it:
1> It sucks up my 8 gig SD card like nobody's business. The file sizes are simply massive. If I had more income I would buy a handful of 16 gig cards and resolve this issue, but I guess that is for down the road.
2> Can't view the footage in camera. I have actually gotten kind of used to this so its not a huge deal.. but it is sometimes a bit of an annoyance.
I suppose the solution is to have a portable device that will play the footage and that has an SD card slot. I am sure something like this must exist? It might also be the solution to #1 above because then I don't need tons of SD cards (assuming I can use that same device to download the footage while reviewing it).3> It is 30fps as opposed to 29.97fps and since I assume I should stick to 29.97 for consistency, it seems like there are some slight conversion issues? Is this rational? Probably not.. I am assuming it ends up meaning that a frame gets dropped about every 33 frames? Does this do anything noticeable?
4> Movement has a very different feel to it, and I am not sure I like it. Or maybe I do? The jury is still out, but it is noticeably different than the AVCHD footage.
5> The colors and brightness are quite different. Perhaps it uses a different gamma than AVCHD? I notice that MJPEG footage is usually brighter - not sure if that is the actual raw footage or the way FCP is displaying it?
6> No 60 fps option (which I use a lot for slow mo)
7> Only 720p (which I am actually happy with.. I haven't even used 1080p on my camera yet).
Things I love about MJPEG:
1> Crisp and beautiful footage that looks much nicer to me than AVCHD.
2> No log and transfer necessary! Although I should probably transcode it to AIC or ProRes for editing since dropping the footage directly into FCP means having to re-render all the time.
3> No mud (that I have ever seen).
Sooo... I think I am starting to convince myself that I should ditch AVCHD and really focus on MJPEG. In fact, I might re-hack my camera such that AVCHD is left as unhacked, and start pushing up the bitrate for MJPEG to its max. Then I can use AVCHD when I need long takes that don't need high image quality and use the MJPEG in tandem with an external transfer/viewing device (please tell me it exists) and go to town.
The other day I had to reset my firmware to remove the hack because I was doing a project that involved 10-20 minute takes (I was filming a lecture) and I kept getting card write errors (first time for the past few months). I realized that the AVCHD quality level really isn't THAT different (at least with my current 44mbps settings) to the average person and its NOT worth the possibility that an error will happen right in the middle of an important take!
-Shawn-
Whether AVCHD is really better depends on what you're shooting. But there should be AVCHD settings that will give you an error-free experience imo. I've never had an issue with the reliable settings by lpowell. But caution is always needed as i've read stories here that definitely prove anything can go wrong at anytime
FYI - You should be able to edit your posts to update info, so your three posts really only needed to be one (note that I edited this reply 2 times).
THX
* Figure out the camera's strengths and weaknesses - then find various settings that work for what you are trying to accomplish (hack settings and otherwise).
* Avoid situations that cause known quality issues.
* Remember that Image Quality isn't everything. A well made video makes up for minor artifacts, a bit of mud, etc.
Yes - I understand - that is exactly what I was saying in my post I believe is understanding - however - what I am attracted to is the ability to shoot in low light situations with shadows and shafts of light - strangely enough the settings you shared about in mpeg - approximately 55 mbs - works much better - almost where I want to be -
additionally - using this camera for me has nothing to do with budget - it is soley the ability to have a small low light camera as a second camera that I can use all my nikon and pl mount lenses -
I will continue and get some tests up - for example some how I shot some incredible footage with one small candle as light source - it was great -
but when there are graduated areas to light and dark I get banding - and that means I have to light everything - and do the graduations in post -
that is OK too - but just trying to get the best settings for low light and high shadow shooting -
I was wondering if I could make a direct request - (GH1 - NTSC - shooting low light - areas of high shadow)
has anyone figured out settings for AVCHD 24 p - what is the highest quality - best compression - settings for AVCHD 24p
and what is the same for Mjpeg 60 p? and does anyone just have these settings as a set.ini file -
and why doesn't every just share the final firmware file?
has anyone figured out settings for AVCHD 24 p - what is the highest quality - best compression - settings for AVCHD 24p
and what is the same for Mjpeg 60 p? and does anyone just have these settings as a set.ini file -
and why doesn't every just share the final firmware file?
Shawn Storm
Active member
I have found that my current MJPEG settings work good in situations with lots of shadow - BUT only if you make sure that the exposure is set properly (right at zero or slightly above). Here are the settings:
MJPEG:
E1 Quality 256
E1 Table 5
E2 Quality 220
E2 Table 5
E3 Quality 200
E3 Table 5
E4 Quality 184
E4 Table 5
NOTE: With above settings, your footage will NOT play in the camera - but you can view a still image and the final histogram (which is handy).
-shawn-