http://www.personal-view.com/talks/categories/hack-archives/p13/feed.rss Tue, 14 May 24 18:50:30 +0000 Archives en-CA http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/1377/meta-data-in-avchd Sun, 06 Nov 2011 22:48:40 +0000 disneytoy 1377@/talks/discussions
I end up shooting a bunch of tests and later can't evaluate the variables.

Thanks

Max]]> http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/1357/gh2-hack-not-working-solved Thu, 03 Nov 2011 23:56:18 +0000 ycabrera 1357@/talks/discussions
So here's what I did:

Prep:

1. Downloaded pTools 3.62D
2. Downloaded base firmware
3. Grabbed Driftwood patch

Process:

(I first preformatted the card in-camera)

1. I open pTools 3.62
2. I load base firmware.
3. I choose setting "B"
4. I save firmware as GH2_V11.bin (original GH2_V10.bin)
5. I load SD card with bin file in root directory.
6. I press playback button.
7. I get "No Valid Image to Display."

When I did the same thing with my GH1, I would get the prompt if I wanted to version up.

Any thoughts?]]> http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/1349/is-every-lumix-g2s-are-hackable Thu, 03 Nov 2011 15:08:45 +0000 jamesjay 1349@/talks/discussions http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/1340/best-settings-for-safe-spanning Wed, 02 Nov 2011 22:45:02 +0000 raizman 1340@/talks/discussions http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/1339/hdmi-monitor-hack-question Wed, 02 Nov 2011 22:34:23 +0000 cazzzidy 1339@/talks/discussions
My question is - can I successfully record 1080p24 to a card while shooting with an HDMI monitor? I've read accounts of the card output being unusable when the HDMI port is active.

Thanks!

Cassidy]]> http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/1236/gf2-hack Thu, 20 Oct 2011 22:17:10 +0000 tbrown13 1236@/talks/discussions http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/1319/remapping-buttons-on-gh1 Mon, 31 Oct 2011 13:26:20 +0000 donf 1319@/talks/discussions
tks
Don]]> http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/1002/official-low-gop-topic-series-2 Wed, 21 Sep 2011 15:06:45 +0000 Vitaliy_Kiselev 1002@/talks/discussions
Previous part see at:
http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/421/official-low-gop-topic]]> http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/1277/gh2-ptools-and-hack-trouble-cant-save-firmware- Tue, 25 Oct 2011 10:37:44 +0000 evagilliam 1277@/talks/discussions ]]> http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/1234/no-valid-picture-to-play-cant-load-hack Thu, 20 Oct 2011 15:29:44 +0000 veronica 1234@/talks/discussions
I´ve cheked increment value to 10 and can´t install, I´ve put 1 and nothing.
I´ve formatted my card and nothing.

Can somebody heeelp me]]> http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/1169/20-megabyte-a-second-setting Thu, 13 Oct 2011 07:16:02 +0000 Ausboy 1169@/talks/discussions
http://www.henryolonga.net/Blog/?p=1893

Sorry but on the road for a few days so may be slow to respond. All the detail is on my blog. Dunno how to upload file here so if someone wants to download it and add it that would be great. In summary.................


Folks,

Once in a while a revolution occurs that sets up the little guys for success. For sooooo long it has impossible to get a combination of an affordable large sensor camera that is; good in low light, that has minimal aliasing, that has a great codec, that has interchangeable lenses, that is convenient enough to put in your pocket, that is small enough to shoot without attracting attention etc. That is until the GH2 came along. But oh the codec – what a disappointment. Although it was 24 Mb/sec AVCHD those of us who were used to HDMI capture were never satisfied. Mud, compression artifacts and poor colour grading potential. UNTIL NOW!!!!!

A well known hacker in the GH2 community called Vitaliy permitted me to be part of the HDMI beta testing team but it became clear that in camera recording was so much more convenient and recquired fewer tricks. So……….. I tweaked and tweaked until I came up with a patch that gives all wanna be indie movie makers quality that they only dreamed of months ago IMHO. This patch will in most cases give you sustained 20 megabytes a second data. That is close to Cineform data rates. In fact conversion to Cineform has a similiar data rate. Stock up on SD cards and batteries – your gonna love it!!!!! I have 6 now as the average data rate will be about 1,2 Gigabytes a minute. If the files do not span that means an average take of 3 and a bit minutes. You need the Class 10 Sandisk extreme 30 MB/sec cards HD Video. Avoid UHS1 cards for now. No real issues as far as stability goes as long as you follow the simple rules. Use manual lenses or use your Panansonic micro four thirds lenses in Manual mode and focus prior to shooting.

If you are interested in colour grading with Cineform looks check out my post here and I have included some free looks.

Thank you Vitaliy. YOU ROCK!!!!!

Ladies and Gentlemen. I Present to you the Holy Grail of independent movie making…………….. the Henry Olonga Holy Grail patch for the GH2

ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

]]> http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/1192/absolute-beginners Sat, 15 Oct 2011 13:02:44 +0000 rbna 1192@/talks/discussions
I'm opening a new thread here as I realize that much of the basic information for absolute GH2 hacking beginners is quite hard to find in this forum (going through this right now myself), and even the "Basics and Beginners" forum preassumes some knowledge that, entering this field, again is hard to find.

I would like to compile a baisc guide with procedures and definitions, and grow it as we go along. I (and beginners like me) would be very endebted to you verterans if you could look over these postings and let us know if the assumptions are indeed correct.

If you guys "greenlight" the information (and/or add to it / correct it), we can then file on it, make it more specific, and even more user friendly.

I realize that much of this must be a kindergarden excersise for most of you… but please, do help us to grow up!

And: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR WORK!

___

Here is the first set of what I believe to have understood - please to have your way with it!:

(1)
The GH2 Firmware v1.0E is the current hack for the GH2 firmware. It allows to change bitrate settings (that are fixed in the factory settings), as well as other manipulations that Panasonic locked in their version.

(2)
A "patch" is a specially formatted text document (ending with .ini) that contains a unique set of user-defined bitrate and other settings. Many creative useres on this forum have been extensively playing around with the numbers in these settings, trying to find a balance between stability (i.e. no crashes, freezes, drops etc.) and highest possible image quality - sometimes knowingly sacrificing some of one to benefit the other.

(3)
The "PTool v3.62d" is a Windows based software that lets you load the hacked GH2 Firmware v1.0E and marry it with a patch that you may select. The PTool will create a new firmware package, called something like "GH2_V11.bin", which can be loaded into the camera via an SC card through a special procedure.

(4)
In order to use a different bitrate setting, one needs to use a different patch, and hence go back into the PTool, load another patch, output a new .bin firmware, and load that into the camera via the SC card again.
Hence, within one firmware, one cannot switch between different patches, or settings. Once uploaded into the camere, ther is exactly one 24H setting, on 24L setting and so forth one can use. To use a different bitrate, one has to go through the PTool process again.
Alternatively, one could just get a few cheap 2GB or so SD cards, and load a different firmware/patch on each one. This way, in the field new patches could be loaded at liberty, without the need of a computer or going back to the PTool. (Of course, these cards would not be used for recording, but ONLY to load firmware patches.)

(5)
In order to get a new patch into PTool, one just saves the selected patch .ini in the same folder than the PTool. Once starting the PTool, it will recognize the patch, the corresponding letters at the bottom of PTool will be green and can be clicked.

(6)
The most conservative and highly tested bitrate suggested by Master Vitaliy is 42M. The highest bitrate that seems to be absolutely stable is 66M, provided by CBRADIN (66M_44M stable or 66M_44M max variation patch).

THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR CORRECTIONS.]]> http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/1188/ptool-wont-load-firmware-mac Fri, 14 Oct 2011 22:47:12 +0000 chenopup 1188@/talks/discussions
Any thoughts? Can't find anything about this online - I just upgraded to the latest version of Apple Lion... ]]> http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/1174/gf1-long-record-settings-wanted Thu, 13 Oct 2011 11:30:23 +0000 WieraWierna 1174@/talks/discussions
I record in AVCHD SH, because I need 25p. But there is a problem - my movies very often are not saved on card. When my interlocutor stands up or moves away from the camera (there is sudden change of light) - the camera stops recording and shows this error:

MOTION RECORDING WAS CANCELLED DUE TO THE LIMITATIO OF THE WRITING SPEED OF THE CARD

WRITE ERROR PLEASE CHECK THE CARD

I use SanDisk Extreme HD Video 30MB/s.

Do you have any suggestions? What should I do, not to lose my interviews??

Do you think that the change of the card to SanDisk Extreme HD Video 45MB/s could solve the problem?

Or maybe I should change the AVCHD setup in LPowell: Fast Action 3-Frame GOP Standard Patch v2. How??

Maybe to my interviews I should use another Patch? Which one?

Please help! I will be grateful for any advice.]]> http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/699/avchd-maximum-image-quality-settings-and-testing Thu, 18 Aug 2011 12:29:27 +0000 cbrandin 699@/talks/discussions
Maximum bitrate and low GOP are not virtues in isolation; rather they are tools for achieving results. Taking maximizing bitrate, for example: if that is the only goal you are unlikely to achieve optimum results from an image quality standpoint. If you set the bitrate so high that you can’t raise the AQ value individual frame image quality won’t be improved much. Raising AQ results in smoother and finer details, and that’s a good thing. Without raising AQ the image will remain harsh.

What about testing with low-contrast subjects? One of the benefits of the new patches has to do with smoother rendition of gradients. This arguably has more to do with the beauty of images than extreme edge detail.

I’m going to take a somewhat different approach to developing settings – at least some of the time. The steps that seem logical to me are as follows:

1. Increase bitrate to a relatively conservative level; 44M for the 24H bitrate, for example.
2. Raise AQ to 3, or maybe even 4.
3. Increase FB1, FB2, and frame limit so that individual I frames can be bigger if needed.
4. Raise the bitrate to the highest stable value that supports these settings.

You could do a similar sequence involving low GOP. Set the bitrate to a higher – but not extreme - level, set the GOP, set the quality related settings, and then start raising the bitrate to higher levels.

For testing:

1. Test for stability under a variety of scenarios. One test of extreme importance is to put the camera on a tripod and use manual or AFS focusing –this can cause a failure instantly that may never show up when the camera is hand held.
2. Test for detail, but also test for smoothness (subtle gradients, low contrast subjects, etc…).
3. Test for motion fidelity. Make sure subjects in the frame all move smoothly from frame to frame; especially in low-contrast portions of the frame.
4. Test with very high shutter speeds as well as normal ones – this really stresses the codec.

If there are motion problems, back off on the AQ and try again, etc...

Maybe you have some ideas about testing procedures that measure image quality rather than a single metric like bitrate or GOP.

[EDIT] Per Vitaliy's suggestion I'm posting my 44M and 66M settings here - I'll keep them updated.

The main issue with both settings is spanning. At 24H neither set span - hopefully there will be a solution soon. The other modes with the 44M settings, as far as I know, do span with a good SD card. The 44M settings operate at 44M AQ4 for 24H, and the 66M settings operate at 66M AQ2 for 24H. The main difference between the two is that motion is handled more robustly with 66M. The other modes have been stable for me - but I have to confess that I have not tested the PAL modes very much. You can change the AQ settings without having to make other adjustments. Note, however, that 66M AQ4 is harder on the codec than 66M AQ2 and may pose stability, in camera playback issues, etc....

Chris
]]> http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/399/gf2-hack-plans Sat, 16 Jul 2011 16:50:58 +0000 streetshot 399@/talks/discussions
Many thanks to all for this amazing resource and to Vitaly for his dedication and generosity.
]]> http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/1144/60p-favorite-settings-and-why Mon, 10 Oct 2011 19:59:51 +0000 Ambergris 1144@/talks/discussions
Which patch is your favorite for good light, high action across the frame and end result motion slowed?

]]> http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/1149/help-with-gh1 Tue, 11 Oct 2011 17:59:52 +0000 skenti 1149@/talks/discussions Yesterday, I spent almost 10 hours trying to hack my DSLR. I followed the given instructions to a tee, also watching 2 youtube videos, just to make sure I was doing everything correctly. I still could not get the camera hacked. I spent so much time trying to do this because my Ego could not accept that a pretty computer literate guy could not do something that seemed so simple to do. After every try and puting the SD card Class 10 in my camera, I would just get the error message about there not being any media on file for the camera to read when I pressed the play button. I am very sure that I did everything correctly, as I must have gone thru the process about 30 times over the course of the day. I am extremely frustarted. Can anyone help? Are there any new services out there springing up that can help you do this? I used 3 diffecrent cards and got the same outcome. I even went to buy a card at WALMART when my other two cards would not do the trick!!! I went online to try and download the latest version of ptools. I have ver. 3.40. Supposedly, there is a 3.51 version out there. The wiki website only has the 3.4. Can you help? Please help. Thanks.
]]> http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/1137/is-there-any-gf2-hack-plan Sun, 09 Oct 2011 01:30:13 +0000 gavin 1137@/talks/discussions http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/1098/gh2-hack-and-25i Mon, 03 Oct 2011 17:58:20 +0000 redtek 1098@/talks/discussions http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/1109/getting-the-mic-enhancements-to-stick-with-3.62d Wed, 05 Oct 2011 16:58:06 +0000 boyzo 1109@/talks/discussions
One thing the MIC enhancements giving far more level and compression control will NOT stick, am I doing something wrong
eg. do you have to input values or just accept the defaults ???

Thanks for any help

One thing useful would be NO compression like with the Canon 5Dm2

Cheers ]]> http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/521/72025p-strange-behaviour-on-gh2.- Thu, 28 Jul 2011 05:31:48 +0000 rogerpilly 521@/talks/discussions
The footage looks really good to my eyes and plays smoothly on camera and using VLC with the RAW footage. So, I tried to import it into FCP with conversion to Apple ProRes, as I usually do. Big surprise, at least to me that I don't understand how the coded technically works. The clips play at 50% speed, in a perfect and beautiful slomo! But it's not what I want! And also the second half of the clip does not get imported.

In other words, I see the entire clip in the preview window of the Log and Capture Tool (even though, if I try to play it, it doesn't play smoothly, it's all chopped, as if it had difficulty interpreting the TC) and the duration is correct. When imported, the duration of the clip is the same, but at 50% speed, so the clip ends after the first half.

Does anybody has an explanation? And, more important, does anybody know a work around to be able to use the footage? I would prefer at normal speed, but even in slomo it could be okay if I could capture the entire clip!
Thanks!]]> http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/1065/initial-corruption-of-file Thu, 29 Sep 2011 14:13:19 +0000 johnjohnson 1065@/talks/discussions http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/421/official-low-gop-topic Mon, 18 Jul 2011 23:33:30 +0000 Vitaliy_Kiselev 421@/talks/discussions
Reminder
This is topic for testers and users who completely understand that they are doing.
If you just happened to find it and don't know that the heck it is, go to PTool topic for settings for normal, casual suers.]]> http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/931/gh1-body-for-chris Mon, 12 Sep 2011 14:09:26 +0000 Vitaliy_Kiselev 931@/talks/discussions I am searching for someone who could provide GH1 body for Chris (he'll return it if it won't be bricked :-) ).
He is mostly focused on film modes research and having body at hand and making risky patches could speed it up very considerable.
Results will be very useful for GH2 and other camera users, because film modes implementation is very similar among them.

PM me or Chris.]]> http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/684/steadicam-and-glideshots Tue, 16 Aug 2011 14:42:53 +0000 ishvar 684@/talks/discussions http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/692/panasonic-gh2-ptool-future-suggestion Wed, 17 Aug 2011 16:01:50 +0000 flyhen 692@/talks/discussions
First of all, Vitaly, we love your work, it's truly awesome! I wonder when will you implement the longer bulb shooting time hack for future PTools. I sure would love to see the shutter speed can go up to 5, 10, 20, 30 45 minutes, 1 hour, and infinity, if possible...]]> http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/673/30-min-limit-anomaly Mon, 15 Aug 2011 19:09:44 +0000 blues 673@/talks/discussions http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/414/ptool-3.61d-topic Mon, 18 Jul 2011 14:07:29 +0000 Vitaliy_Kiselev 414@/talks/discussions PTool v3.61d released

https://www.personal-view.com/faqs/gh2-hack/ptool-software

GH2:

Wastly improved Video Bitrate patches.
Many new encoder related patches for testers added.
Few minor software bug fixes. ]]> http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/151/anamorphic-setting-for-mjpeg-vga-mode-in-ptool-3.55d Mon, 30 May 2011 02:11:27 +0000 LPowell 151@/talks/discussions
An even more interesting application of the new VGA mode is using it to support shooting with 2X anamorphic adapters. In the GH1's 16:9 HD mode, these lenses would produce an excessively wide frame size of 2560x720. Setting the 3:2 VGA mode to 1920x720 produces the perfect anamorphic ratio for use with 2X anamorphic lenses. These videos can be viewed straight out of the camera in the correct aspect ratio, with no need for post-processing.

For those who'd like to try this new 2X anamorphic mode, I recommend patching the VGA mode quality settings with the values used in my MJPEG Anamorphic Cinemascope Patch. I've gotten reliable results from these settings at a frame size of 1920x810 in HD mode (with 1.33X anamorphic lenses), and they appear to work just as well at 1920x720 in VGA mode in PTool 3.55d. Here is a list of the patch settings, which can be appended to existing INI files, or entered directly into PTool in the Patches for Testers/MJPEG Movie Mode section:

480p30 width=1920
480p30 height=720
F1 Quality=280
F1 Table=4
F2 Quality=250
F2 Table=10
F3 Quality=225
F3 Table=24
F4 Quality=200
F4 Table=48]]>