There’s a really solid thread at DVXuser that delves into dynamic range and quality comparisons between the Canon 5D MKII and the recently-hacked Panasonic GH1. Previously the GH1 was an interesting camera hobbled by a frustratingly low codec bitrate, limiting it’s usefulness in the video world. But now that there’s a respectable codec bitrate option in the hacked GH1 firmware, people are starting to take another look at the camera. In the forum thread linked above, shooter Hunter Richards set up a good comparison test that pretty clearly shows sharpness and dynamic range comparisons between the GH1 and the popular 5DM2.

As a further comparison, the 5D Mark II is currently a $2300 camera body and the GH1 lists for $1,190 (B&H prices, buy links above).

(Via @ninoleitner)

Pro8mm was exhibiting at Cine Gear 2010, and we dropped by to chat about what they are doing in the world of small format film. Cool stuff for Super8 fans, watch below.

cinegear_2010_pro8mm

This week Google announced they would be open-sourcing the VP8 codec, which was acquired from On2 some time ago. The format is being called WebM, but to be clear WebM is the container name, which will encapsulate VP8. Given the recent hullabaloo about MPEG-LA’s control of H.264, an open codec like VP8 seems like a good thing for the web. In fact, Randall Bennett says that Google needs to get a little evil and push the adoption of this new format. But others are not so willing to back VP8.

Google will assumedly be moving Youtube to VP8 delivery, and they have a host of technology partners who have agreed to implement the tech. But Microsoft has been silent on the subject. And Apple is apparently not impressed either…in a short email exchange, Steve Jobs pointed to a technical critique of VP8 that concludes it is a subpar alternative to H.264. The article also notes that the codec appears to be immature, rushed to release, and may have lingering patent issues. The MPEG-LA has already stated they are looking into creating a patent pool for VP8, which suggests that someone still owns the tech, or thinks they do.

Let’s assume that the patent thing is worked out, and VP8 goes open-source without issues. Google integrates it everywhere, because they have fingers in every pie. My concerns are that right at a point where the web seems to be moving to a somewhat standardized format, using HTML5 and H.264, that VP8 confuses the issue and creates a rift. If Apple and others decide not to add VP8 support, we’ve got Flash video all over again. Two competing formats, and devices that support one but not the other. And while these huge companies duke it out in the format wars, users lose. Content creators who have to build sites for both formats lose.

It used to be that if you wanted people to watch your content you offered multiple format options: Windows Media, Quicktime, Flash, Realplayer (ugh, I just threw up in my mouth a little). In the past few years we’ve somehow managed to narrow things down to just 1-2 of these options, and then WHAM along comes another format. We now know that VP8 is reportedly not technically superior to H.264. But is VP8 cheaper? Yes, if MPEG-LA starts charging for H.264 web distribution in 2015. So the other important question is, is VP8 better for users? It remains to be seen, but right now I think the answer is no.

The Canon 5D MKII 24p update was just announced, and people are flipping out. Now, many people have been using the 5D for video at 30fps (and conforming it to 29.97), and others have been using Twixtor (check the comments) and other tools to conform it to 24p. It’s an incredibly powerful tool at either framerate, but this post is about why you might choose the latter.

Stu Maschwitz did an interview with MacVideo recently, and in Part 2 he spends a solid 10min expounding on why he believes 24p is the optimum framerate for filmmaking. It’s an insightful commentary on the topic, and as always Stu’s points are well-considered and convincing. I highly recommend you check this interview series out.

Finally, just wanted to say that I’m glad to see the 24p update for the MKII, but myself and others I know will continue to use the camera at 29.97 for certain projects, for compatibility’s sake with other footage sources and corporate delivery requirements. It’s going to be awesome having options though.

FYI, the 5D Mark II camera body is now priced at $2499 and ships with a roomy Lowepro Nova 170 AW Shoulder Bag and (2) SanDisk 8GB Extreme CompactFlash Memory Cards. The Sandisk cards rock, and that bag is capable of holding up to 3 lenses and the body. That’s a really solid deal, and B&H purchases via that link help support FreshDV.

We mentioned this excellent article on Canon 5D Post-Production when it was first published, and then Oliver had to pull it for a few weeks. Well it’s back online now, and I encourage you to check it out!

Canon has announced a new MPEG-2 4:2:2 codec with a 50 Mbps datarate and standard MXF support. It will be used for their forthcoming line of 1920×1080 tapeless HD camcorders. In conjunction with this announcement, Canon will be showing a new tapeless HD camcorder at the 9th Annual SF SuperMeet.

Dear Canon, please put this codec on my DSLR, kthxbai.

I’ve been holding off on Blu-ray for a while, basically waiting for the market to sort itself out and wondering if I should just get an internet-enabled box like a Roku or the Boxee front-end to something like an AppleTV instead.

Well, wait no more; Sony has announced a new line of Blu-ray players, including the BDP-S770 which supports 3D, has built-in WiFi, streams from Netflix, Amazon, Pandora, NPR, etc, and even includes an iPhone/iPod Touch app for a remote (yes it also has a standard remote). No word on pricing yet, but I want one. Badly.

Digital Heaven’s VideoSpace widget is honestly one of the only reasons I use my OS X Dashboard. It’s a very useful little tool that calculates the space required to store footage from basically any codec. And it’s been updated to support the latest Prores codecs introduced by Final Cut Pro 7. Get your free copy here, or use it online at www.videospaceonline.com

The latest Cineform Prospect and Neo series beta software releases include a new metadata capability, allowing users to render/display passive metadata embedded in the source video. This allows users to turn that info on or off at will. One common use might be to non-destructively add timecode or other “burn-in” info for editing and post, then remove that info for finishing. Here’s a quote from the blog post on this feature:

“As metadata is so often lost and misplaced, you are lucky if you left with just the timecode in many workflows, so we long ago moved metadata from side-car files or within the file wrapper (AVI/MOV/MXF) and placed it within the compressed sample itself. This enables the decoder to read its own metadata (not possible with 99% of video types), all that was missing was the font engine to render the results in the display. The decoder now has that font engine. Offline workflows typical have a range of burn-ins top of the video image, returning to burnin free media for online/finishing. The CineForm burnins are non-destructive allowing the operator to enable to display the overlays, choose which elements to display, switch from offline to online with a single click. Any tools that use the CineForm decoder will gain this feature.”

Over at PVC, Allan Tépper has a preview review of a forthcoming camera system from Sony with the designation NXCAM. With solid state recording to Sony Memory Stick and “a new NXCAM flash memory unit”, the NXCAM adds pro-level features to a tapeless AVCHD recording system in a package reminiscent of the tape+solid-state hybrid Sony HVR-Z5U (when equipped with HVR-MRC1 CF recorder unit).

This is certainly an interesting development, is this Sony’s low-to-medium production level HDV replacement codec? It sure seems like it, as the Z5U was a replacement for the venerable Z1U, and this model shares the imager and lens from the Z5. My initial reaction is that I wish they would use an existing flash memory option instead of inventing new ones and pushing users to Memory Stick. Yay! More formats!

Here’s a quick video that shows what the Red Rocket card can do for a post facility. Watch below.

Red Rocket from Ted Schilowitz on Vimeo.

Via @silveradosys

Via Scott Kirsner, here’s a handy webpage that compares all 15 video sharing websites, from Youtube and Vimeo to less obvious ones like vzaar. Looks like a fantastic reference, check it out here.

Videoguys has been posting some great original tutorials that delve into acquisition and post workflows. One such article is their Guide to Understanding HD Formats. It’s a really nice overview of all the mainstream HD acquisition and editing formats… DV, HDV, DVCPRO, AVC-Intra, XDCAM, AVCHD, DNxHD, ProRes, Cineform, it’s pretty much all here.

They offer an overview of each format, show a breakdown of the resolutions and bitrates supported, which NLE’s support what, and even approximate the cost per hour for media. So if you aren’t familar with some of the arcane format terms bandied about by editors and shooters, here’s a your chance to quickly brush up on that knowledge.

IMAX is a film format and projection standard originally created by the IMAX Corporation in Canada. It utilizes a massive 65mm or 70mm film negative and 70mm film print to capture and project significantly higher resolution images than traditional 35mm film systems. It’s there in the name…IMAX stands for Image MAXimum. Standard IMAX screens are 72′ wide and 53′ high, and there are well over 300 theaters worldwide that are so-equipped. This unique aspect ratio has the tendency to change the way a film is composed and shot…tight closeups and macro shots are generally avoided when shooting in the format, as they can be visually overwhelming on the big screen. Instead, the high resolution and projected size enables high-detail wide shots. It truly is a unique experience. Well, it was…until recently.

The IMAX Corporation has always shown an interest in branching out and trying new ideas. Over the years they’ve retrofitted the standard to accommodate domed screens with OmniMAX, IMAX 3D, and at one point even created the so-called IMAX HD 48fps variant that never caught on commercially due to cost. The latest expansion of the IMAX brand is called IMAX Digital. IMAX Digital is a projection standard that encompasses 3D content in DCI or IMAX digital format, all on a 28′ x 58′ screen size that fits into the standard theater multiplex. The cost advantages are obvious…theaters don’t have to retrofit or build taller buildings to accommodate the normal IMAX 53′ screen height, and the digital format dispenses with the expensive reels upon reels of film print. The system uses two 2K Christie projectors in tandem, projecting over each other to produce an image that reportedly offers slightly better than 2K resolution.

However, and this is important…IMAX Digital is not the IMAX experience that has been sold to consumers for years. First, it’s a significantly smaller screen size and much lower resolution. Films made for IMAX digital are not necessarily shot for IMAX. The aspect ratio is 1:1.9, as opposed to IMAX’s typical 1:1.44 projected aspect. Boing Boing has a post about the topic here, specifically about Star Trek’s IMAX Digital release. Roger Ebert also blogged about IMAX Digital recently. The issue that most seem to have with IMAX Digital is that it is being sold as straight-up IMAX. There is no marketing distinction to consumers that IMAX Digital is any different from the original monstrous-screen IMAX version. This is troubling, as the only real technical item shared by the two is the IMAX 6-channel digital sound requirement. Beyond that, IMAX Digital simply offers about 20% larger screen size for the same format film you’d see in a regular theater, and generally at a $5 price increase. Caveat Emptor.

Oliver Peters has written a nicely detailed primer on Red Digital Cinema post-production, from the standpoint of a commercial spot. It’s a good introduction to a non-native Red workflow using FCP (however, most of the steps would be identical for an Avid/DNxHD workflow). Oliver leads the reader through using Red Alert to prep and pre-grade the footage, rendering out ProRes 422 HQ media, to editing, color grading, and output. If you’ve never worked with Red footage, this is a fantastic overview of the process that will get you started.

(Via HDFilmTools)