Noise comparison: 35/4:2:0 vs. 180/4:2:2

[Piotr Wozniacki]

Sure thing Dan - on this particular thing, there has always been a consensus between us :)

Piotr

[Piotr Wozniacki]

Originally Posted by Rafael Amador

Final Cut renders in 32b Floating point when needed.
Just set "Render all YUV in High Precision".
Rafael

Just as I said re: Vegas Pro.

[Rafael Amador]

Originally Posted by Piotr Wozniacki

Agreed - at anything lower than 180 Mbps (an absolute minimum), I-Fo looks like crap. Much worse than L-GoP at corresponding bitrates.

Piotr

As expected.
Piotr, think that the NANO at 280Mbps Intra, is virtually 8b Uncompress.
You get a file just a bit bigger just by Zipping.
rafael

[Rafael Amador]

Dear Dan,
All the pals around, and my self, would be very happy to work with Convergent-Design on trying to fine tune the NANO's LGOP structure.
There is nothing to be done on the Intraframe but rising the data-rate (no needed IMO).
But about the GOPs, I think that, together, we can make really shine the SONY processor.
I have two months free to try any Beta.
Rafael

[Piotr Wozniacki]

Well, it's been a long time since the last post in this thread...

Of course in the meantime Convergent Design has been busy with their revolutionary Gemini device. I sincerely do hope that we - the nanoFlash users, and minor players (when compared to those being the target for the Gemini) - are not left alone, with some obvious shortcomings of the current firmware (like no cranking to MXF format), and unfulfilled promises (like mixing the SDI/HDMI embedded audio with analog channels).

But even if CD still does care for us, I guess any hopes for fine-tuning the Long-GoP encoding should be buried now.

Nevertheless, I just feel obliged to inform you guys that when used to record the super-clean image from the FS100 camera, my nanoFlash really is showing its great potential:

- with virtually no noise present in the (HDMI, in this case) signal, both the L-GoP and I-Fo clips are absolutely gorgeous. Even if one can find some macroblocking or other codec-stressing artifacts in the FS100's native AVCHD clips, they are not present in the same material recorded simultaneously to the nanoFlash!

If only we had full HDMI/TC support ....

Piotr

[Gints Klimanis]

"I guess any hopes for fine-tuning the Long-GoP encoding should be buried now."

This may not be possible without increasing the data rate. At least on the Nano, the I-frame appears to improve significantly with increases in data rate at 100 Mbps and higher while the other frames do not increase in quality as much. "Constant Quality" may not be implemented or even possible in current real-time Sony compression systems.

The solution for the Nanoflash is to buy 6x more flash and record at 280 Mbps I-Frame only. It's just too bad that this option is so costly even in 2011. It would be better to have a SATA interface for SSD and spend $500-1000 on quality 256GB SSDs than $1000/128 GB of SanDisk Extreme flash.

[Piotr Wozniacki]

You are right Gints.

I can confirm that while the L-GoP does not seem to increase noise with increased bitrate (which is occurring with a noisier sources like the EX1), I-Fo is still my format of choice - also with FS100. However, 220 Mbps looks like the sweet spot for me. Don't see a real need to go any higher.

Piotr