Press Release: Panasonic Announces 4K Mirrorless DMC-GH4

[Mark Williams]

The GH4 has peaking and zebras. Biggest draw back for me is no 4:2:2 in camera. I am trying to stay light weight so external recorder is out. But if it comes in priced under $1500 I will probably buy one.

[Noa Put]

Biggest draw back for me is no 4:2:2 in camera

Which camera can do 10bit 4:2:2 in 4k to a external recorder for around 1500dollar? I think for that prize you are getting a lot, even if it's not internally recorded.

[Chris Barcellos]

Pair this with about any camera with clean HDMI out, for 4:2:2 spec.

Blackmagic Design: HyperDeck Shuttle Tech Specs

[Ken Ross]

I thought a few clips in the GH4 demo looked a bit soft (flamingos) and I noticed some moire in the stonework during the first couple of clips. Color looked quite nice. Overall I found myself more impressed with the AX100 demo.

[Tom Roper]

As more 4k consumer cams come out, that's great but I'm still left wondering how consumers are going to playback that 4k content on their UHD televisions?

I was watching the excitement of the AX100 spokesperson at CES touting the 4k features, but the question was asked of her, what can you do with it? She said, ...you can edit it in Vegas. Great! Then what?

What we're missing are good playback options. The Sony 4k media server streams from the internet, and plays back HD media files from a flash drive, but not 4k, and in any case only works with a Sony UHDTV. The Redray player from Red also plays HD media files, but 4k only if it's from Red. The Samsung UHDTV will playback 4k from a flash drive but only if you use a hack that requires you to split the file into 4 quadrants. I mean...come on! The panasonic UHDTV may be the only one that supports 4k playback from a flash drive at this time and I can't confirm that, the LG is uncertain. If you believed in conspiracies, you just might conclude that the mfr's aren't much interested in supporting your own 4k activities as they are in controlling all 4k access.

Right now, the consumer wanting to watch 4k content is left with streaming it out to his tablet or portable wireless device, playing from a HTPC, or connecting his camera to the monitor to see only raw unedited, ungraded footage in 4k. I think those are pretty crummy options for jumping into 4k video cams for the average amateur, but I'm sure others disagree.

[Phil Lee]

Hi

4K is still very early days. If 3D had taken off we'd still be waiting for 4K, make no mistake it's launch is less about practicality but more about the numbers game and an attempt to stop falling sales of TV and related equipment by making everyone feel their TV is now out of date and to go out and buy another one. It will be long while yet before the general public are actually watching 4K even if they have a 4K panel.

The vast majority of the general public are still watching SD on HD TVs none the wiser!

Still 4K is giving us some impressive 2K now, 200Mbits/sec all Intra or 100Mbits/sec long GOP acquisition, plus the option for 0-255 which is capturing more picture information for extra latitude in post.

A shame we are still waiting for 4K at 50/60fps and that 4K is limited to just 100Mbits/sec, that's a 25Mbits/sec equivalent for 1080P, although this betters Sony AX100 which is allowing just 15Mbits/sec to each 1080P quadrant.

Regards

Phil

[Steven Ansell]

Originally Posted by Chris Barcellos

Pair this with about any camera with clean HDMI out, for 4:2:2 spec.

Blackmagic Design: HyperDeck Shuttle Tech Specs

That does not record 4K AFAIK, so it would not be particularly useful.

[Galen Rath]

To Tom Roper: I'm still supplying customers with media players and bluray players so they can watch their HD.

[Steven Ansell]

Originally Posted by Phil Lee

Hi

4K is still very early days. If 3D had taken off we'd still be waiting for 4K, make no mistake it's launch is less about practicality but more about the numbers game and an attempt to stop falling sales of TV and related equipment by making everyone feel their TV is now out of date and to go out and buy another one. It will be long while yet before the general public are actually watching 4K even if they have a 4K panel.

The vast majority of the general public are still watching SD on HD TVs none the wiser!

I disagree with that. Most people are not replacing their TV sets because a newer model comes out, they replace them when they get old. When they do that they will probably choose whatever the current technology is. Mistaking that as a driving force for sales is paranoid. Very few people look at their TV sets (or any household appliance for that matter) in the same way that they might with their cell phones.

[Phil Lee]

Hi

Originally Posted by Steven Ansell

I disagree with that. Most people are not replacing their TV sets because a newer model comes out, they replace them when they get old. When they do that they will probably choose whatever the current technology is. Mistaking that as a driving force for sales is paranoid. Very few people look at their TV sets (or any household appliance for that matter) in the same way that they might with their cell phones.

Exactly, that is the problem.

Flat-screens and 720P panels, DVD players then DVD players with "upscalers", 1080P TVs, then Blu-ray, many countries get digital switch over driving more sales, AV Amps for the home cinema experience, then bigger TVs, then smart TVs connected to online services. Then 3D was the must have which failed to drive any real sales so 4K has arrived, ironically they are calling 4K more 3D and life like than 3D was!

For 30 years or so the only change in TV technology in the UK and much of Europe was NICAM stereo and a couple of new channels bringing the total up to 4 then 5 in the UK. VHS was around for a long time but only had minor improvements, like S-VHS and Hi-Fi audio which apart from me, I knew no one else with S-VHS.

In recent times the TV industry has grown on the back of new technology from this digital age. The industry doesn't want to go back to a time where having a 20 year old TV is the norm because it just does the same as a new one would, not that they would last that long anyway before breaking down these days!

Still this what is driving progress, things get better, but the sad thing is many people I know have bought into this HD world, and they aren't watching HD but think they are, let alone 4K.

Regards

Phil

[Bill Bruner]

Originally Posted by Les Wilson

The GH3 gets slammed for hardcoding a 10 second timeout on the displays, no peaking and zebras while many lesser cameras leave the displays on and provide at least peaking.

GH4 has peaking and zebras. As a GH3 owner, this alone is worth the upgrade. DCI-compliant 4K is just a bonus.

[Roshdi Alkadri]

I think if panny is offering the GH4 with all these wonderful specs but we're having to add a whole bunch of gear to make the GH act like a video camera, it would make better since to include all the specs in an AF200, a real video/cine cam.

[Philip Lipetz]

Speaking of adding gear to make the GH4K act like a video camera, don't forget that the SDI-XLR brick requires external 12 V power. Not a compact rig, or even a rig that matches a large video camera for ergonomics.

[Jack Zhang]

Originally Posted by Ken Ross

I thought a few clips in the GH4 demo looked a bit soft (flamingos) and I noticed some moire in the stonework during the first couple of clips. Color looked quite nice. Overall I found myself more impressed with the AX100 demo.

I beg to differ, the edges of the AX100 demo showed smearing due to the internal lens geometry correction. The AX100 also looked oversharpened in places compared to the GH4. Remember too that the GH4 footage has been graded and that the demo is not representative of actual raw footage from the camera.

The thing that put me off of the AF100 was that the image looked way too oversharpened. I'll only be convinced to move to a AF200 if there's 4K 50p/60p, and a decent not oversharpened image.

[Roshdi Alkadri]

Those features would be nice, i'm not sure panny would offer those features considering the Varicam 4k announcement coming up.