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FYI: “PTool” firmware hack for GH1
Just an FYI: In case you’re one of the last people on Earth who hasn’t already heard about the “PTool” firmware hack project created by the mysterious “tester13” for the Panasonic GH1:
https://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=206788
https://vimeo.com/12472000
https://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=213082
https://wiki.eoshd.com/index.php/Beginners_GH1_Custom_Firmware_GuideAmong other things, the firmware hack enables vastly higher data-rates (both MJPEG & AVCHD) resulting in greatly improved video quality compared to a stock GH1 … and the GH1 already shot nice-looking HD video as it was.
PTool also allows the GH1 to switch between PAL & NTSC, allows PAL users to record more than 30-min. clips, switch UI languages, and more.
About a quarter million people have viewed at least one page of the >234 page original thread on DVXuser!
As shown in the 2nd link above, folks like Andrew Reid (of EOS-HD.com) are already doing some nice work using what is essentially pre-alpha version modified firmware. YMMV.
Nerds like tester13 sure are cool sometimes!
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3 Replies
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Peter, I have been following this development for awhile. Your post comes at a perfect time for me, as I just purchased (2)Gh1’s last week instead of going with Canon. I am setting them up this week with full rig support. No current overheating or recording length limitations, and both the articulating LCD and the electronic viewfinder are great. The kit lens with autofocus during video recording is also there if the situation demands it. Best of all, the price is right. There are so many lenses out there at great prices for them as well! Looking forward to additional firmware developments!
John D. Frey
25 Year owner/operator of two California-based production studios.Digital West Video Productions of San Luis Obispo and Inland Images of Lake Elsinore
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Okay, I looked around a little, but I wasn’t able to find what I was looking for…
What framerate exactly can the GH1 w/ this new firmware hack have? Is it 30p, or 29.97?
Even if it has the right framerates for me, I still don’t think I’ll go with the GH1. Instead, I still like the 7D.
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Hi Ryan: A stock GH1 can record in several formats (including AVCHD & MJPEG) & frame rates (24p, 25p, 30p, 50p, 60p) depending on whether you have a NTSC or PAL model, as shown on Panasonic’s websites:
https://panasonic.net/avc/lumix/systemcamera/gms/gh1/specifications.html
https://panasonic.net/avc/lumix/popup/sd_memory_card/gh1.htmlA stock NTSC GH1 records 1080p24 with 3:2 pulldown in a 60i wrapper.
One of the many things Tester13’s PTool firmware modification software allows is for a NTSC GH1 to record 1080p24 without pulldown, eliminating having to remove it in post. Whether you remove the pulldown in post — or not record it in the first place using the modified firmware — the resulting video is 23.97.
To get many of the benefits of PTool typically requires recording on good-quality Class 6 speed SDHC cards. To record at the highest video bitrates allowed by PTool requires a Class 10 speed SDHC card, especially for high data-rate MJPEG.
All of the above is discussed in enormous detail here:
https://www.dvxuser.com/V6/forumdisplay.php?f=206
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