GH2 finally HACKED!

[Waldi Krasowski]

PTool 3.60d topic - Personal View Talks

The hack is in its very initial state, but at least it removes 30min continuous recording limit (PAL version), gives us 1080p25 (PAL version), all interface languages and switches between PAL<->NTSC. Please donate Vitalyi as this guy made us much happier than Panasonic...

[Martyn Hull]

Wow I would love this hack, for 25P mostly but I am so afraid of mucking up my beloved GH2 so I doubt it will happen.

[Thomas Smet]

I predict it will now be virtually impossible to find any GH2's in stock. The GH2 was already a very popular camera and now it will be even better.

[Jim Snow]

Will there be a 30P or 60P hack?

[Kevin McRoberts]

Currently few hack benefits for me, considering I rarely shoot PAL and already have no record time limitation... eager to see what's to come, though.

[James Campbell]

I also don't yet need the hack as not using PAL, but the potential ahead.... Just make sure you read the whole webpage at that link. Especially the comment by the hacker that there is the potential for your camera to be "bricked."

[Gerald Webb]

How good is that!
Just picked up a Japanese version on Ebay for $750.00 (less than half retail cost here in Australia).
Vitaliy is a legend.
On that forum I noticed lpowell is waiting for his new GH2 to arrive. This will be great, I'm using his 100mbps max latitude patch now, it is incredible. If he can turn out some new patches for the GH2 as good as his GH1 versions it will be very good indeed.
cheers people
:)

[Steven Thomas]

Based on Vitaliy's response to these questions below, we are all in for an early Christmas!

Personal View Talks
>Does the GH2 benefit more from the hack than the GH1 does?<


Vitaliy_Kiselev:
GH2 hack will be far ahead from GH1, of course.

>Are you really seeing that much improvement on the GH2 for the 1080p @ 24 FPS mode?<

Vitaliy_Kiselev:
It is be better in high detailed scenes and if you use high ISO, os it preserves noise accurately.
GH2 42Mp is much better, not because of B frames (so multiply by 1.3x GH1 bitrate), but also because of better motion estimation and better codec bitrate correction (so, it won't drop that much as in GH1).
Plus you must remember much better SD controller, so people get 160-180Mb/s MJPEGs with fast cards.

[Paul Mailath]

the hack DOES NOT provide 1080/25p and is unlikely to do so

"No sign of working 25p. Only 42Mbit bitrate with B frames in 50i."

for those of us in Pal land 50i may be the best option

[Graeme Hay]

Any chance of convincing the camera it wants to go to 120fps or too 2k, 3k or 4k resolutions?
Sounds like it can handle the amount of data.
An expansion on the ETC algorithm maybe?

[Corey Graham]

Originally Posted by Graeme Hay

Any chance of convincing the camera it wants to go to 120fps or too 2k, 3k or 4k resolutions?

This could be problematic for the AVCHD codec, as it doesn't support anything above 1080/30p or 720/60p.

This may be possible with MJPEG, but I'm not as familiar with that codec.

[Lawrence Bansbach]

Originally Posted by Corey Graham

This could be problematic for the AVCHD codec, as it doesn't support anything above 1080/30p or 720/60p.

This may be possible with MJPEG, but I'm not as familiar with that codec.

Actually, AVCHD version 2.0 has added 1080p50 and 1080p60 at up to 28 Mbps. AVCHD doesn't support 42 Mbps, however -- at least not yet.

[Corey Graham]

Originally Posted by Lawrence Bansbach

Actually, AVCHD version 2.0 has added 1080p50 and 1080p60 at up to 28 Mbps. AVCHD doesn't support 42 Mbps, however -- at least not yet.

That's great news, thanks! How would current AVCHD devices utilize the new specs? A firmware update?

[Lawrence Bansbach]

Originally Posted by Corey Graham

That's great news, thanks! How would current AVCHD devices utilize the new specs? A firmware update?

I don't know. My guess is that some current devices will be upgradable via firmware and some won't. And some -- such as the Panasonic HS700, HDC-TM700, and AF100 and the Sony FS100 -- sort of support it, or at least AVC 28-Mbps 1080p60 variants, already,
.

[Joe Ogiba]

"Here's what high bitrate 1080/24p at 42Mbit looks like on the GH2. Patched with PTools 3.61D. Thanks Vitaliy Kiselev.

Lenses used - mainly the fantastic Samyang 35mm F1.4 wide open. Also Zeiss 45mm F2 rangefinder lens for Contax G, Zeiss 135mm F2.8 and Lumix 14mm pancake.

Music is Tears In Rain from the Bladerunner OST."

Brave New World - GH2 AVCHD 42Mbit on Vimeo