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General => Random => Topic started by: Beasho on March 08, 2017, 07:16:30 AM

Title: Step UP to 4K
Post by: Beasho on March 08, 2017, 07:16:30 AM
The step up to 4K is as impressive and daunting as the leap to 1080P, maybe four times as much.

I recently went to Heron island off the coast of Australia on the Great Barrier Reef.  Since this wasn’t my first rodeo I stepped up bought a GoPro Session 5, a $25 dive light, and a $20 64GB micro SD card.  I filmed the entire experience at 30 frames per second in 4K.  The preliminary results are off the charts and continue to exceed my expectations.

The leap to 4K requires hardware, software and distribution.  This comes in the form of new cameras (readily available & cheap), computers (less obvious and expensive), televisions (these need to be big >> 65”) computer monitors (4K are running >> $500), software (adobe premiere elements can do it ~ $90) and distribution in the form of USB sticks (ok) or computers directly attached to the TV’s and Youtube.  This doesn’t include the audience capable of appreciating the effort you may have put into capturing content worthy of 4K.  This is one way of saying people will just watch your beautiful work on a crappy iPhone.

Given the capacity on a 64GB chip is slightly more than 2 hours, @ 108,000 frames per hour, I have ~ 1/4 of a million stills to chose from on a full SD card's worth of video.  Here are a few individual samples.  The first turtle shot looks fake, if not for the tags you would think it was a Disney animation.
Title: Re: Step UP to 4K
Post by: Beasho on March 08, 2017, 07:16:40 AM
The other requisite is that you stand 3 feet in front of your 65” inch monitor.

Quote from Sony FAQ:
How close to the TV must I sit to appreciate 4K?

“The short answer is that between 5 and 6 ft. is the ideal viewing distance for a 55” or 65” Sony 4K Ultra HD TV. However, on a 55“, you can now sit as close as 3.6 ft and enjoy a visibly smoother and more detailed picture (e.g you won’t see the individual pixels). On a 65“ TV, you can sit as close as 4.2 ft. to appreciate 4K.”

This means that if you are:

You will likely need your reading glasses because you will need to stand 3 feet in front of the TV to see all the details.
Title: Re: Step UP to 4K
Post by: Beasho on March 08, 2017, 07:16:54 AM
As with drones the potential of 4K is overwhelming and yet WE ARE ALREADY THERE.

Here is a quick clip, edited with 4K software, of the Heron Bommie.  This is one of the most famous dive spots on planet earth. 

Note:  I have not yet seen this edit on a 4K display because I processed it on my laptop.  When you watch on a 4K display, after the event, you often see things you did NOT notice at the time.  It is SUPER-REAL.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJodno32JEc
Title: Re: Step UP to 4K
Post by: stoneaxe on March 08, 2017, 07:58:47 AM
Very cool...
Title: Re: Step UP to 4K
Post by: Admin on March 08, 2017, 08:04:01 AM
Yes! 

The crazy thing is that your Session records 4K at 60 Mbps.   Faster internet connections exceed that (many by a lot) right now but check out the 5G thread.  20 Gbs coming soon.    That is over three hundred of the Session 4K streams simultaneously and Tautologies had posted the 20Gbps is just the starting spec.  100 Gbps will follow. 
Title: Re: Step UP to 4K
Post by: Night Wing on March 08, 2017, 08:06:48 AM
A very nice video.
Title: Re: Step UP to 4K
Post by: PonoBill on March 08, 2017, 08:37:52 AM
I remember reading an article about the limitations of digital cameras not that many years ago. the gist was that data transfer rates would limit digital camera resolution and frame rate so film would always be better.
Title: Re: Step UP to 4K
Post by: stoneaxe on March 08, 2017, 09:56:26 AM
I remember reading an article about the limitations of digital cameras not that many years ago. the gist was that data transfer rates would limit digital camera resolution and frame rate so film would always be better.
Bizarre....I was just thinking about reading that.
Title: Re: Step UP to 4K
Post by: SUPcheat on March 08, 2017, 10:53:53 AM
I think the upscaling from to 1080p to 4K is probably the main advantage in most circumstances, comes pretty close to 4k up to 110 inch diagonal screen at 9 feet away (my home theater in Pleasanton with Sony 1100ES 4k projector).  The scaling and increased color depth are impressive. Even well mastered 480i DVDs can fool you at times when upscaled to 4K.  I had no idea that regular DVD could hold that much information.

I just tried out my first full 4k material on the large projector screen through Netflix.  One thing about 4k on a large screen, it almost begins to fool your brain into a slight 3D effect.  I hadn't thought of that one.

I also have a Sony XBR x800D 43 inch 4k TV with android that I use in Santa Cruz for a computer and gaming monitor, and the picture is impressive with YouTube 4K material.

My mac mini that I carry back and forth will do 4k at a slow frame rate with it's graphics card. 

4k even looks better when reduced to 1080p, due to the increased color depth that maps down really well.
Title: Re: Step UP to 4K
Post by: surfafrica on March 08, 2017, 11:02:51 AM
Great post Beasho.

I'm excited to try my Session 5 in 4k next week so I can film my friends on waves and then zoom in on them in the video edit.  When I did that with my Session 4 in 1080p, the vid didn't turn out all that well.  I already played around with shooting vid in 4k and then zoomed in before grabbing a still.  The results were so much better in 4k.  But ya, it sure pushed my computer to its limit going through the editing process.  I'm guessing if I do shoot in 4k, I'll do some zooming and ultimately compile the video in 1080.
Title: Re: Step UP to 4K
Post by: Admin on March 08, 2017, 11:23:34 AM
Great post Beasho.

I'm excited to try my Session 5 in 4k next week so I can film my friends on waves and then zoom in on them in the video edit.  When I did that with my Session 4 in 1080p, the vid didn't turn out all that well.  I already played around with shooting vid in 4k and then zoomed in before grabbing a still.  The results were so much better in 4k.  But ya, it sure pushed my computer to its limit going through the editing process.  I'm guessing if I do shoot in 4k, I'll do some zooming and ultimately compile the video in 1080.

If you open a 1080 timeline and drop in your 4K file you can move and resize freely (up to the actual 4K dimensions) without any "digital" zoom.  The 4K file is twice as wide as 1080 so that gives you a lot of room to move the smaller 1080 frame around inside the larger 4K frame.  What an awesome option for following sports action and post-zooming in and out.  Also as mentioned above down-sampling is magic for image quality.  That is (largely) why the very high end is already at 8K. 
Title: Re: Step UP to 4K
Post by: Beasho on March 14, 2017, 12:32:54 PM
What do you think when your daughter rides a shark (in 4K)?

The lesson learned was "When you grab a shark by the tail grab it with 2 hands."  I was quite proud.

https://vimeo.com/208367687



Title: Re: Step UP to 4K
Post by: PonoBill on March 14, 2017, 01:16:30 PM
You gotta pick the right shark.  That was definitely the right shark.
Title: Re: Step UP to 4K
Post by: Beasho on March 19, 2017, 08:38:50 PM
Here is something you don't see every day.  Maybe never.

Green Turtle Hatch in 4K.  Thanks to David Attenborough for the introduction.  If you ever want to take your kids, or grand-kids, to one of the most spectacular places on Earth then rush to Heron Island, Australia.  It is the Marine equivalent of an African Safari.

Turtle whisperer Nicki spotted the little turtles ready to go.  We sat for 2 hours waiting for them to erupt.   

https://youtu.be/Rvt3p1_Andw
Title: Re: Step UP to 4K
Post by: supthecreek on March 20, 2017, 04:26:31 AM
So cool Beasho, although I doubt I will ever have capacity in all things for 4K.

Heron Island is amazing, I spent a weekend there in 1985
Boat in, Helo out.... reefs were perfect, I was also there for the hatching.... but my photo's are more like 2 kb  ;D
Title: Re: Step UP to 4K
Post by: Beasho on March 20, 2017, 07:18:20 AM
Small world Creek!  I remember the story of you partying up with the staff. 

First time I was there was in 1980.  I have a similar grainy photo coming in from the air from a return trip in 1984 vs Today.

The increased resolution from a 1/30 second frame of digital video vs. still photo is stunning - Bring on the Digital Revolution.

Note: The 2nd Picture is just a Zoomed in area on the 3rd still frame. 
Title: Re: Step UP to 4K
Post by: stoneaxe on March 20, 2017, 08:10:14 AM
Can't wait to show my granddaughter your video of the turtle hatch....she's infatuated with sea turtles.
Title: Re: Step UP to 4K
Post by: PonoBill on March 20, 2017, 08:38:51 AM
Give it ten years and all this excitement over 4K resolution and 5G data rates will seem quaint.
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