Blackmagic Camera App - General discussion and Releases

Thank you for that summary.

And it’s not just YouTube of course with constant contributors to other social media channels such as TikTok influencers and other individuals who are trapped and controlled by their cultures and handlers such as pop music singers in South Korea in the last year that have seen ending their lives as the only escape from an unrelenting treadmill. Decades ago it seemed to be high fashion models and Elvis Presley et al that made the sacrifices of enjoying a sane lifestyle for the sake of wealth and moreso worldwide recognition.

But the present-day meat grinder seems to be so widespread and endemic that probably thousands of ‘successful’ people are paying the real price for their achievements and finding it is unbearable. Perhaps the phenomena will pass as it seems to have for supermodels but it may take decades to subside. Every influencer is endangered.

Yes, sound is about one frame early, but holds the speed pretty well for a smartphone. Just shift it.
I suppose it's processing overhead for the video.

That's about the extent of it. It is, after all a phone. Amazing what it can do, but it has limits. Track E is a way of getting around limited inputs. Tentacle tells me there's no way to do a calibration of recording so the two end up in alignment.

Anyone seeing Sync issues with the BM App?

There's a sync issue inherent in the phone because it has a variable frame rate.

The question is how long sync will be stable, or stable enough for your purposes. You'll find that this has been discussed in earlier posts.

Naw, variable frame rate ain't the issue here. You have to realize that this is only 30 seconds in on a 45 second clip. This is the very beginning of sync, and both the camera sound and external sound are off, from the very beginning.

I did a casual sync drift test — about 2-½ hours, running the audio recorder continuously and the camera intermittently — same result. Initial sync is slightly off and off by the same amount at the end.

But everything else you have I agree with. Strip the thing down and run it as clean as possible.

Robb, thanks for the interesting annotations, although you left me hanging on the origin of them coffee in the mug. I personally only drink Colombian in Canada,but I understand that might not be the preferred source in the USA.

What software did you use to add the annotations?

Ah but is Columbian Supremo, medium roast, in the 3 lbs (1.361 kilos to you, sir) bag (Costco) fresh ground and done in a French Press. Most commonly served, as in this case, as Café au Lait.

Annotation software is Snaggit. A bit overpriced but I've used it for years since it does so much more than the OS screengrabs.

That's about the extent of it. It is, after all a phone. Amazing what it can do, but it has limits. Track E is a way of getting around limited inputs. Tentacle tells me there's no way to do a calibration of recording so the two end up in alignment.

There are a good number of claims on the internet and YouTube that the variable frame rate of phones can be addressed and alignment achieved, mostly via using Premiere Pro and/or HandBrake. Having looked at a few of these claims, I'm highly sceptical, and I'd suggest not wasting time on them. If they were true, it would be widespread common knowledge.

Interesting that you spoke with Tentacle. If there was a way to fix this, they'd probably know.

I have tested the iPhone with an electronic clap in front for 30 minutes at 60 fps. It was always about one frame late for picture, with minor variations increasing that to 1.5 on the way, in the end it was one frame again.
Yes, it's still a phone, but the fps variations are only a fraction of a percent, between 59,940 and 60,181 fps.
I also assumed that switching to airplane mode and closing all other apps might have an influence, but repeating the test under either condition didn't show any difference. Activating 'cinema' stabilisation ruined it, though.

Again, I'm not even really addressing a sync drift issue. This sync point is at the very beginning, it's only 30 in on a 45 second clip. It just doesn't match up, and neither does the BM camera app and the phone mic on their own. My casual long test, running the Track E and the camera intermittently, had the same results over about a 2-½ hour period. But it off from the very beginning.

HEARD FROM TENTACLE SYNC

So the note from Tentacle explains that they have heard from others about this issue. Their testing shows that it true, and reproducible. According the Tech Support the problem is at the Blackmagic app end — and I think that's confirmed by the inherent error in the Cam App itself. Support says, well here, I'll just copy from their email:

"The app currently has our Bluetooth protocol integrated for syncing with our Tentacles. However, we do not have control over how the app embeds the Timecode into the metadata of the video clips. We have received feedback from other users and conducted our own tests, and it appears that the app does not sync frame accurately."

Ah, so ok, that's what we can expect. But it's a damn phone after all. The jam sync between the Track E and the BM Cam App gets me a hell of a lot closer to where I want to be, 1 frame off or not. I was getting dumped with footage that had no camera or sound roll reports, shot over multiple days, with overlapping timecode on the video files and overlapping TOD on the audio files (one of the non-timecode recorders). Add to that they were using a camera function that gave them sync sound on over-cranked footage, now that was fun! As a result I had to use waveform sync, and ended up with lots of clips that wouldn't sync. And they've done this to me several times, with them using an Ursa and some DSLRs at mixed frame rates and frame sizes. <sigh> Kids these days...

Anyway I'm trying to prove to them that timecode, as ancient a technology as it is, is still helpful to the old farts (as well as the new farts). I know I can nudge the audio 1.4 frames right at the beginning. I like using appended external audio files. Now I have to check to see if I can reset the external audio timecode after it's embedded with the video file. I know I can go into QTChange (Video Tool Shed) and change TC and reel names en mass there. There are ways.

Those with other cameras (rather than phone) how about testing initial sync with the Track E or Diety and let us know what you see.
for now

Peace — Out!

Those with other cameras (rather than phone) how about testing initial sync with the Track E or Diety and let us know what you see.

Your post, and Tentacle's comments, put a different complexion on this. I don't have a Track E or any Diety product, so I can't help out, but I'd be interested in the results of the above test. Don't know if you're aware of this, but the Blackmagic app doesn't recognise Diety's TC-1 or its recorder/timecode product.

That's about the extent of it. It is, after all a phone. Amazing what it can do, but it has limits. Track E is a way of getting around limited inputs. Tentacle tells me there's no way to do a calibration of recording so the two end up in alignment.

There are a good number of claims on the internet and YouTube that the variable frame rate of phones can be addressed and alignment achieved, mostly via using Premiere Pro and/or HandBrake. Having looked at a few of these claims, I'm highly sceptical, and I'd suggest not wasting time on them. If they were true, it would be widespread common knowledge.

Interesting that you spoke with Tentacle. If there was a way to fix this, they'd probably know.

Ha, I would't waste my time with PP or Handbrake. I just run files through QT-Change and shift the TC by a frame. And I'm never going to use a phone for any long recording. I don't do long recording anyway. Drift isn't an issue for me, not since Resolve worked out variable frame rates on phone footage. Even Avid deals with it now. If anything I'd either nudge the audio a frame on the timeline, or subframes in the Fairlight page. This the beginning of the BM Cam app. Glad I got out of Filmic Pro before my subscription renewed. BM has room to make the app better.

Those with other cameras (rather than phone) how about testing initial sync with the Track E or Diety and let us know what you see.

Your post, and Tentacle's comments, put a different complexion on this. I don't have a Track E or any Diety product, so I can't help out, but I'd be interested in the results of the above test. Don't know if you're aware of this, but the Blackmagic app doesn't recognise Diety's TC-1 or its recorder/timecode product.

Yes, it's something to follow up on. I got the Track E at the very end of the year (tax purchase) just so I'd have another way to get audio into the phone (and give some shooters a better solution than what they've been giving me). Now I can run audio independent of the phone. ("Look ma, no wires.") Nicer on a gimbal. I have a T7 SSD magnetically attached to the front of the phone, nice and compact, but it uses up the Type C port.

Yes, so far Tentacle Sync is the only jam sync system working. And it does. Things will get better.

… Ah but is Columbian Supremo, medium roast, in the 3 lbs (1.361 kilos...

Annotation software is Snaggit. A bit overpriced but I've used it for years since it does so much more than the OS screengrabs.

Good for you! Careful though as my wife likes to see her country Colombia with the correct spelling. Up in the Great White North (actually snowing in Victoria in spite of El Niño), we drink locally roasted Level Ground Fair Trade Colombian coffee.

Now back to our regular programming…

… Ah but is Columbian Supremo, medium roast, in the 3 lbs (1.361 kilos...

Annotation software is Snaggit. A bit overpriced but I've used it for years since it does so much more than the OS screengrabs.

Good for you! Careful though as my wife likes to see her country Colombia with the correct spelling. Up in the Great White North (actually snowing in Victoria in spite of El Niño), we drink locally roasted Level Ground Fair Trade Colombian coffee.

Now back to our regular programming…

argh, I have a hard enough time trying to get the French right.
warmed up to 12F here.

UPDATE

Ok, QT-Change64 isn't working. Frame rates for the audio files are wonky and seem to show up as 25fps no matter what they were set as originally. Probably because QT64 is designed for video files and the Broadcast Wave File from the Track E is stored in a different place/manner.

Wave agent is being really weird. First of all the audio itself is blown out and bizarre. My guess is that it isn't setup for 32-bit float. Gave up once that happened. I'll have to try again later.

Clip Attributes on the Media page seems to work. My test files were the wrong ones (need to start those over again, anyway) but it was working to adjust the timecode of the audio file. If you have the right offset then you should be able to edit the TC, after which you do an Audio Sync and Append. If you got it right the audio tracks will lay right on top of each other. Just turn off the channels you don't want. The camera files were stereo and the external audio mono with the synced video file all munged. Should be trivial to adjust a couple audio files and and then do your sync. And I'm all concerned about a 1-2 fr offset.

AFAIK Wave Agent does not support 32bit float.

I did another test over two hours, and you are right. It’s not a drift, but one frame off from the start, still the same after two hours, with only minor fluctuations over time, less than one frame.

Now back to our regular programming;-)
Why do Americans still use the word Java for coffee? They grow excellent coffee here, and in recent years also learned how to roast it to perfection. For the young ones, a Warkop (coffee shop) is what’s a bar elsewhere.

Java:

https://coffeeaffection.com/why-is-coffee-called-java/

AFAIK Wave Agent does not support 32bit float.

Yes, it hasn't been updated for many years. From Sound Devices's Wave Agent page: "Wave Agent does not support 32-bit float files."

There are special instructions if you want to install it on a Mac computer more recent than OS Mojave

Still a great little utility though.

I have a few questions re the app and its performance.

I run a small YouTube channel (33 subs small ) and I record my kids playing piano outdoors with some B roll mixed in to show off the scenery of the Blue Mountains. I am a complete amateur. I have a Lumix G85 to record the main shot and a Samsung M31 (using Open Camera app) for the side angle and B roll for which I use an Anamorphic lens. Both the phone and camera record 4k at 30fps. We record the sound as midi onto garagband and I use Resolve to edit the videos and sync the audio.

The above gives more that acceptable results for what we can produce. We have little to none issues syncing the frame rates of the G85 and the phone, even though the first is CFR and the second is VFR Resolve handles it perfectly. I am now ready to take a small step up. I want to shoot B roll at 60fps. That is it, while keeping the rest of the flow as is. My phone can’t do it.

I updated to a S20+, thinking that would be it but it was a bust because Samsung locks Android developers from using anything higher than 30FPS. And the native phone app in S20+ was just a little too auto.

I returned the Samsung and got a Google Pixel 6 pro. That has no issue with the frame rate in 3rd party apps, and you need it - as the Gcam video app is just plain non PRO. But I just ran from the frying pan straight into the fire. The Pixel is hopeless at keeping up with the frame rate in 3rd party apps. My crappy M31s runs just around the +-30fps. The Pixel can have something from 15 to 30, and you can see in the screen where the video tears, and is choppy as hell. I have tried 4 different apps and they are all the same. This is with stabilisation off and no apps running. Not sure the Pixel is a Flagship phone.

So that is my sad story, I am so frustrated with Android right now, I don’t see another way forward but to go the I phone. While the grass is green there I would like to know some things before hand, the main is how would say an iPhone 13 pro behave with the BM cam app which I like the idea of, or others?

Will the iphone 13 pro - IN REAL LIFE:
1 have enough processing power to produce non choppy footage in BMCA at 4K
2 is able to Record at 30 and 60 fps in BMCA or other 3rd party app
3 Is able to turn OFF stabilisation for the Anamorphic lens? (Very important)
4 Lock and set WB and Exposure and potentially set it manually
5 Export the video files to a PC running Resolve and use the files as is (or do I have to re encode them?)

I don’t think its too much to ask?

AFAIK Wave Agent does not support 32bit float.

seems that way, though I think the also have a remote lav-style recorder. I have to check on that. The one I'm thinking of does 32-bit and is $$$$.

I did another test over two hours, and you are right. It’s not a drift, but one frame off from the start, still the same after two hours, with only minor fluctuations over time, less than one frame.

Now back to our regular programming;-)
Why do Americans still use the word Java for coffee? They grow excellent coffee here, and in recent years also learned how to roast it to perfection. For the young ones, a Warkop (coffee shop) is what’s a bar elsewhere.

I'm still working on the 1 fr offset. Think I have a solution in the Media page. more later...

And I bet Java started around WWII with forces in the Pacific. It was the first time so many "boys" from the States were exposed to the world and they picked up a lot of thing (literally and figuratively). I'll have to look but sailors and Marines in the Pacific and coffee from Java. See also the predominance of "Tiki Bars," here in the 1950s. Interesting social history.

AFAIK Wave Agent does not support 32bit float.

seems that way, though I think the also have a remote lav-style recorder. I have to check on that. The one I'm thinking of does 32-bit and is $$$$.

Rick and I assumed that you were referring to Sound Devices's free Wave Agent utility. Sounds like you may be talking about something else.

This is the Wave Agent that we assumed you meant: https://www.sounddevices.com/product/wa ... -software/

AFAIK Wave Agent does not support 32bit float.

Yes, it hasn't been updated for many years. From Sound Devices's Wave Agent page: "Wave Agent does not support 32-bit float files."

There are special instructions if you want to install it on a Mac computer more recent than OS Mojave

Still a great little utility though.

well there we are, then. Huh, I have it on my latest update to 14.2.1. I've used it for years, but not lately. I prefer having real code and reel names on files. I did notice that the TC on the files seemed different.

I'll have to check the SD site for installation instructions.
I think Videotoolshed may have an audio only utility.

AFAIK Wave Agent does not support 32bit float.

seems that way, though I think the also have a remote lav-style recorder. I have to check on that. The one I'm thinking of does 32-bit and is $$$$.

Rick and I assumed that you were referring to Sound Devices's free Wave Agent utility. Sounds like you may be talking about something else.

This is the Wave Agent that we assumed you meant: https://www.sounddevices.com/product/wa ... -software/

Yes, it is Waveagent. And you're correct that they state is doesn't work with 32-bit float. And I looked and it's their A10 mini that I was thinking of as similar to the Tentacle Track E, though the A10 does even more. And the A10 is 32-bit float, as are most of their field recorders, it seems. I use Wave agent to edit metadata and create sound reports to send back to camera (owners really) who give me crapped up files with no notes.

AFAIK Wave Agent does not support 32bit float.

seems that way, though I think the also have a remote lav-style recorder. I have to check on that. The one I'm thinking of does 32-bit and is $$$$.

Rick and I assumed that you were referring to Sound Devices's free Wave Agent utility. Sounds like you may be talking about something else.

This is the Wave Agent that we assumed you meant: https://www.sounddevices.com/product/wa ... -software/

Ah, Bouke over at https://www.videotoolshed.com has an audio utility. I'll download it and check it out. I have a couple of his other utilities and he's been very helpful troubleshooting and updating the apps when I've given him new challenges. Of course I get tons of mp4 files, nowadays. I use both MP4toQT and QTChange to convert files en mass to .mov and add custom reel names and timecode, things like that. QTChange is supposed to modify BWF but something was off. The BWF toolbox seems to do the things I'm looking for. And it's cheap, though not as cheap as Wave Agent https://www.videotoolshed.com/product/bwf-toolbox/

AFAIK Wave Agent does not support 32bit float.

UPDATE

Tried and tested:
Using external jam sync with the BM Cam App and the Tentacle Sync works, but the BM App imparts and error of 1 to 2 frames (=/- subframes) at the very start. And we've seen the sync remain stable, al least for a couple hours: no significant drift.

Audio Sync with Timecode works just fine and you can eliminate the offset by adjusting the start timecode of the audio file. In the Media Page, select the audio file then open it's Clip Attributes panel and increment the start code by one or two, and save the file. Now any future use of the audio file will line up with the BMCApp video file. Sync Audio to timecode works great.

Visuals attached.

2024-01-18_17-00-28.jpg (503.73 KiB) Viewed 26583 times

2024-01-18_17-01-22.png (100.75 KiB) Viewed 26583 times

Yep. Might look cleaner to adjust the Offset rather than the frame Timecode.

UPDATE

Tried and tested:

This is great. Thanks for making me aware of the Video Toolshed.

Re 32-bit float, DJI includes it in the DJI Mic update that it released today. I wrote a post about it, with links, in another iPhone thread: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=191338&start=300#p1014681

Good to see greater adoption of 32bit float audio, especially when you aren’t able to monitor 24bit while shooting.

Anyone else having trouble with the front cam, which with mirror on or off, still shows the same mirrored image? On 1.1.
Steve.

Yes, me!
Regardless of the switch's position the image coming out of the HDMI adapter (Apple original, "Clean Feed" setting for "HDMI Out") is mirrored (i.e. wrong).

Would be great if this could be fixed. I'm on v1.2.10003, iOS 17.2.1, iPhone 12 mini.

Or, at least, it would be great if this could be confirmed officially as a bug first and then be fixed.

No one else having this problem?

Hi - absolute newbie in video so I hope you'll bear with me here....

How does one do a white balance in the Blackmagic app using a white card (say, in case of mixed or unknown lighting)?

Need help with video data rate.

VLC reports "content data rate" from an h.265 file in default configuration the from BMD app is

"57770 kb/sec", That's kilobits per second, right?

To get megabits per second from kilobits per second, I need to divide that number by a thousand.

That works out to 57.77 mbps. That doesn't seem right. What's up?

Need help with video data rate.

VLC reports "content data rate" from an h.265 file in default configuration the from BMD app is

"57770 kb/sec", That's kilobits per second, right?

To get megabits per second from kilobits per second, I need to divide that number by a thousand.

That works out to 57.77 mbps. That doesn't seem right. What's up?

What lens? What ISO (high noon sun or good light, low light or night)? Frame rate? Video size (I assume 3840x2160) etc.

Noise influences bitrate (the more noise, the higher the bitrate, unless Apple's noise reduction becomes brutal).

First: It's not really that good. It's about the best, that "unadulterated" default Apple App h265 delivers. Blackmagic Camera does NOT improve on that in any way.

Cinema P3 Pro handles up to typical 25 Megabyte/second (~200 megabit/sec - 20MB setting) and around 45Megabyte/second (~350 megabit/sec - 40MB setting). Compare this to ProRES 422HQ (around 750 megabit/sec), ProRES 422 (around 475 megabit/second) ProRES 422LT (around 350 megabit/sec).

Just to name the "alternative App", that allows really impressive h265 performance. Just because it's a Blackmagic product, does not mean, it is capable of delivering better results in most cases (just, maybe more fine tuned results in some case, but far from all).

Often h265 is ridiculed for "real work"; it should lead to stuttering and whatnot during editing. True enough for weak-chested notebooks, but in todays world, that may be the least of your troubles.

On my MacBook 14 Pro M1 Pro h265 is handled without any hiccups at any speed even "skirting" manually through material at vastly increased framerates. Older computers (especially non Apple-silicon) without hardware supported decoding may show "strain" doing that, but otherwise h265 shouldn't pose any real problems on even modest modern silicon.

The 20MB and 40MB settings in Cinema P3 Pro are ideal for saving space, compared to using ProRES 422LT or better. Only problem is, that the h265 material only has 4:2:0 chroma handling instead of a slightly more accurate 4:2:2 format in ProRES.

I have a high quality h265 codec in my Ninja V, that delivers up to around 250 megabit/sec (25 fps, UHD, 10-bit 4:2:2 XQ quality) and 300 megabit/second for 50 fps, when fed from my Lumix S5. That's completely indistinguishable from any ProRES 422 (even HQ) from the same camera in real life editing (even when pixel peeping). The 30+ to near 40 Megabyte/second certainly is dramatically lower, than around 90+ Megabyte/sec from the same connection, when recording ProRES 422 HQ in the same format (25fps).

The popular description of the two format types: ProRES formats are designed to ease the editing phase to the smoothest possible use (requires lots of space), whereas h265 is designed to cram maximum possible quality into minimum space resp. LAN/WiFi/Radio etc transmission bandwidth (especially important in broadcast systems, where bandwith may be highly restricted).

IF you need to guarantee maximum recording quality, ProRES 422HQ opens up to conserve more fine details, than even h265 4:2:0 40MB using Cinema P3 Pro on an iPhone 15 Pro.

For professional use, it's a no-brainer. If you can't afford the storage as a professional, you're in the wrong business.

Compared to 12-bit 5,9k 25 fps ProRES RAW, demands are in the "tiny" region (my recordings reach around 2.2+ Gigabit/second in ProRES RAW HQ, and around 1.5+ Gigabit/second in simple, near "pedestrian" ProRES RAW Each RAW frame is around 19.5 megapixel in size or VERY detailed, compared to standard UHD. If maximum quality, best possible malleability and flexibility in post is required, that's the way to go. It's the video version of the difference between still imaqes in RAW, versus the more limited HEIF/HEIC or worse jpeg formats.

Hobbyists may decide, that the 20MB h265 setting for the same recording conditions, may be the best compromise between quality and storage requirements on "travel walkabout" or similar "run and gun" situations, that mostly are subject to only "cut and render" with a minimum of grading and whatnot.

If you "only" have around 150GB of free storage (or less) on your iPhone 15 Pro at the beginning of a day collecting travel memories, the choice between being limited to let's say 27-28 minutes (25 fps, UHD, ProRES 422HQ) or being able to "splatter" video to your hearts content for up to around 100 minutes in h265 20MB setting in exactly the same circumstances, and relegate culling to a more relaxed backup session at the hotel later in the evening (still leaving 30GB for around 300 odd RAW 48 megapixel images, if your real available storage is 180GB on your iPhone)

Regards

All seconded. But according to MediaInfo, H.265 out of CP3 is actually 4:2:2.
Generally, it's rare to encounter 10 bit with 4:2:0.

All seconded. But according to MediaInfo, H.265 out of CP3 is actually 4:2:2.
Generally, it's rare to encounter 10 bit with 4:2:0.

My results - just checked - in most of my retained project libraries are 4:2:0.

I found no project from December 23, 2023 with 4:2:2. An earlier session in the project (December 19, 2023) has only 4:2:0 in P3 h265 recordings (both 20 and 40 MB settings). Similar project sequence and material from December 15, 2023 is also 4:2:0.

All part of a fixed set of recording sessions (including early winter night) for all my standard formats (ProRES 422 and 422HQ, h265 20/40 MB and 25/50 fps) on the iOS 17.2 update collections (four sets over the three dates, quoted above). All my MediaInfo files agree on HEVC 4:2:0 (all files in any project get a txt version of the MediaInfo, as soon as it has been transferred to a working project).

Haven't checked lately, since I've been otherwise occupied (centering around various ProRES use cases).

Suits me fine, if 4:2:2 is now possible, since there's no way to select "color handling" on Cinema P3 on my iPhone 15 Pro.

Regards

All seconded. But according to MediaInfo, H.265 out of CP3 is actually 4:2:2.
Generally, it's rare to encounter 10 bit with 4:2:0.

Way past my bed time, but decided to test HEVC, UHD, 25 fps, 40MB, HLG, 2020 and all that jazz.

Result 4:2:0 in MediaInfo. Restarted I Phone from scratch and repeated test:

com.apple.quicktime.software : Cinema P3 Pro Camera
com.apple.quicktime.creationdate : 2024-01-30T02:02:41Z

Video
ID : 2
Format : HEVC
Format/Info : High Efficiency Video Coding
Formatprofil : Main 10@L8.5@High
HDR format : Dolby Vision, Version 1.0, dvhe.08.13, BL+RPU, HLG compatible
Codec-ID : hvc1
Codec-ID/Info : High Efficiency Video Coding
Varighed : 10sek. 764 ms
Source duration : 11sek. 477 ms
Bitrate : 390 Mb/s
Bredde : 3.840 billedpunkter
Højde : 2.160 billedpunkter
Størrelsesforhold : 16:9
Billedratemodus : Variabel
Billedfrekvens : 25,000 FPS
Minimum billedfrekvens : 24,975 FPS
Maksimum billedfrekvens : 25,025 FPS
Farverum : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
Bitdybde : 10 bits
Bits/(Billedpunkter*Billed) : 1.882
Strømstørrelse : 501 MiB (93%)
Source stream size : 534 MiB (100%)
Titel : Core Media Video
Kodet den : 2024-01-30 02:02:41 UTC
Tagged den : 2024-01-30 02:02:53 UTC
Color range : Limited
Color primaries : BT.2020
Overførselskarakteristika : HLG
Matrix-coefficienter : BT.2020 non-constant
Codec configuration box : hvcC+dvvC

Hmmm.... unless MediaInfo has a bug, only present in HEVC (not present in ProRES), I'd chance the conclusion, that Cinema P3 delivers 4:2:0 and NOT 4:2:2. I also get caught out from time to time, when confusing a ProRES file for being h265

I haven't checked Apple Log. Don't use it, so...

Regards

That's it!
I use Apple Log with HEVC too, since it drops most of those stupid 'enhancements', only that is 4:2:2.
HEVC is only 4:2:0, you are right.

I use the ProRes HQ recording option on a shoot, which generates data that my 1TB iPhone 14 Pro can handle thankfully. Apple log must be nice on the iPhone 15. Apparently the next iPhone 16 Pro will offer 2TB internal storage. That phone may cost more than some BMD cameras.

I use the ProRes HQ recording option on a shoot, which generates data that my 1TB iPhone 14 Pro can handle thankfully. Apple log must be nice on the iPhone 15. Apparently the next iPhone 16 Pro will offer 2TB internal storage. That phone may cost more than some BMD cameras.

In many cases, I just connect an USB-C 10GBit cable (certified with up to 100W power delivery) from my tiny shoulder bag (contains 2TB SSD equipped hub, with other required paraphernalia too as well as a - typical - 60-70Wh extremely slim powerbank).

Cable is connected in a jiffy, if I expect more lengthy recordings (or mounting the iPhone on a tripod, with the bag on hook). During normal walkabout the cable is disconnected, since 20 minutes will mostly cover a couple or more of spur of the moment recordings at any quality. If ProRES 422HQ is used, the benefit with Apple Camera is, that the App automatically switches to external SSD, when available, and back to internal recording, when the cable is removed. Simple. Reliable!

The extra benefit is, at I sync from iPhone via the cable to the SSD, if required, and during walkabout "meals" (or simple "fluid replenishment" pauses), I kick a simple backup - including photos of the day, notes etc. (of only differences) along from the internal 2TB SSD to a low power Samsung T7 Shield 4TB SSD also connected and powered by the hub).

Typically, unless arriving at the hotel at a very late hour, I can clean-up every drive, after transferring to a final backup during evening relaxation, travel bureaucracy and preparing for the next day on foot somewhere,

Typically, I have one 2TB with "dynamic walkabout content" and one 4TB for "running backups" and extra recording space, during walkabout. At the hotel, the MacBook receives up to 2TB and 4TB content to Thunderbolt 4 NvME based drives as immediate backup (800-900 megabyte/sec), and in the night, that 6 TB selection is leisurely sync'ed to an 8-16TB rotating rust disk. In most cases, 6TB will suffice for most anything I do.

If required, an extra 8-16TB external SSD can be bought most anywhere, to secure at least two full backup sets on two different drives (one in checked luggage, another in in carry on).

Regards

I use the ProRes HQ recording option on a shoot, which generates data that my 1TB iPhone 14 Pro can handle thankfully. Apple log must be nice on the iPhone 15. Apparently the next iPhone 16 Pro will offer 2TB internal storage. That phone may cost more than some BMD cameras.

If I was being paid to shoot with an iPhone, I'd definitely max out internal storage. The less external the better. If one is doing this commercially, I think that there's an argument for going with more than one phone rather than external storage.

Tilta is supposed to announce its "Khronos Ecosystem" for iPhone any day now. It will be interesting to see what they come up with. Based on what Tilta showed in its teaser film, The X-Gift, it looks like its storage solution is similar to Beastgrip's.

The extra benefit is, at I sync from iPhone via the cable to the SSD, if required, and during walkabout "meals" (or simple "fluid replenishment" pauses), I kick a simple backup - including photos of the day, notes etc. (of only differences) along from the internal 2TB SSD to a low power Samsung T7 Shield 4TB SSD also connected and powered by the hub).

May I ask if you use a specific app for incremental backups or if you do it manually with the Files app?

The extra benefit is, at I sync from iPhone via the cable to the SSD, if required, and during walkabout "meals" (or simple "fluid replenishment" pauses), I kick a simple backup - including photos of the day, notes etc. (of only differences) along from the internal 2TB SSD to a low power Samsung T7 Shield 4TB SSD also connected and powered by the hub).

May I ask if you use a specific app for incremental backups or if you do it manually with the Files app?

You may!

I use FileBrowser Professional from Stratospherix (both iPad and iPhone), and have done this for years and years. It’s not the fastest, but it gets most any job, you can think of, done in a reliable fashion.

https://www.stratospherix.com/products/ ... fessional/

It’s extremely powerfull and flexible, so I’ll not go into details here. They’re unique in the positive sense.

They’ve been in the App store since 2014, and updates are done regularly. Version 23.16 was released two months ago. They’re quite responsive, but not always the fastest. May take a day or two, but answers are always to the point.

Just remember to NEVER start the built-in WebDAV server outside your home network.

Regards

Thanks!

STRONG WARNING:

Blackmagic Filename Convention option
When storing video files in In-App Only (I'm not using any other approach)

If you choose "Blackmagic Camera" files are named (typically) A0001_MMDDMMSS_C003.mov, so if you ONLY use one iPhone, or only one target file per iPhone, problems will be rare.

If you have selected the option "iOS", filenames start at "IMG_0001.mov" and continue incrementing.
If you delete the files, increments continue, UNTIL the App or iPhone has been restarted. After that, the filenames again start at "IMG_0001.mov", if no other files exist, and any sync will affect like named files in the target folder.

Nice option (feature request):

1. It would be nice to have an option to prefix a "YY" (year). Would avoid filename clashes, in long term "archives" of miscelaneous video files.

Cinema P3 Pro

Default file store is defined as "On my iPhone" (named "Cinema P3" on my iPhone).

I use a custom name ("prefix") for all filenames. ("15P_" on my iPhone 15 Pro and "12P_" on my iPhone 12 Pro). Numbering increases sequentially, also when the App is restarted. This prevents any clashes in my environment, when syncing in a travel scenario.

There is a specific "Reset Count" option in "Video Filename" setting. Usual advice: Don't!

If the numbering system is straightforward, the naming system allows CUSTOM_00001.MOV (or ...00000.MOV - no wish to test) to CUSTOM_99999.MOV with no clashes within the first hundred thousand or so images.

Apple Camera

When iCloud Photo sharing is enabled, filenames are unique (not necessarily in the same sequence across iPhones). This is not necessarily the case if syncing from iPhones (not sharing) to external drives, unless each iPhone is issued its own base target folder.

General observation
There are always exceptions. For simple walkabout, the above rules will mostly be valid.

When consolidating collected data after arriving home, I use a simple project oriented and self sorting naming convention for each and every project containing all data (no further naming convention clashes possible with NAS or Cloud storage under my control in my networks).

Typical example (yyyymmdd):

20240131 ProjectName

Containing year, month and day of the month, and in "culling and cleanup scenarios", that may involve several versions over the day, names have an hour and minute postfix ("-hhmm", here "-2359".

20240131-2359 ProjectName

This allows easy access to base project and any subprojects, created during the same working day.

Typically all completed projects (since 2013) are sorted in subfolders named by creation year. Above file examples would be placed in:

//Server/iClout/Projects/Finished/2024/

The year folder is purely to simplify later access. Nice to have...

Regards

Agree YYYYMMDD is preferable to MMDD, but in practice, you’re certainly going to offload files to more organized and permanent storage shortly after shooting so not a must-have feature; nice-to-have.

In my RAID5 ‘work in progress’ storage I organize all captured media with YYYY something like this:
/ Capture / 2023
/ FolknFiddle
/ 20230927 Gordon Lightfoot
// raw footage to be deleted in 6 months.

In external large hard disks owned by the client, there’s a similar folder structure to organize their media:
/ Archive
// ProRes 4444 XQ flat file masters (with all isolated audio tracks used in edit)

On Vimeo, I maintain privately ‘published’ h.265 videos for HDR PQ, sRGB, Rec.709.

Agree YYYYMMDD is preferable to MMDD, but in practice, you’re certainly going to offload files to more organized and permanent storage shortly after shooting so not a must-have feature; nice-to-have.

For some video projects, that may suffice, but…

My writing projects (reportage, articles etc) reach back to the mid 1970’s and coding projects (huge amount on any level from development over testing to project management etc) reach back to the early 1980’s. My earliest “digitally edited videos” were produced in the 1990’s.

It’s not unusual to have “local offline” inspirational content spanning several fields covering several eras, and I hate - HATE - that earlier projects are sorted after later projects (YYMMDD instead of YYYYMMDD) or as a hodgepodge sort based on “MMDD” only

Just sayin’

Smile!

Completely agree. That’s why my first breakdown of storage begins with the appropriate YYYY and then Client followed by Project or Shoot if you will where any date limitation of YY isn’t going to hurt because I’m doing all storage within a YYYY container. I’ve been fortunate I can conclude my Christmas work without it flowing into January.

Could the moderators, or anyone else who knows, say whether the Blackmagic app was used to shoot this 15 minute Apple film for Chinese New Year?

More info, and a behind the scenes video, in this post and the one following: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=191338&start=350#p1017864

Heads-UP (iOS 17.3 on iPhone 15 Pro)

Tested on trusted gear with trusted cables previously working reliably over months.

ExFAT formatted disks can pose problems.

Especially 4TB Samsung T7 Shield. When used on Mac (Sonoma 14.3 or earlier) no problem.

When accessing folders and subfolders etc. no problems. All folders and names are shown. Also folders, that have been created past 2TB content.

Filenames cannot be accessed past 2TB.

Mounting 2TB SSD formatted ExFAT in Acasis hub does not work anymore. No problems on previous iOS versions. Naturally no problems on MacOS or Windows 10.

This is verified, and consistent. Cables have no influence.

Reformatting 2TB drive from ExFAT to APFS (on Sonoma)

Acasis hub with drive reconnected to iPhone. Acasis hub internal 2TB SSD drive has same name, and device is identical. Drive not recognized as in "at all".

This is verified, and consistent. Cables have no influence. Devices connected to hub has no influence. Drive is not recognized.

Rebooting iPhone.

Internal SSD in Acasis hub is now recognized. Irrespectively of cable use, and extra connected devices to the powered hub.

Conclusion

Using ExFAT formatted drive with a capacity of more than 2TB (or data positioned above 2TB) behave inconsistently, and file content will not be read above 2TB. Even if a subfolder leading to the file is also placed above 2TB.

There seems to be a bug in iOS 17.3 in ExFAT handling (may have turned up earlier, or always existed, but just not "tripped").

Comment

It seems, that iOS "remembers" key hardware and format info on earlier connected drives. If the same drive, reformatted from ExFAT to APFS keeping the same name is used (in this example internal SSD in external powered hub), the drive is no longer recognized by iOS.

Irrespectively of cable combinations used and/or variations in hub connected devices. Reconnecting the hub alters nothing. The "non-recognition" is persistent over time.

Rebooting the iPhone 15 Pro solves the problem.

The Acasis hub with the APFS drive continues to behave as expected in all tested variants with any of several cables used.

Regards

Thank you for your analysis. Shocking.

FileBrowser Professional sample results

Here are a few typical transfer results for my standard environment.

Transfer from iPhone 15 Pro FileBrowser Professional (Stratospherix) WebDAV Server (using Carbon Copy Cloner on Sonoma 14.3) to MacBook Pro 14 M1 Pro:

WiFi connection via Synology SR6600ax router (WiFi 6)
Typically reading files at sustained speeds of up to around 65-70 Megabyte/seconds.

WARNING: NEVER EVER do this on a hotel or other public network (especially NOT in Airports).

WiFi connection to iPhone 15 Pro Internet Sharing:
Typically reading files at sustained speeds of up to around 100-110 Megabyte/second. Similar to the same task executed via a standard Gigabit Ethernet cabled connection (on 2.5 Gigabit/sec network).

Example transfer speed from iPhone 15 Pro Internet sharing WiFi connection

Skærmbillede 2024-02-04 kl. 19.01.01.png (37.65 KiB) Viewed 22715 times

These values are faster, than using the “iTunes” inspired method (via File Browser), that typically only delivers between 35 and 40 Megabyte/second on a good day using USB-C to USB-C cable (actually a Thunderbolt 4/USB 4 certified cable).

Regards

Hey!

Long time Filmic Pro user sadly seeing the app die a slow death, so as I'm a Da Vinci user, thought I'd give the app a go.

One feature I use every time I shoot with Filmic Pro, is the remote app, so I can frame my shot on my ipad via bluetooth, it's a crucial feature for me.

Does anyone know if this is possible on the BlackMagic Camera app?

Thanks!