Capturing Live video from 5D2

dorkbydesign · July 23, 2012, 12:52:28 PM

I'd really like to overcome the FAT32 limitation and record directly to hard drive. Is it possible to directly push the image buffer through USB? I could code something to encode/process it through the PC end as I'm not familiar with DIGIC/ARM.

It really sucks when I shoot events and lose about 10 mins because of the lag between the gapless files ML creates. I usually carry my Macbook Air on my back anyways.

a1ex · July 23, 2012, 01:09:10 PM

Apply for a license to EDSDK and give it a try.

I don't have one, so I can't help you.

Malcolm Debono · July 23, 2012, 01:40:09 PM

I can't understand why you're loosing 10 minutes of footage. The gap between two videos is only a second or two.

Also, while I cannot help you out with your idea, you still need to keep in mind that there's still the issue of sensor over-heating even if the 4GB limitation is resolved.

ilguercio · July 23, 2012, 02:47:08 PM

Quote from: a1ex on July 23, 2012, 01:09:10 PM
Apply for a license to EDSDK and give it a try.

I don't have one, so I can't help you.

Does it have nice things inside?
How much does it cost? You could invest some money from the donation towards the SDK.

a1ex · July 23, 2012, 02:48:52 PM

It's free, but covered by NDA afaik. Which means, if we would get some knowledge from there, we probably can't use it in ML without getting in trouble

dorkbydesign · July 23, 2012, 02:55:13 PM

Quote from: Malcolm Debono on July 23, 2012, 01:40:09 PM
I can't understand why you're loosing 10 minutes of footage. The gap between two videos is only a second or two.

Also, while I cannot help you out with your idea, you still need to keep in mind that there's still the issue of sensor over-heating even if the 4GB limitation is resolved.

I usually shoot at music festivals and operate one of the floor cams (hence the cheap replaceable DSLR compared to the Red kit they use on cranes). The 2-3 seconds between each video adds up and sometimes interrupts a performance midway or a shot of the mosh which is really not useful.

Quote from: a1ex on July 23, 2012, 01:09:10 PM
Apply for a license to EDSDK and give it a try.

I don't have one, so I can't help you.

Isn't it possible to do so through ML? I mean there has to be a way to push the image buffer through USB or even HDMI.

ilguercio · July 23, 2012, 03:00:46 PM

Quote from: a1ex on July 23, 2012, 02:48:52 PM
It's free, but covered by NDA afaik. Which means, if we would get some knowledge from there, we probably can't use it in ML without getting in trouble

So that would be for personal use?

a1ex · July 23, 2012, 03:05:13 PM

Quotethere has to be a way to push the image buffer through USB or even HDMI.

Atomos Ninja, Hyperdeck Shuttle, Aja Ki... and probably lots of others. See ML FAQ.

1% · July 23, 2012, 03:26:17 PM

With exfat the camera has no more 4gb limit. In .X bit rates the files come out to over 4gb. I think 4gb limit and time limit are soft limits. Just will there be a way to fake the camera out without directly patching the firmware (although I'm not opposed to this). Maybe if we find out how to do it there is an option to release a different way... kind of like gh1 hacks... where ML won't get in trouble but users can still get at the features unofficial style.

100mbps steady video over 4gb..... also my camera can do instant over 250Mb/s so 5dmk2 maybe more once encoder is figured out? If you output over hdmi/usb you may get 4:2:2 color... I think its in the buffer and then the camera neuters it for video... hence .422 files.

The sensor may overheat but mine has not yet... even driving while recording in my back window for a decent time. If we even get 1 or 2 hours of constant video it would be good. Canon would also see sales go up, nobody pays the "tax" or whatever that scam is.

dorkbydesign · July 24, 2012, 07:31:04 AM

Where is the camera buffer located?

Michael Zöller · July 24, 2012, 10:58:27 AM

Quote from: 1% on July 23, 2012, 03:26:17 PMIn .X bit rates the files come out to over 4gb.

Really? Have you actually gotten the camera to create a file > 4GB? I thought creating movies > 10min is possible with lower bitrates but creating larger files- I have not managed that so far.

1% · July 24, 2012, 11:57:13 PM

Yes, also using iso 80. Otherwise 3.99 and it stops. I had an SDHC formatted in exfat. On my new card I have not tried yet.

In firmware

NSTUB(0xFF04E88C, str:Max_FileSize_dMBytes_RecSec)

I dunno if this only calculates the seconds left or does both but it is called by the movie recorder. Anyone ever try to tweak it?

Also there is an append check which asks "can I write, are we over limits".

There is:

'mvrAppendCheckInValid'
'mvrAppendCheckValid'

; *'MVR_APPENDCHECK_4GBYTEOVER'
; *'MVR_APPENDCHECK_30MINOVER'

Can't we just override these registers somehow? I know in fat32 there was no point but in exfat the sky is the limit in theory.

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Capturing Live video from 5D2