Jittery & Choppy 4K Video

[SixStarsDrone]

I took quite a bit of photographs and video today with my new EVO II Pro 6K. I was excited to see what I had captured. The photographs looked amazing considering I was not using any filters and they were all taken on Auto.

The video on the other hand was quite disappointing. I was filming in 4K at 60 fps. I was using the supplied Sandisk 32 GB card. The footage was crystal clear and the image quality itself was amazing but it was very choppy and jittery.

Is this an issue with camera adjustment? Or could this be the computer/monitor that I was viewing the footage on?

At first I thought that the SD card was the issue but after reading several posts I don’t think that’s the problem.

Recorded video in mp4. Playing it back on a company supplied Lenovo laptop which is not intended for heavy video playback or editing. I do have a couple of 24” Dell monitors hooked up.

Should I be recording in 1080p due to my less than impressive setup?

 

[Brock Inspector]

Make sure you have the latest h.265 codec installed and that whatever viewer app you're using can utilize it, to view 4K 60p properly. Look to see if your Lenovo has a separate GPU, and if so enable it. Are you viewing video streaming from a spinning disk HDD or SSD or straight from the MicroSD through a card reader? Suggest trying a fast external SSD connected to Thunderbolt if you don't have an internal SSD. Also, for your testing purposes, what app did you view the footage with? (Leaner programs are better for smooth playback. Latest DaVinci Resolve version isn't likely to play 4K 60p cleanly with under 4GB video RAM).

Only once you've narrowed it down will you know whether your laptop is up to the task or subpar (and can't be upgraded).

For most of the video I shoot with my AE2 Pro, I use 4K 30p. It can be shot in h.264 which is less processor-intensive to decode on the fly. Have you tried that, and how does it look?

 

[UasDriver]

fwiw
I get what I call the hurky-jurky's, took me awhile to separate what's causing it. In my case if i'm filming and command fwd or reverse, the initial drone "thrust" is too much for the gimble to compensate for.
to test, film stationary, for a minute. stop filming so a new file is created, then film fwd backward for a minute.
process both films the same and compare

 

[herein2021]

I took quite a bit of photographs and video today with my new EVO II Pro 6K. I was excited to see what I had captured. The photographs looked amazing considering I was not using any filters and they were all taken on Auto.

The video on the other hand was quite disappointing. I was filming in 4K at 60 fps. I was using the supplied Sandisk 32 GB card. The footage was crystal clear and the image quality itself was amazing but it was very choppy and jittery.

Is this an issue with camera adjustment? Or could this be the computer/monitor that I was viewing the footage on?

At first I thought that the SD card was the issue but after reading several posts I don’t think that’s the problem.

Recorded video in mp4. Playing it back on a company supplied Lenovo laptop which is not intended for heavy video playback or editing. I do have a couple of 24” Dell monitors hooked up.

Should I be recording in 1080p due to my less than impressive setup?

It is probably your GPU that can't handle it. Most typical consumer grade video cards can't handle 100MB/s data rates and 60FPS. I would at least drop down to 30FPS and try again. Also, the player is important, I have found that Windows Video player plays back the videos out of the EVO II better than VLC for some reason.

Either way, your laptop's GPU definitely does not sound like it is up to the task.

 

[SixStarsDrone]

Thank you everyone for your replies. It’s much appreciated!

I was able to change from the default video player on my laptop to Windows Media Player and playback is now as smooth as can be.

Is there any reason why I should still drop down to 30 fps? Is that a better option if I start sharing videos with others to ensure a better chance of proper playback?

 

[herein2021]

Thank you everyone for your replies. It’s much appreciated!

I was able to change from the default video player on my laptop to Windows Media Player and playback is now as smooth as can be.

Is there any reason why I should still drop down to 30 fps? Is that a better option if I start sharing videos with others to ensure a better chance of proper playback?

60FPS is an editing framerate, you should never deliver in 60FPS unless a client requires it. Delivery frame rates are 29.97FPS and 23.98FPS. I only use 29.97FPS for my delivery frame rate, this thread will explain why. When you shoot at 60FPS that lets you slow down the video by up to 50% without the stuttering look and without having to use software interpretation such as optical flow.

Also, you should always change the data rate to a lower data rate prior to uploading to any web platform; uploading with the original data rate will make the files massive and the destination platform will completely ruin your footage transcoding it to a much lower data rate. For YouTube Google has posted a comprehensive guide here. Personally, I go even lower than their guide and upload all of my 4K footage at no higher than 16Mb/s.

 

[UasDriver]

I shoot at 30 but I post-process at 120, ya they are huge files, but I don't upload them anywhere.

 

[Brock Inspector]

4K 60p from the AE2 Pro 6K require h.265 settings in-camera. Most of the others (except HDR and 4K 30p LOG) can be shot in h.264. To decode 4K 60p (unless transcoded to another codec afterwards in a video editor) requires a relatively fast processor. So yes-- if you're sharing and want to ensure the greatest number of folks whom you share footage straight out of the camera will see it play smoothly, shoot it in 4K 30p with the h.264 codec. Even better if universal playability is the highest priority would be 1080p 30 fps. (Many smartphones haven't got a better screen)

 

[gschulzuio]

Is there any reason why I should still drop down to 30 fps? Is that a better option if I start sharing videos with others to ensure a better chance of proper playback?

If shooting action, then a higher framerate can in some situations help and then render down in post, otherwise, unless requested by client, I usually shoot 4K 30fps log if post process, or 4K 30fps none if thats what client wants or needs quick turn. Keep in mind at 30fps keep your movement relative slow and easy for a sharper image.

 

[herein2021]

If shooting action, then a higher framerate can in some situations help and then render down in post, otherwise, unless requested by client, I usually shoot 4K 30fps log if post process, or 4K 30fps none if thats what client wants or needs quick turn. Keep in mind at 30fps keep your movement relative slow and easy for a sharper image.

I think you are mixing frame rates with shutter speed. For sports or fast action you typically want a shutter speed of 1/320s or higher, the frame rate can still be 30FPS. The higher frame rates simply let you slow them down more in post. 60fps can be slowed down by 50% in post without visible dropped frames just like 120fps can be slowed down by 75% without visibly dropping frames.

 

[gschulzuio]

I think you are mixing frame rates with shutter speed. For sports or fast action you typically want a shutter speed of 1/320s or higher, the frame rate can still be 30FPS. The higher frame rates simply let you slow them down more in post. 60fps can be slowed down by 50% in post without visible dropped frames just like 120fps can be slowed down by 75% without visibly dropping frames

No I think you are mixing what I was saying, certainly shutter speed is part of the equation, as well as frame rate, particular depending on what you want to do in post. You are correct in that at 60 fps you can reduce in post by 50% or 2x and at 120 fps, you can reduce by 4x which can be great for capturing motion such as water spray, mist etc. Thus, and this can be a personal preference for some, if aircraft moving tracking/following something, or, if aircraft not moving however tracking something move at faster speeds, the higher framerate (fps) along with shutter can help.

 

[herein2021]

No I think you are mixing what I was saying, certainly shutter speed is part of the equation, as well as frame rate, particular depending on what you want to do in post. You are correct in that at 60 fps you can reduce in post by 50% or 2x and at 120 fps, you can reduce by 4x which can be great for capturing motion such as water spray, mist etc. Thus, and this can be a personal preference for some, if aircraft moving tracking/following something, or, if aircraft not moving however tracking something move at faster speeds, the higher framerate (fps) along with shutter can help.

I get what you were saying but it wasn't accurate. Since you are delivering at 30fps the additional frames aren't helping anything for fast action.....they are being thrown away in post anyway. What truly helps each frame to be sharper when shooting fast action is the shutter speed. At the Olympics and pretty much any sporting event they are shooting at high shutter speeds but still delivering at 29.97FPS......if they want to replay something in slow motion they either use optical flow or the higher frame rates but still deliver at 29.97FPS.

 

[gschulzuio]

I get what you were saying but it wasn't accurate. Since you are delivering at 30fps the additional frames aren't helping anything for fast action.....they are being thrown away in post anyway. What truly helps each frame to be sharper when shooting fast action is the shutter speed. At the Olympics and pretty much any sporting event they are shooting at high shutter speeds but still delivering at 29.97FPS......if they want to replay something in slow motion they either use optical flow or the higher frame rates but still deliver at 29.97FPS.

Lol, ok, so much for accuracy, who said anything about not delivering at or around 30fps (US/NA), vs using higher frame rate (and shutter settings) for capture, and then post processing as needed, and rendering out at lower frame rate. Oh well, have a nice weekend.

 

[herein2021]

Keep in mind at 30fps keep your movement relative slow and easy for a sharper image.

This is the part that was inaccurate........framerate has absolutely nothing to do with sharpness...it is that simple. Shutter speed determines if the image is sharp or not relative to the speed of the objects moving within the frame (motion blur). Framerate simply determines how many frames are recorded per second; shutter speed determines how sharp each frame is. If framerate affected sharpness then all photographs would be a blurry mess since there is only one of them for a given frame. When photographers want a sharper image they simply increase the shutter speed.

Now if you meant to extrapolate that to include the 180 degree shutter angle rule then that's fine, but that is still a function of the chosen shutter angle/shutter speed, not the framerate.

 

[gschulzuio]

This is the part that was inaccurate........framerate has absolutely nothing to do with sharpness...it is that simple. Shutter speed determines if the image is sharp or not relative to the speed of the objects moving within the frame (motion blur). Framerate simply determines how many frames are recorded per second; shutter speed determines how sharp each frame is. If framerate affected sharpness then all photographs would be a blurry mess since there is only one of them for a given frame. When photographers want a sharper image they simply increase the shutter speed.

Now if you meant to extrapolate that to include the 180 degree shutter angle rule then that's fine, but that is still a function of the chosen shutter angle/shutter speed, not the framerate.

Have a nice week

 

[Rubik3x]

I've found that 4K/30fps is adequate for nice slow pans and most other camera or subject movements. If you are recording fast moving action (racing) or need to move the camera rapidly (FPV) the video will never look very sharp due to motion blur (normal shutter speeds) or staccato images (fast shutter speeds). So, in this situation, I just switch to 1080P/60fps for shooting and production. That will play on more devices than 4K/60 without much loss in image quality.

 

[gschulzuio]

I've found that 4K/30fps is adequate for nice slow pans and most other camera or subject movements. If you are recording fast moving action (racing) or need to move the camera rapidly (FPV) the video will never look very sharp due to motion blur (normal shutter speeds) or staccato images (fast shutter speeds). So, in this situation, I just switch to 1080P/60fps for shooting and production. That will play on more devices than 4K/60 without much loss in image quality.

Great points, on my FPV I leave in 4K/60 by default, however also experimenting with the 1K/120 and just got a mounting bracket so will experiment with Hero10 in 1K/240 mode. Can then use DR to do some speedramping and other things.

 

[zawaprz]

11-23-23> Happy Thanks Giving to All! I can only confirm had the same problem with my brand new Evo 2 Pro Ver 3.. Once switched from VSL to native app in Win 11 all looks good!

 

[ADOC]

fwiw
I get what I call the hurky-jurky's, took me awhile to separate what's causing it. In my case if i'm filming and command fwd or reverse, the initial drone "thrust" is too much for the gimble to compensate for.
to test, film stationary, for a minute. stop filming so a new file is created, then film fwd backward for a minute.
process both films the same and compare

"Too much Thrust vs Gimble"...
Are you sure your O-rings arent sticking?