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    Panasonic GH2 hack supports pro-level AVCHD Intra codec

    Panasonic GH2 hack supports pro-level AVCHD Intra codec

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    Panasonic GH2
    Panasonic GH2

    There's a tri-core processor hiding inside the Panasonic DMC-GH2, and the Micro Four Thirds camera has been hacked to take full advantage. On hacker forum Personal-View, user Driftwood created settings files that get the AVCHD Intra codec, which is used for video recording on professional-level cameras with high-end memory cards, recording at 176Mbps to an SD card. The codec records and stores every frame from the sensor instead of approximating frames to save space and processing time, which makes for far better video, especially of moving objects; it's also easier to edit, since every frame stands alone. The codec requires fast hardware and a huge amount of storage (think 22MB per second) to work, but the GH2 and a high-end Class 10 SD card apparently do the trick. The hack's not taking full advantage of the AVC Intra codec yet, only recording 8 bits instead of 10, but Personal-View users have reported a huge improvement in their video. If you're shooting for the big screen, you might want to hit the source to see how to get it for yourself, but for casual shooters this is almost certainly overkill.