H Plus Best Video

[Ty Pilot]

So here it is, coming up on the beginning of the 5th year of owning my H Plus and I am still finding out things out about her.

Okay so for years, I have shot 4K video from both my standard H and the H Plus, but all of that video has been MP4 with the H 264 Codec which of course looks great. However, A while back I picked up a GH5 to 'up' my ground game and for the most part have had it on MP4 H264 as well. It has always been my intention to (at some point), start shooting in 10 bit 4:2:2 because now I have the computer horse power to do it. That time is now as I have a couple projects I am determined to get done even if I have to pull a 'Tom Brady' and retire for 40 days. . . . where was I?

Now that I have all of my ducks in a row, I have been going back through the good ship Independence (my H Plus); and re-familiarizing my self with all of it's settings.

And here is where I am confused - When the Plus came out I seem to remember that in the settings you could switch to H265 in 4K and shoot in 10bit - but only up to 30 fps as opposed to 4K 60 fps with H264. However when I shot a 4K 24 fps clip in H265 - it is only in 8 bit????

Am I crazy or does the C23 not shoot 10 bit video?

 

[Steve Carr]

I have a recollection of the Ion camera being 10 bit capable.

"Co-engineered by Leica, YUNEEC’s Typhoon H3 is packing six rotors and has a powerful 20MP 4K Leica camera. That camera can shoot 10-bit YLog 4K video."

 

[Ty Pilot]

Well Steve - I think your recollection is better than mine I've searched every article and spec I can find, and found nothing about the H Plus being 10 bit. But did see the H3 can.

hmmmmmm..............................?

 

[DCH]

But did see the H3 can.

Better be carful buddy! Sounds like you are considering an H3.
I have two questions for you:
Is the H3 worth the money for a minimal upgrade?
...And when can we expect the new H3 video review from you? ...I can hardly wait!!

 

[Quadflyer Gary]

Ty,

You should have a 2K setting in H.265 that will allow you to shoot 60FPS. If you need 60FPS this is the highest setting you can use under 265. Maybe 2K will give you the quality you desire.. On my H+ the 2 highest 4K settings are 30FPS in H.265. My understanding is that the H3 ION camera was the only Yuneec drone that had 10 bit at the time. I didn't have the computer power, so I bought an H+ and mostly shoot h.264. Somewhere on this forum a very good user has published his own H+ manual version 1.0 and it has complete specs for the C23 around page 8. But, he does not list bit quality.

 

[Ty Pilot]

Better be carful buddy! Sounds like you are considering an H3.
I have two questions for you:
Is the H3 worth the money for a minimal upgrade?
...And when can we expect the new H3 video review from you? ...I can hardly wait!!

LOL, the thought of flying down that mine shaft is not likely for this old canary. Been there done that. Besides I just got new batteries for my Plus, (er 1 battery for now, but thinking of a second one soon), but I am finally back on my quest to finish the 'Battle Royal' between an H Plus and a Mavic 2 Pro - hence why I was shooting in H265.

But for the slight difference I am seeing between 10 bit out of the M2P, there's no chance I would get an H3. If I am shooting a late sunset and need every last ounce of dynamic range possible I could just break out the M2P or better yet - I could just shoot it my GH5 and blow them all out of the game.

Now - if someone wants to loan me their H3 . . . . . . . . .

 

[Ty Pilot]

Ty,

You should have a 2K setting in H.265 that will allow you to shoot 60FPS. If you need 60FPS this is the highest setting you can use under 265. Maybe 2K will give you the quality you desire.. On my H+ the 2 highest 4K settings are 30FPS in H.265. My understanding is that the H3 ION camera was the only Yuneec drone that had 10 bit at the time. I didn't have the computer power, so I bought an H+ and mostly shoot h.264. Somewhere on this forum a very good user has published his own H+ manual version 1.0 and it has complete specs for the C23 around page 8. But, he does not list bit quality.

Thanks @Quadflyer Gary Yes, shooting high frame rates certainly have a 'look' to them and I do know we can shoot those higher frame rates when using H264 but I was looking to see if the Plus could produce in 10 bit, as I wanted to do a direct comparison with it's nearest (and oldest) competitor in terms of dynamic range.

I did a Typhoon H video a while back where I compared Jpeg's To Raw images out of the same camera. And while ten bit is not Raw it does have a similar capability in that it produces more color variations and a cleaner image.

As a comparison, the H Plus 4K H264 produces 256 Million colors, but a 10 Bit video produces 1 Billion! Where this is very noticeable in video (at any frame rate) for instance is; in blue sky shots where on many videos, if you look close you can see bands across the sky as it goes from a light blue to a dark blue. 10 bit also allows you to capture more range in the shadows and highlights - its subtle but the difference is there.

 

[Quadflyer Gary]

Thanks @Quadflyer Gary Yes, shooting high frame rates certainly have a 'look' to them and I do know we can shoot those higher frame rates when using H264 but I was looking to see if the Plus could produce in 10 bit, as I wanted to do a direct comparison with it's nearest (and oldest) competitor in terms of dynamic range.

I did a Typhoon H video a while back where I compared Jpeg's To Raw images out of the same camera. And while ten bit is not Raw it does have a similar capability in that it produces more color variations and a cleaner image.

As a comparison, the H Plus 4K H264 produces 256 Million colors, but a 10 Bit video produces 1 Billion! Where this is very noticeable in video (at any frame rate) for instance is; in blue sky shots where on many videos, if you look close you can see bands across the sky as it goes from a light blue to a dark blue. 10 bit also allows you to capture more range in the shadows and highlights - its subtle but the difference is there.

Having been a photographer for over 30 years I understand points you make. But, the common people have decided that the cell phone with it's small screen is their primary viewing source. How many of your videos do you watch at your local movie theater? And, good computer monitors are very good at reproducing the subtle color bands. It's a trade off that I'm willing to live with. When I take the live feed from my 3 chip HDR-FX1 video camera and feed it to my LCD wall projector it can blow away any of the cable company's channels!

 

[Ty Pilot]

Well, there is more to the story than meets the eye, at least in my opinion.

Most of the delivery formats such as Youtube, Vimeo, (what have you), have tiers in their compression algorithms. Smaller, lower bit rate videos use a higher compression rate than larger higher rate and resolution videos. As they say: 'Garbage in, Garbage out'. Anything we upload to those types of sites will only have a fraction of the quality we start with. By putting in better video we get better results down the pipeline.

For instance if you shoot a video with that HDR-FX1 (a great camera 18 years ago BTW), and upload it to youtube, it will in no way have broadcast quality and a 300 dollar GoPro will have better results - again, down that pipeline.

If you want to see this, look at videos uploaded over five years ago with only a 1080p or lower resolution. If you right click on the player you can select (first Picture) 'Stats For Nerds', this will show you a lot of detail about the video. In the example below I found a 5 year old video shot at 720p and took some screen shots. If you look at the second picture you'll see the Codec is AVC1 - (second picture) - this is an older and higher compression than newer videos.



In the example below, this is a screen shot from a newer 4K video, you'll notice it is using a different Codec - VP09 - this is a much better compression and gives the viewer not just higher resolution, but also better resolution even at the smaller sizes. In other words, the 1080 version of a 4K video looks better than if it had only been uploaded at 1080.



By starting with better video, regardless of where I deliver to, the final product will be better, and I realize some folks can't see the difference or don't care but, as a 30 plus year photographer and videographer also, I do care. For me shooting the higher quality video is the next step, much like when I quit shooting Jpegs for photos and started shooting in RAW.

 

[Tom Gilmore]

Sorry to say I haven't flown my H Plus since Covid hit the scene. Every once in awhile I go out on the patio to fire it up and check out the camera and the ability to acquire good satellite signal. My only complaint about the H Plus is the size for travel and the low battery life. I took these few images this past Saturday with my original Mavic Pro just to get out and fly a mission with Litchi. It is still amazing to plan a mission at home and go out and reliably feel safe flying over water and have it come back and land. Litchi provides voice over every waypoint and when the MP is at a safe battery power and altitude. I know you can preplan a flight mission using the Yuneec app at location, but wish Litchi or the Drone Link app worked with my H Plus. All of you postings seem to point out to have a bird that can transmit in 10 bit, but the technical transition in the drone field has been really amazing and I just wanted to point out with the old Mavic Pro, you can still use post processing to boost up and enhance video and RAW image with Software that has also been improving with AI technology.

 

[Ty Pilot]

. . . My only complaint about the H Plus is the size for travel and the low battery life. . . .

I agree. When trying to pack light and carry everything you need to get to a remote location, big birds like the Plus just make it difficult. And it was for that reason that I got a Mavic 2 Pro. Now that I have had it for two years I feel like I have a perfect balance of capabilities between the two. Further - as I see what has come out since these two, I don't see the kind of improvements in the camera we saw for the previous 6 to 10 years.

The one place that DJI has really beat the pants off of Yuneec is in the user interface and control parameters. I was frustrated when I tried to do a hyperlapse with the Plus when I found out that the intervals between shots were not steady. Also the available shutter speeds when shooting video are limited in certain FPS on the Plus.

But DJI has one gorilla sitting in the living room of it's line of drones..... NANNY WARE. I am so sick and tired of having to update the Geo Zones it seems about every other week, only to find the space around me here in Central Florida is shrinking. It is such a pain in the A$$ to have to go through and get permission and unlock or request this altitude or what ever. My Plus is fully unlocked and if I need to go through LAANC for controlled airspace I can do that quick and simple and I do not have to then go before the 'Court of DJI' and show permission and do the secret handshake . . . . BS!

But I digress.

All of you postings seem to point out to have a bird that can transmit in 10 bit, but the technical transition in the drone field has been really amazing and I just wanted to point out with the old Mavic Pro, you can still use post processing to boost up and enhance video and RAW image with Software that has also been improving with AI technology.

The Plus only shoots 8 bit I can confirm. And the difference between the 8 and 10 but when talking about video is substantial . . . . in certain areas. I did a video years back shooting Raw and Jpegs and what the difference was and I was speaking with another member here that had never seen it so I will post again below.

 

[Ty Pilot]

Okay, so because I was speaking with our buddy @DCH the other day, we were discussing 8 bit vs 10 bit (video) and I was trying to explain what the difference was. For anyone that shoots RAW photos, they know how much more information is in - and therefore can be extracted from - RAW as opposed to a JPEG. I made this video years ago to show it in real time. And as I mentioned 10 bit video is not RAW but it has similar capabilities to retrieve data in highs that are blown out, or in shadows where no amount of fancy equipment or tech can bring back detail.

I'll shut up not and see ya in the video.

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[Quadflyer Gary]

Okay, so because I was speaking with our buddy @DCH the other day, we were discussing 8 bit vs 10 bit (video) and I was trying to explain what the difference was. For anyone that shoots RAW photos, they know how much more information is in - and therefore can be extracted from - RAW as opposed to a JPEG. I made this video years ago to show it in real time. And as I mentioned 10 bit video is not RAW but it has similar capabilities to retrieve data in highs that are blown out, or in shadows where no amount of fancy equipment or tech can bring back detail.

I'll shut up not and see ya in the video.

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Wow, I remember seeing this video of yours over 7 mths ago. It was well done and thoughtful of you to put such a vid together to help others try to find out what was best for them. Very good work indeed.

 

[Tom Gilmore]

Hey Ty, how did you get your H Plus totally unlocked? Did you pay for the software that I have heard about? If so, where do you get it? I appreciate your always full and complete explanation in the forum. If I ever get up your way from Stuart Florida I will see if we can do a drone run together. I agree having both the H Plus and the Mavic Pro are the best way to be prepared for any event. The geofencing on the DJI drones is totally unrealistic in most cases and not easy to do.

 

[Tom Gilmore]

Actually, forget my last request for info on how to unlock. I live near an airport and fired up my H Plus this morning and acquired enough sats to position my location and allowed me the go ahead to fly. I started the props, but didn't launch, but obviously was able to take off near an airport without geo lock. I do remember some time back I requested an unlock and applied it but thought it was only temporary. Great to get back to my droning again and be active again in the forum. I learn so much from you guys.....

 

[Ty Pilot]

Just so others know, I got my Plus on July 4th 2018, so it was one of the earlier models and had a very early firmware version. Within a few weeks there was an update and (reluctantly), I performed that update which did unlock some new features (that I have since forgot) but after that; when my Plus was bug free and had all the features - I decided to never update again . . . and I still haven't.

I did notice that I could unlock the full 500 meter (1,640) height ability (and can confirm that my Plus will indeed fly that high), but never needed to fly in controlled airspace so I never encountered any Geo Zones. In 2018, The airspace was 5 mile circles around class B,C, and D but today the airspace is different. I was at a location that was not controlled by todays standards, but would have been in 2018 and I started and flew around no problem. Later I saw where @Yuneec Skins had the ability to do the Geo Zone unlock and considered doing it but as I read some of the discussion on the topic I found that if you can turn the padlock symbol to 'Unlocked' that you are fully unlocked.

I can, and have always been able to; probably because I did not update any further than July of 2018.

 

[Tom Gilmore]

Just so others know, I got my Plus on July 4th 2018, so it was one of the earlier models and had a very early firmware version. Within a few weeks there was an update and (reluctantly), I performed that update which did unlock some new features (that I have since forgot) but after that; when my Plus was bug free and had all the features - I decided to never update again . . . and I still haven't.

I did notice that I could unlock the full 500 meter (1,640) height ability (and can confirm that my Plus will indeed fly that high), but never needed to fly in controlled airspace so I never encountered any Geo Zones. In 2018, The airspace was 5 mile circles around class B,C, and D but today the airspace is different. I was at a location that was not controlled by todays standards, but would have been in 2018 and I started and flew around no problem. Later I saw where @Yuneec Skins had the ability to do the Geo Zone unlock and considered doing it but as I read some of the discussion on the topic I found that if you can turn the padlock symbol to 'Unlocked' that you are fully unlocked.

I can, and have always been able to; probably because I did not update any further than July of 2018.

Yes when I read that you have to acknowledge their waiver requests and provide drivers license etc it was a turnoff for me. Not worth $100 to mess with changing code and screwing it up accidentally.

 

[Ty Pilot]

@Tom Gilmore , so you can not unlock the height in your H Plus? When I first saw that I could unlock, I just thought that was Yuneec making an effort to cater to commercial pilots. I did not realize that it was not just the height, that was unlocked.

 

[Tom Gilmore]

I’ll check later Patrick thanks

 

[Tom Gilmore]

@Tom Gilmore , so you can not unlock the height in your H Plus? When I first saw that I could unlock, I just thought that was Yuneec making an effort to cater to commercial pilots. I did not realize that it was not just the height, that was unlocked.

No, it seems when I try to unlock the height the max I can go is 396' on slider, but I still can fly. I see the lock but it stays green. If I try to unlock, I get the statement of authority but it never changes to a higher limit. I don't get any warning I am not allowed to fly as I am very close to the airport. GPS is solid with acquired sats. Curious to know but I don't plan to launch anyway. My Mavic is dead solid telling me I am in no fly zone and can't fly. Weird and glad at the same time!