HDV Data Monitor

[SenorKaffee]

The HDV Data Monitor is a great little tool to analyze your recorded videos and also to preview parameters if you connect your camera via firewire to a laptop.

It´s written for Sony HDVCams, since version ß6 it also supports Canon HV10 and HV20.

elCutty from videotreffpunkt.com is the author of the tool.
http://videotreffpunkt.com/thread.php?threadid=2488.
The board is in german, but spotting the download area doesn´t need language skiils. The tool is in english.

HDVDataMon needs DirectX 9, XP SP2 and an HDV-capable MPEG2 decoder.

EDIT: Screenshot an ZIP file attached. I didn´t notice you need to register at videotreffpunkt.com to download.

[ForwardLooker]

This is cool thanks!!

[gregtay67]

This tool even tells you the gain. Now we can lock the cam and still know the gain.

[Dodgy Nick]

The board is in german, but spotting the download area doesn´t need language skiils.

Unfortunately you need to register to be able to download it, and you have to do that on German pages. Since the tool is only 23kb, any chance of you posting it here or on rapidshare or megaupload?

[24Peter]

Did you guys know you can display the f-stop and shutter speed when playing back your recording? (without needing a SD card inserted - you still need a SD card to view the info while recording though.) Check out page 57 of the English owner's manual. "Data Code" > "camera data". (No gain data though. :-( )

You can also have your TV mirror the LCD display when you hit "TV Screen" on the handy-dandy remote.

[bluegrass]

The HDV Data Monitor is a great little tool to analyze your recorded videos and also to preview parameters if you connect your camera via firewire to a laptop.

It´s written for Sony HDVCams, since version ß6 it also supports Canon HV10 and HV20.

elCutty from videotreffpunkt.com is the author of the tool.
http://videotreffpunkt.com/thread.php?threadid=2488.
The board is in german, but spotting the download area doesn´t need language skiils. The tool is in english.

HDVDataMon needs DirectX 9, XP SP2 and an HDV-capable MPEG2 decoder.

A screenshot of the tool in action is attached.

Is the tool sitting on the bookshelf somewhere? I don't see it in your screenshot.

As for downloading, I think I'll have to learn German. It requres registering ( I thought since my last name is German they might let me have it but apparently they didn't accept my name and password). I'm stuck. How did you get by with downloading it?

Incidentally Spoiler, that 23,19 kb. Do you think that is 2.3 meg. It still is small but maybe not 23 kb.

[PWHerman]

Is the tool sitting on the bookshelf somewhere? I don't see it in your screenshot.

As for downloading, I think I'll have to learn German. It requres registering ( I thought since my last name is German they might let me have it but apparently they didn't accept my name and password). I'm stuck. How did you get by with downloading it?

Incidentally Spoiler, that 23,19 kb. Do you think that is 2.3 meg. It still is small but maybe not 23 kb.

Heh, the "tool" is at the top of the screenshot. All the info and crap is in the top-left. I didn't see it at first either, so don't worry, heh. I was looking around the room...where is it...there's Pokemon on the TV, but no tool...huh?

Hahaha.

It also does say that it's 23kb, not 2.3mb...very small indeed.

[Huffster]

This seems really useful. Can someone who downloaded the utility please post it here or give a link to download it, without having an account on that german forum?

[gregtay67]

I have regerstered and downloaded although I dont know German. I have uploaded to the HV20 archive. Here's the link http://hv20.info/yopu/HDVdataMon.zip
The file is indeed 24kb

[SenorKaffee]

Oops, sorry I didn´t notice you have to register. ^^
The tool was hidden behind the Pikachu. Don´t worry, it´s perfectly normal to have Pokémon on your TV when you are 29. :D

I think an ideal enhancement would be an option to read the data without decoding the picture. Decoding an HD stream is a heavy load on every laptop battery. Maybe you can drop the author a line if you think so, too. ;)

[PWHerman]

Thanks Greg.


The tool was hidden behind the Pikachu. Don´t worry, it´s perfectly normal to have Pokémon on your TV when you are 29.

Hah...don't worry, I'm sure no one here dislikes Pokemon.

[David]

The HDV Data Monitor is a great little tool to analyze your recorded videos and also to preview parameters if you connect your camera via firewire to a laptop.

This little app looks cool.
Thanks SK.

[ardo]

The HDV Data Monitor is a great little tool to analyze your recorded videos and also to preview parameters if you connect your camera via firewire to a laptop.

Amazing tool, thanks! Being able to see Gain values is paramount to any exposure tweaking. It also shows effective Aperture (a combined Aperture / ND value). Now, if I could only figure out why my shutter won't stay at 1/48... :hv20-smilie51:

[sean90291]

I just tried it and it gives me a curious result. The shutter speed is locked at 1/48 on the HV20, and when I press the camera button half-way down it confirms the shutter speed is 1/48. But when I plug my HV20 into this little application, it tells me my aperture is 1/60. I don't think that can be correct.

[SenorKaffee]

Interesting, I´ll post the problem at Videotreffpunkt. Does the HV20 also display this value on playback?

[ardo]

I just tried it and it gives me a curious result. The shutter speed is locked at 1/48 on the HV20, and when I press the camera button half-way down it confirms the shutter speed is 1/48. But when I plug my HV20 into this little application, it tells me my aperture is 1/60. I don't think that can be correct.
What HV20 does not tell you is what ND filters are applied. I believe the info passed to the HDV Data Monitor includes that information. The program simply reports whatever HV20 sends to it, so it is not a bug, it is a feature. ;)

I'm surprized though you see a difference in shutter speed (1/48 vs. 1/60). What mode are you using? When I use Cine, I can see a difference in the Aperture value, not in shutter speed.

[SenorKaffee]

Cinemode tries to keep shutter at 1/48 (1/50 PAL), but gives up on that in certain situations. So it´s not really locked to that shutter setting.

[sean90291]

Cinemode tries to keep shutter at 1/48 (1/50 PAL), but gives up on that in certain situations. So it´s not really locked to that shutter setting.


Well if that's the case, it's sort of "big news." Because very knowledgeable folks like Barry Green have written articles that rely on the fact that locking the exposure in Cine mode also locks the shutter speed. It is NOT something that should be fluctuating under any circumstances.

I don't know how ND filters could be factoring into it either. Because the "filmmakers' technique" for locking exposure in Cine mode entails locking it with the lens cap on (i.e., in total darkness). In which case, the HV20 would default to NO ND FILTER...since it's already trying its best to let in as much light as possible.

Hm. Something is amiss. I have a feeling it's something wonky about how the HDV Monitor application reads shutter speed off the HV20...but I really can't be sure. Anyhow, the potential issue (if HDV Monitor is correct) really does have a big impact on whether or not the HV20 is usable by filmmakers, since the 1/48 shutter speed is sort of considered critical. You can read Barry Green's article here (http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=96502).

[ardo]

Well if that's the case, it's sort of "big news." Because very knowledgeable folks like Barry Green have written articles that rely on the fact that locking the exposure in Cine mode also locks the shutter speed. It is NOT something that should be fluctuating under any circumstances.

I don't know how ND filters could be factoring into it either. Because the "filmmakers' technique" for locking exposure in Cine mode entails locking it with the lens cap on (i.e., in total darkness). In which case, the HV20 would default to NO ND FILTER...since it's already trying its best to let in as much light as possible.

Hm. Something is amiss. I have a feeling it's something wonky about how the HDV Monitor application reads shutter speed off the HV20...but I really can't be sure. Anyhow, the potential issue (if HDV Monitor is correct) really does have a big impact on whether or not the HV20 is usable by filmmakers, since the 1/48 shutter speed is sort of considered critical. You can read Barry Green's article here (http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=96502).

Regarding No.1: have you actually tried it yourself, I mean, in Cine mode? The only time you're guaranteed a locked 1/48 (or any other value, for that matter) is in TV mode, setting the shutter value. In Cine mode, you lock total exposure while pointing at a bright object AND HOPING that HV20 finds the conditions bright enough to select 1/48. The camcorder will try hard to stay at 1/48 while in Cine mode, but there is no quarantee.

Regarding No.2: NDs at a point when you lock the exposure are somewhat irrelevant. After locking, however, just observe how adjusting exposure by +1 or -1 doesn't change the values displayed by HV20 (the half-press of the Photo button). But you DO see that video becomes lighter (+1) or darker (-1), so there MUST be something else changing there. That's the ND being applied. HV20 doesn't tell you that, but HDV monitor does.

[sean90291]

Yup, I've tried it a lot. And shutter speed is totally locked in Cine Mode using the method described above. I did post the question over at DVXuser and someone confirmed it's a glitch in the HDV Monitor application. The application seems to give very handy, accurate gain and aperture readings, but is wonky when it comes to giving an accurate shutter speed. Here's the answer at DVXuser (http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showpost.php?p=987130&postcount=15).

[24Peter]

And shutter speed is totally locked in Cine Mode using the method described above.

The shutter is not "locked" in CineMode alone. But by locking exposure using the joystick and selecting EXP, shutter speed is locked in both CineMode and Av mode (but so are your other parameters, including gain/ND's). In Tv mode, EXP lock locks apeture, gain, ND's.

[SenorKaffee]

There is also a comment by elCutty about shutter speed values displayed by HDVDataMon.

The values are interpreted for PAL cams, NTSC cams are very likely to have differences in shutter speeds. That´s why he posted it reg-only in the board and not just on a homepage.

He also thinks that under certain circumstances the HV20 does not report the accurate values on the display (SD-card/photo button trick).


Well if that's the case, it's sort of "big news." Because very knowledgeable folks like Barry Green have written articles that rely on the fact that locking the exposure in Cine mode also locks the shutter speed. It is NOT something that should be fluctuating under any circumstances.

I didn´t mean it fluctuates. I just meant that CineMode + Locked Exposure does not always equal a shutter speed of 1/48 (1/50).
Maybe it is 1/48 (1/50) from EXP -3 to EXP +3, but it may be another speed at EXP+6 or EXP-11. You need to check every single EXP step for consistency.

Now I need to google who Barry Green is, I don´t know anyone in the scene. ;)

[David]

Well if that's the case, it's sort of "big news." Because very knowledgeable folks like Barry Green have written articles that rely on the fact that locking the exposure in Cine mode also locks the shutter speed.

Kaffee was not saying "locking exposure in Cine mode doesn't actually lock the shutter", he was simply making the point that "shooting Cine mode doesn't guarantee 1/48th shutter speed"

When you put your camera in Cine mode, it very very frequently goes to 1/48th and stays there. The camera tries to keep the shutter speed at 1/48th and it will adjust other things to change the exposure while keeping the shutter speed at 1/48th.

But, as a 'last resort', the HV20 will change the shutter speed from 1/48th to something else. So, as Kaffee said "Cinemode tries to keep shutter at 1/48 (1/50 PAL), but gives up on that in certain situations". If you lock exposure while at 1/32nd, then it'll be locked at that. If you lock exposure while at 1/48th, then you'll be locked at that. If you lock exposure while at 1/60th, then you'll be locked at that.

[sean90291]

I didn´t mean it fluctuates. I just meant that CineMode + Locked Exposure does not always equal a shutter speed of 1/48 (1/50).
Maybe it is 1/48 (1/50) from EXP -3 to EXP +3, but it may be another speed at EXP+6 or EXP-11. You need to check every single EXP step for consistency.

Now I need to google who Barry Green is, I don´t know anyone in the scene. ;)

Aha, I see what you mean. True, in CineMode using the technique described, there is a RANGE of locked shutter speeds. But the important thing is, you can be certain that if you stay at a certain HV20 exposure setting after "locking" it down, then you can use Barry Green's chart to determine your shutter speed. At that particular exposure setting, the shutter speed will not change, no matter how much or how little light enters the camera. And it's critical to know you're at a 1/48th shutter speed at all times to get as close to a "film look" as possible. Hey, I bet we're all talking about the same thing here. Just clarifying.

Oh, and Barry Green wrote the definitive guide to the DVX. He's a very knowledgeable guy when it comes to cameras. Maybe he'll come out with a guide to the HV20...though there's probably everything folks need to know already in the forums.

[SenorKaffee]

Yes, we all mean the same thing. There is already a lot of info on the HV20 everywhere, I think a "hardware" book as an addition to the Rebels Guide could be based on this cam.

[pbi]

Hi there

I've recently downloaded the HDVDataMon program to inspect the output from a Canon XH G1 HDV camera slaved to an external timecode source. I noticed the field that is initially labelled as follows when the application is first started:

"TapePos + Date/Time"

When I load a transport stream file captured from the camera it reads something like:

"0:12:00;15 2007-09-21 13:43:35"

These appear to be the SMPTE timecode and date/time stamps. Does anyone on this forum know where these values are being read from in the mpg transport files?

The timecode would appear to be read from the video frames in the file as it plays because if I reset the timecode while captuing then this dicontinuity is evident in the captured mpg file.

It would be most useful to me to be able to extract this timecode from the m2t file, and I'm keen to know where it is stored in the mpg format. I know it is not the PTS (presentation time stamp).

I'd ask the author of the program but couldn't seem to find it in the application. If anyone knows their details I'd be most grateful.

Thanks for your time.

[vrbhu]

Guys,
HDVDataMon says that it should be used only for PAL camera..has anybody used it for NTSC ?

[vrbhu]

Anybody ,
when u get a chance can you plz confirm that HDVDataMon can be used for NTSC cameras..I am asking this at their website it has been mentioned that this s/w should not be used with NTSC cameras..

[zero01101]

i've tried using it with my ntsc/usa hv20; the gain setting (which is why i was interested) works as expected, but shutter speed is way off, it seems. haven't used it for a while, but i think there were some other values that didn't translate properly.

[glire]

I just tried this tool on some m2t files and its says "no mpeg2 decoder found". What does that mean ? I can read all those files with MPC, mplayer, WMP on the same computer.
Thanks.

[unconsenting]

I just tried this tool on some m2t files and its says "no mpeg2 decoder found". What does that mean ? I can read all those files with MPC, mplayer, WMP on the same computer.
Thanks.

This program is only used for monitoring live by attaching firewire. This program does not record nor playback.

[glire]

I was just trying to view m2t files, there is a button for that.
Anyway, I don't understand your answer regarding the error message given by the program: "no mpeg2 decoder found". Sorry for my ignorance.

BTW, given that this program does not record, is there another tool that records live from firewire ?
Thanks.

[SenorKaffee]

Well, do you have an MPEG2 decoder installed?
Windows doesn´t come with one, but every software DVD player should install one.

[unconsenting]

I was just trying to view m2t files, there is a button for that.
Anyway, I don't understand your answer regarding the error message given by the program: "no mpeg2 decoder found". Sorry for my ignorance.

BTW, given that this program does not record, is there another tool that records live from firewire ?
Thanks.


I am sorry, glire! I just opened the program and noticed that button!:hv20-smilie02: Sorry but I'm the one who is ignorant. I never ended up using it because the feedback on the monitor has about a 1 1/2 sec delay. It seems you can record with it.

[glire]

Well, do you have an MPEG2 decoder installed?
Windows doesn´t come with one, but every software DVD player should install one.
Back to my first post, I can read any mpeg 1, 2, 4 file (including all HD .m2t from the HV20) with mplayer, MPC, WMP. And, indeed, PowerDVD was preinstalled since I own the computer. No problem to see any regular DVD. In fact I have enough tools to read most motion files on my computer, mpeg2 being the least exotic I guess. So I don't understand that message.
What is HDV Data Monitor expecting to be installed, a vfw codec, a directshow codec, something else ?
Thanks.

[tcindie]

If anyone needs it.. here's a translated version:
http://www.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fvideotreffpunkt.com%2Fthr ead.php%3Fthreadid%3D2488&langpair=de%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF8

Looks like it's intended for PAL cameras, and they suggest to use it with NTSC for "emergency" usage..

[2Bdecided]

Thanks for the link.


HDVDataMon needs DirectX 9, XP SP2 and an HDV-capable MPEG2 decoder.It may need DirectX 9, and it certainly needs an MPEG-2 decoder (I'm using ffdshow, making sure to enable MPEG-2 in the config), but it doesn't need XP SP2 - it's working just fine here with XP SP1 for looking at m2t files. It'll probably need those three files for HDV capture in order to connect to the camera directly, but again, just those three files will do - no need for XP SP2.

Cheers,
David.

[sillyman]

Hi there

I've recently downloaded the HDVDataMon program to inspect the output from a Canon XH G1 HDV camera slaved to an external timecode source. I noticed the field that is initially labelled as follows when the application is first started:

"TapePos + Date/Time"

When I load a transport stream file captured from the camera it reads something like:

"0:12:00;15 2007-09-21 13:43:35"

These appear to be the SMPTE timecode and date/time stamps. Does anyone on this forum know where these values are being read from in the mpg transport files?

The timecode would appear to be read from the video frames in the file as it plays because if I reset the timecode while captuing then this dicontinuity is evident in the captured mpg file.

It would be most useful to me to be able to extract this timecode from the m2t file, and I'm keen to know where it is stored in the mpg format. I know it is not the PTS (presentation time stamp).

I'd ask the author of the program but couldn't seem to find it in the application. If anyone knows their details I'd be most grateful.

Thanks for your time.

Did you ever get an answer to your question? I'm interested in this as well so I could rename my sony vegas vid cap files to add date/time to the filename. I know HDVSplit has that feature but I'm having problems with m2ts captured by that tool.

[JOHNNY1]

The HDV Data Monitor is a great little tool to analyze your recorded videos and also to preview parameters if you connect your camera via firewire to a laptop.

It´s written for Sony HDVCams, since version ß6 it also supports Canon HV10 and HV20.

elCutty from videotreffpunkt.com is the author of the tool.
http://videotreffpunkt.com/thread.php?threadid=2488.
The board is in german, but spotting the download area doesn´t need language skiils. The tool is in english.

HDVDataMon needs DirectX 9, XP SP2 and an HDV-capable MPEG2 decoder.

EDIT: Screenshot an ZIP file attached. I didn´t notice you need to register at videotreffpunkt.com to download.

Is there no sound with HDV Data Monitor? I record a lot of music and VLC gives me good video and SOUND when I'm in the field with the laptop. Also the video settings are wrong in the program because it probably is geared for PAL. Had the HV20 since it came out and have been reading this forum for equally as long. Have gotton so much info from this site. Thanks

[Redsandro]

Sorry to bump this, but I was wondering if someone knows a similar program. Something that shows this information, but a more updated program with more features. Commandline support, drag and drop. Simple features I use a lot. Or perhaps something open source.