Develop Bugs

Possibility of a ROM producing better 720p video?

Okay, so I know absolutely nothing about ROMs, so this is mostly a question of if this is possible:
Currently, the EVO's 720p video recording is lackluster. I find that the biggest reason for this is the bitrate of the video used. I imagine that the bitrate used on the video was to accommodate the included microSD card's Class 2 write speed.
Is it possible to increase the bitrate used for encoding of this video, to something ~5mbps, to which a Class 6 microSD could handle just fine? Ideally this could even be implemented as an option in the camera app, so that those who don't have/can't afford a class 6 microSD could still use the ROM.
If that is possible, what are the chances of having the video also record using a different audio codec? The current codec used is pretty much impossible to play back in anything except Quicktime (VLC's latest release candidate just added support, but it still sounds awful, like a pack of hyenas on top of the track). I'm really not particular on what audio codec is actually used; be it mp3, ogg, etc, as long as it's more easily played.
The best case scenario, the DREAM EVO ROM for camera capability for me, would be:
1. At least double the bitrate (4-5mbps) for the 720p video with an option to use old settings.
2. A better audio codec using higher quality settings (minimum 64kbps mp3/ogg/similar) that is playable in many more programs.
3. A more compatible container format like mp4/m4v.
Am I dreaming or would this be possible in a custom ROM?

Don't forget it will also be limited to how fast the hardware can encode the video. Someone with the right skills will have to push the hardware encoder to see how high they can push the bitrate without exceeding real time.
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gbm85 said:
Don't forget it will also be limited to how fast the hardware can encode the video. Someone with the right skills will have to push the hardware encoder to see how high they can push the bitrate without exceeding real time.
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Sent via the XDA Tapatalk App
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Click to collapse
Yes, there might be hardware limitations, that's sort of what I'm asking; if this is something that can be "fixed" in a ROM or if we're stuck.
I think as long as it can handle the bandwidth though, I don't see why the chip would be incapable of higher bitrates. I'm not an expert on the matter, but I thought that the less compression/higher bitrate something is, the less power was required to make it happen.

well im pretty sure this is possible, if a dev puts the time and effort into such a large project. i only say this cause the nexus one recently got 720p video recording, something it didnt have from the start. and i think its known that htc made the video recording compressed, so i think theoretically if we lift this compression and use a different form of compression, we can get higher bitrates from the video.

Yeah, I'm hoping a developer can investigate this thoroughly. Even if it takes a while, it'd be nice to know someone is at least looking into it.
And to make it worth their while, I'd be more than willing to pitch some donation funds towards such a project when it becomes successful. I doubt I'd be the only one as well.

I was wondering this also. I'm not up on the technical aspects of this, but I was also wondering if the 720p could be improved through software fix/ROM development? I agree also that I'm sure a lot would be willing to donate for such a fix.

I'm sure eventually we will get a better cam, i mean look at the how the nexus got 720p video

You can easily get 720p at 60FPS... The snapdragon can support it.

i would most certainly donate for this improvment

yup i would donate as well
we just dont have as lively a development community as the nexus yet, but we will in time - we;re gaining momentum fast

EtherealRemnant said:
You can easily get 720p at 60FPS... The snapdragon can support it.
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Click to collapse
Is that encoding or decoding? And at what bitrate?

gbm85 said:
Is that encoding or decoding? And at what bitrate?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go look at the Nexus One forum... They've got up to 1080p capture.
Realistically though, it seems silly to rely on our phones to capture HD video. I have a G9 that does that task quite handily.

All I could find was 720p capture at 20fps and a max bitrate of 12Mb, which is plenty.

This is interesting, I'd like to see this happen as well.
I'll do what I can in terms of research.
Better low-light pictures too, if at all possible

Your 720 Experience

Hi I want to start this post so everyone can post their experience with the new 720 Recording Feature on the HTC Desire!
Please post Like this:
Video
Description
Problems
FPS
Rom used
I'll start:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxxPdPd8ea4
Description:
Me being very concentrated while playing the Drums... new song Bad Lighting hard sound situation (way too loud for this little Phone ) so worst case
Problems:
I see constant drops in FPS, or more likely a stuttering ever few seconds video playback just kida stops, audio is fine though! I did not have this Problems with other Roms so I think its not my SD card acting up?
FPS: 5-11 not very constant at all, although lighting was very constant (although very bad)
ROM used: LeeDroid 7.1b

Before official update:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugjI5ygsXzQ
Average/good lighting
20fps
Can't remember the rom, I think MCR v5, it was before the official update.
Not a lot of stuttering that I can notice, but the lens cover was a bit smudged and so the video came out a bit opaque.
After the update:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6KuPCn6_2M [quality should improve in a bit]
Probably a tad better lighting conditions
23fps
ieftm semi-stock rom
This is the best sample of three, one was ok, but the last one was stuttering quite a bit, as I think some background program was accessing the sd card heavily. Also lens here was a bit dirty
by the way, youtube quality doesn't render properly, linking videos should be better.

andycted said:
by the way, youtube quality doesn't render properly, linking videos should be better.
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Click to collapse
Did not know that, your Video looks very pixelated... Is that because its on Youtube? I will edit main thread thx

finnschi said:
Did not know that, your Video looks very pixelated... Is that because its on Youtube? I will edit main thread thx
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No, I think it was me that turned contrast a bit too high and the fact that without optical zoom or camera lens optics you can get lose details in the distance on such high resolution

I gave up 720p, it is not good. Jumpy, low fps and especially ****ty voice quality.
I use 480p, but it is also not good, not too jumpy ... still ****ty voice quality.

I have 2.2 rom from here and 720p keeps freezing every few seconds.

720p is ok for me. Is it possible that its to do with the internal memory available? I have 60mb or more free, I know some people are down to low numbers. my card is a class2 too. I think the clips look better played on the PC in VLC lpayer than when I upload them to youtube. I think youtube might be introducing some of the negative aspects seen... maybe?

finnschi said:
I'll start:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxxPdPd8ea4
Description: Me being very concentrated while playing the Drums...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please please please... Can we please take advantage of the user interface of the XDA site?
For six months XDA has now supported YouTube embeds -- You can even see the icon in the COMPOSE screens -- though admittedly they don't tell you how to use it very easily.
BEHOLD! It's your video, and I don't have to click a new tab to see it. Magic!
Format for YouTube Embeds:
(remove spaces)
[ youtube ]just-the-video-letter/numbers[ /youtube ]
From your video above, the part that goes in between the [ youtube ] brackets follows v= NxxPdPd8ea4
Please, could you edit your first post to include the instructions. It has taken years to get XDA to embrace video. Now that they have, please support svetius, the User Experience designer of the new site, and use the tools. That's why they're here. Thank you.
P.S. -- is this jamming to the old WHO classic I CAN SEE FOR MILES ? -- just curious... in the event it is because Roger Daltrey still tours this very summer playing it -- and a friend of mine, a session guitarist in L.A., does Townsend's parts. ... Me, waiting for the answer:
"Dude, who are The Who?"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
P.S.S. Is this not the coolest thing? DUDE! Your bio here at XDA!
Occupation:
R&D at Apple Inc.
Working at Apple research... hating the iPhone
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Click to collapse
I gotta applaud you. I have used Apple products for 25 years. And I currently use primarily Mac computers, but I also use Windows machines. Very agnostic. But I have never used the iphone, especially since Apple was nowhere in sight when I started with touchscreen smartphones 5 or 6 years ago (but I salute the Newton!)... But I'm a usability designer, so i consider myself fair. And even though I have wanted my Desire to match or exceed the 720p capability of iphone4 -- i was at the Apple store a few weeks ago getting my damp MBP repaired for 3rd time and played with the iP4 -- and the 720p recording is pretty damn good. ... Lastly -- are you familiar with the various TEST PROJECTS that have been going on here since the Nexus One to optimize 720p in this HTC class of phones? If not, search... There are a whole bunch of serious collaborative engineering projects here, and as always XDA-devs work miracles -- so I'm not giving up hope yet. We may smash that iphone yet in recoding quality -- though I doubt it... I am told it records 30fps and no matter what backflips are done here, thru Froyo or other enhancements, we can't get this hardware to meet or exceed that. Is that true?

720p is crap, its just upscale from lover res., dont use it.
more info:

The data rate of 720p is over 4 times greater than 800x480. 6000kb/sec versus 1200kb/sec. It's not purely upscaled at all. I made two sample videos of a page of text and compared.
There was ALOT more detail in the 720p video. Even when I zoomed up the 800x480 one. I agree it's not as good as "true 720 HD" but its certainly not 100% upscaled.

mcgon1979 said:
The data rate of 720p is over 4 times greater than 800x480. 6000kb/sec versus 1200kb/sec. It's not purely upscaled at all. I made two sample videos of a page of text and compared.
There was ALOT more detail in the 720p video. Even when I zoomed up the 800x480 one. I agree it's not as good as "true 720 HD" but its certainly not 100% upscaled.
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1200:6000 it's 5 times more. Yes it's not true 720 hd, but I can perfectly live with that quality if we get a couple of fps more
I've taken two short videos of a label, took screenshots from video player, cropped them, resized the 480 to fit the same size as the 720 one. It's very blurry compared to the normal 720p. See the hour in the fake pda, you can't read it in the upscaled one.

Video upscalers tend to do a better job than a simple photo resize and they do introduce more data leading to a larger file size. The disire may truly just upscale the video after all. In any case, its a shame that video capture on this device is as poor as it is. I dislike Apple and their iphone, but i'll give them this; all aspects of the software work very well from go and if not, a fix/upgrade is provided in a reasonably short time.

Jaa-Yoo said:
Video upscalers tend to do a better job than a simple photo resize and they do introduce more data leading to a larger file size. The disire may truly just upscale the video after all. In any case, its a shame that video capture on this device is as poor as it is. I dislike Apple and their iphone, but i'll give them this; all aspects of the software work very well from go and if not, a fix/upgrade is provided in a reasonably short time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Given the current state of their last shiny toy, I think it's a bit funny to say so.
Anyway, I've done some more tests and I can take the screen captured from a 480 video and upscale it with any tool with best quality or other algorythms and you always end up with a lot less detail than 720p, especially when there is a lot of light (unlike that test above). I don't think the desire has the processing power to do a better upscale than what I'm trying and while there might be a bit of upscaling given you have a tiny lens, it's not all there.
Also any tiny lens without zoom is pointless when taking videos from the distance anyway.

I can only get 15-16 fps... anyone can do higher?

I can easily get 25 average, outside in. good lighting, with a class 6 sd

quicksite said:
P.S. -- is this jamming to the old WHO classic I CAN SEE FOR MILES ? -- just curious... in the event it is because Roger Daltrey still tours this very summer playing it -- and a friend of mine, a session guitarist in L.A., does Townsend's parts. ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No its our own song, although i can see how the beginning sounds kinda like the Who
quicksite said:
I gotta applaud you. I have used Apple products for 25 years. And I currently use primarily Mac computers, but I also use Windows machines. Very agnostic. But I have never used the iphone, especially since Apple was nowhere in sight when I started with touchscreen smartphones 5 or 6 years ago (but I salute the Newton!)... But I'm a usability designer, so i consider myself fair. And even though I have wanted my Desire to match or exceed the 720p capability of iphone4 -- i was at the Apple store a few weeks ago getting my damp MBP repaired for 3rd time and played with the iP4 -- and the 720p recording is pretty damn good. ... Lastly -- are you familiar with the various TEST PROJECTS that have been going on here since the Nexus One to optimize 720p in this HTC class of phones? If not, search... There are a whole bunch of serious collaborative engineering projects here, and as always XDA-devs work miracles -- so I'm not giving up hope yet. We may smash that iphone yet in recoding quality -- though I doubt it... I am told it records 30fps and no matter what backflips are done here, thru Froyo or other enhancements, we can't get this hardware to meet or exceed that. Is that true?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I talked to some iPhone engineers about how the iPhone can archive 30Fps ... its because all the decoding of pictures delivered by the camera is handled by the GPU... for Android its all done on the CPU! so we need to find a way to decode the video stream using the Desires GPU, but I think the iP4's GPU is far better than the Desires... i am a hardware engineer... i am in no way able to code anything like that! What Makes me curios is file size comparison between an iP4 and the Desire.
Also: Desire running a non sense rom (AOSP) just like the Nexus gives much better 720 Quality!!! so I guess its in the software

finnschi said:
I talked to some iPhone engineers about how the iPhone can archive 30Fps ... its because all the decoding of pictures delivered by the camera is handled by the GPU... for Android its all done on the CPU! so we need to find a way to decode the video stream using the Desires GPU, but I think the iP4's GPU is far better than the Desires... i am a hardware engineer... i am in no way able to code anything like that! What Makes me curios is file size comparison between an iP4 and the Desire.
Also: Desire running a non sense rom (AOSP) just like the Nexus gives much better 720 Quality!!! so I guess its in the software
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SInce I am NEITHER a hardware nor software engineer, I am useless here, other than to ask obvious questions. Your apple access to methodology of iP4's video capture is itself useful information -- something that if I were a software engineer working on the various test projects here at XDA, I would want to know. Maybe that's something they could infer, or maybe its published somewhere, or maybe it's one of those "Geez, it's so obvious do i really need to be told that?" points.
That then gets blurred and muddied by the REAL armchair knowitalls (*I* disclose that I know nothing) who pounce on a pronouncement by someone here and say "That's impossible, or that's bullcrap, look here at my image, it proves you wrong, end of story" -- only to often find --- NOT end of story and that person got it wrong.
All i know is -- my experience has told me never presume -- because this site is SO HUGE, it is actually quite often that the right hand doesn't know what left hand is up to.
I wish there were a better means of coordinating the total knowledge holders of XDA site on this 720p issue regarding TOTAL CAPABILITY, software and hardware, so there is 100% collaboration. In the end, there is only one answer: Yes, desire can meet or exceed iphone4 720 p in every measure of resolution, or not.
THE PART I DIDN"T GET:
What Makes me curios is file size comparison between an iP4 and the Desire.
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Click to collapse
Which is bigger? what is your initial inference? larger file size = higher rez?
thank you

roufianos cooked a Rom that achieved 29-30 fps but the phone restarted after 50 seconds of recording. Was that due to overheating of the processor? I don't know. His phone gave up spirit and he is waiting for a replacement so the development of his Rom is on pause at the moment.

andycted said:
I can easily get 25 average, outside in. good lighting, with a class 6 sd
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Click to collapse
I've not seen more than 23fps in 720p with great lighting. anyone else? I use a Class2 card so maybe using class 6 is why you get 25fps average?

mcgon1979 said:
I've not seen more than 23fps in 720p with great lighting. anyone else? I use a Class2 card so maybe using class 6 is why you get 25fps average?
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Click to collapse
Ive managed 26fps @ 720p with my Desire running official unbranded 2.2. Im using a Class 4 card, so that might help over your Class 2.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saS39iqjDgs
I just compared the youtube clip to the original on my PC (i scaled the VLC window down to the same size as playing the youtube clip in its 'expanded' size) and there is definatly a small quality difference. The details on the original are noticable finer, so even @ 720p on youtube the bitrate must take a small hit.
Here is a screenshot of the comparison.
http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/9005/720pcomparison.jpg

We need a better video camera

So just browsing along I stumbled on this video review of the camera app. I knew our DINC's had problems with video, but WOW, is it really this bad?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzglMIwpYo4
I'm sure there has to be a developer that can maybe come out with a fix for this

theguy386 said:
So just browsing along I stumbled on this video review of the camera app. I knew our DINC's had problems with video, but WOW, is it really this bad?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzglMIwpYo4
I'm sure there has to be a developer that can maybe come out with a fix for this
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i'm not sure what a dev could do to fix this. it seems that the issues with the pixel density and audio aren't something that could be overcome with patching a file from another OS or even an app...
my advice is this:
if you want a better video experience, buy a dedicated video camera or a dedicated camera with video functions. as a phone, it's a balancing act. you're not gonna get the best of ALL worlds, but including hardware and features for things like recording video in 720p is pretty handy and convenient when you're caught without a dedicated camera or video device. i wouldn't rely 100% on my phone as my primary device for anything except phone calls. but to each their own

That video showed me at least one new thing: I didn't realize that with 2.2 and 720p recording, H.264 isn't available. With H.264 selected, the highest available resolution drops to WVGA (800x480). Only H.263 and MPEG4 are available in 720p. Does anyone know if this is true on other Froyo devices, like the Nexus One? Or did something get changed when 2.2 went through HTC?
Perhaps the OP is right, I think that with a software update of some kind, H.264 for 720p could be enabled on the Droid Incredible, as well as higher bitrate audio. The OP's video suggests those two things to be major reasons as to why the camcorder quality is so different. Anyone know if Cyanogen is working on 720p H.264 as well as his continuous autofocus awesomeness?
Of course the actual optics are a bit different between the two devices as well, but I'd like to think the Droid Incredible has a better camera than those camera tests seem to show.

chameleon131 said:
That video showed me at least one new thing: I didn't realize that with 2.2 and 720p recording, H.264 isn't available. With H.264 selected, the highest available resolution drops to WVGA (800x480). Only H.263 and MPEG4 are available in 720p. Does anyone know if this is true on other Froyo devices, like the Nexus One? Or did something get changed when 2.2 went through HTC?
Perhaps the OP is right, I think that with a software update of some kind, H.264 for 720p could be enabled on the Droid Incredible, as well as higher bitrate audio. The OP's video suggests those two things to be major reasons as to why the camcorder quality is so different. Anyone know if Cyanogen is working on 720p H.264 as well as his continuous autofocus awesomeness?
Of course the actual optics are a bit different between the two devices as well, but I'd like to think the Droid Incredible has a better camera than those camera tests seem to show.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i'll ask my friends with other devices that are capable of 720p and see what they say, will post findings
EDIT: samsung captivate doesn't have encoding settings. we didn't record a video to see what it saved it as, either. but there is no option in the settings to change encoding, only resolution.

chameleon131 said:
That video showed me at least one new thing: I didn't realize that with 2.2 and 720p recording, H.264 isn't available. With H.264 selected, the highest available resolution drops to WVGA (800x480). Only H.263 and MPEG4 are available in 720p. Does anyone know if this is true on other Froyo devices, like the Nexus One? Or did something get changed when 2.2 went through HTC?
Perhaps the OP is right, I think that with a software update of some kind, H.264 for 720p could be enabled on the Droid Incredible, as well as higher bitrate audio. The OP's video suggests those two things to be major reasons as to why the camcorder quality is so different. Anyone know if Cyanogen is working on 720p H.264 as well as his continuous autofocus awesomeness?
Of course the actual optics are a bit different between the two devices as well, but I'd like to think the Droid Incredible has a better camera than those camera tests seem to show.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have been thinking the same thing. I even posted about changing the codec but no one responded.
I was reading on the evo forum about the camera software and several posters suspected that the compression is what is making the video not as good as it could be. They also had the same thought about enabling h.264.
I would definitively pay for these features.
kdog78
Virtuous v3.0 - Evo Camera App
Unrevoked Forever
Hydra Kernel #1 Overclocked Undervolted 1.15ghz v1.0

You bought a cell phone? What do you expect? ITS NOT GONNA HAVE AN AWESOME CAMERA/CAMCORDER BUILT IN!!!!!! Get over it... If you want high quality then buy a standalone camcorder. Phones weren't made to take great videos. They are more for like a quick need thing. Maybe you see some cops doing something underhanded, see some kind of crime in progress, stupid things that happen at a party that you feel are important, etc.

TNS201 said:
You bought a cell phone? What do you expect? ITS NOT GONNA HAVE AN AWESOME CAMERA/CAMCORDER BUILT IN!!!!!! Get over it... If you want high quality then buy a standalone camcorder. Phones weren't made to take great videos. They are more for like a quick need thing. Maybe you see some cops doing something underhanded, see some kind of crime in progress, stupid things that happen at a party that you feel are important, etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah pretty much what i was going to say

I thought XDA was about getting the most out of your device through tips, tricks, tweaks and hacks, and that it's been that way for some time. Maybe I'm mistaken.
I think trying to squeeze the best performance out of your device's camera is perfectly legit, OP.
Am I wrong?
----------------------------
Anyway, that's weird and seems pretty pitiful that the Captivate won't even let you change the codec setting at all. Better for user experience I suppose, not to have to mess with codecs to try to get the best picture. I'm curious what codec it defaults to. I wonder what a comparison between the Captivate and Incredible camcorder would look like.

The camera indeed has some problem on the Incredible. My incredible will flicker in low light condition even in camera mode. I had to return and exchange one, but the problem is still there just less severe.

TNS201 said:
You bought a cell phone? What do you expect? ITS NOT GONNA HAVE AN AWESOME CAMERA/CAMCORDER BUILT IN!!!!!! Get over it... If you want high quality then buy a standalone camcorder. Phones weren't made to take great videos. They are more for like a quick need thing. Maybe you see some cops doing something underhanded, see some kind of crime in progress, stupid things that happen at a party that you feel are important, etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With the power this phone possesses, the video sucks. I would not only expect it to be better, but use the latest codecs and not amr audio and save files in .3gp! What good is high def video if I can't play it on my Xbox or PS3, or other media boxes?. That's a joke. I think as long as the iPhone can do it, maybe Droid should.
I didn't buy a cell phone. I bought a multi-hundred dollar smartphone with an 8mp camera that BOASTS 720p video. If I bought a RAZR I would accept it.
I found your post rude and unhelpful.

[Q] Video capture quality on the G2..

All the video samples from the G2 I have seen on Youtube so far have not been impressive. Most disturbing about these videos is the sound quality, it is pretty bad. I have a Nexus One (hacked with Cyanogenmod's 720p recording feature) and it also isn't that great so I'm guessing this is a 'feature' of HTC phones. Compared to the Galaxy S (from Samsung) the HTC phones (G2, N1 and even the EVO) seem to suck in the video / audio department.
In a recent post I read that the audio codec for a HD recording off the G2 is this:
AMR (samr), Mono, 8k, 32 bits per sample
Could this be the problem and can this be changed?

AMR == Adaptive Multi-Rate Audio Codec. Dunno what the "s" in "samr" is all about tho.
I see a comparison with the nokia 8 and there is a definite sound quality difference. (Be sure to watch this in 720p)
Wonder if the sample rate is adjustable by firmware/settings or if it's set in hardware. Strangely wikipedia lists 14 modes, none of which are at the "8k" (rate?) you reported... I see AMR_7.95 tho.
Anyway, my g2 is on the way....
W

cowmixtoo said:
AMR (samr), Mono, 8k, 32 bits per sample
Could this be the problem and can this be changed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, yeah that's pretty bad.. 8k.

ericc191 said:
Wow, yeah that's pretty bad.. 8k.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, my watch can do better..

I just confirmed that my N1 encodes audio in the exact same format.

cowmixtoo said:
I just confirmed that my N1 encodes audio in the exact same format.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Idle thought- I wonder if the codec is set to a low bandwidth to accommodate slower SD card speeds. I think the g2 comes with a class 2, and this thread suggests that there is stuttering when playing back at the HD setting.
This is just idle speculation.

http://vimeo.com/15487989
Done a couple days ago, not so much about the audio, but the video couldnt keep up.

Yup, I noticed a lot of stuttering when playing videos back too.

ericc191 said:
Yup, I noticed a lot of stuttering when playing videos back too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What SD card?

Agreed. Audio isn't stellar and playback has stuttering. In fact, I've already experienced a weird situation where the video wouldn't actually play - just showed a blank screen with the audio playing.
I love this phone, but the video / audio / picture quality on my Sprint Epic is far superior.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App

VValdo said:
What SD card?
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8GB Class 6 Transcend. It usually transfers up to 7mb/ps, so definitely not the issue.

ericc191 said:
8GB Class 6 Transcend. It usually transfers up to 7mb/ps, so definitely not the issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Damn thought it might be it... well what else causes stuttering? Not buffering enough... or maybe cpu being pulled to do something else..?
Is there any message from logcat when it's stuttering?
Meanwhile, I'm looking at the video camera source to see if there's any way to change the audio bitrate...
Lines ~230:
Code:
for (AudioEncoderCap encoder : EncoderCapabilities.getAudioEncoders()) {
switch (encoder.mCodec) {
case MediaRecorder.AudioEncoder.AMR_NB:
AUDIO_ENCODER_TABLE.put("amrnb", MediaRecorder.AudioEncoder.AMR_NB);
break;
case MediaRecorder.AudioEncoder.AAC:
AUDIO_ENCODER_TABLE.put("aac", MediaRecorder.AudioEncoder.AAC);
break;
}
}
AUDIO_ENCODER_TABLE.putDefault(MediaRecorder.AudioEncoder.DEFAULT);
/*
AUDIO_ENCODER_TABLE.put("amrwb", MediaRecorder.AudioEncoder.AMR_WB);
AUDIO_ENCODER_TABLE.put("qcelp", MediaRecorder.AudioEncoder.QCELP);
AUDIO_ENCODER_TABLE.put("evrc", MediaRecorder.AudioEncoder.EVRC);
AUDIO_ENCODER_TABLE.put("aacplus", MediaRecorder.AudioEncoder.AAC_PLUS);
AUDIO_ENCODER_TABLE.put("eaacplus", MediaRecorder.AudioEncoder.EAAC_PLUS);
*/
VIDEOQUALITY_BITRATE_TABLE.put("1280x720", 6000000);
VIDEOQUALITY_BITRATE_TABLE.put("720x480", 3000000);
VIDEOQUALITY_BITRATE_TABLE.put("800x480", 3000000);
VIDEOQUALITY_BITRATE_TABLE.put("640x480", 1600000);
VIDEOQUALITY_BITRATE_TABLE.put("352x288", 360000);
VIDEOQUALITY_BITRATE_TABLE.put("320x240", 320000);
VIDEOQUALITY_BITRATE_TABLE.put("176x144", 192000);
VIDEOQUALITY_BITRATE_TABLE.putDefault(320000);
}
The video bitrate is right there.. how do you change the audio I wonder....? And what's up with the commented-out bits...
Maybe I'll try to get this running... I have no g2 yet to try it on but will soon.
W

One more thought... This is an old issue. If you doubt the potential the video camera COULD have, take a look at this audio comparison linked from the thread. At least on the n1, the microphone is capable of way better sound than the camera app currently offers. The g2 has a faster processor-- it should be able to encode better sound.. AAC? Ogg?
Update: It's not the camera app's fault. It's Android's. There is an open issue for this. It looks like Android itself doesn't support anything better. The good news is this isn't a hardware limitation. As someone suggested, a WebM encoder seems like an obvious thing to add.

VValdo said:
One more thought... This is an old issue. If you doubt the potential the video camera COULD have, take a look at this audio comparison linked from the thread. At least on the n1, the microphone is capable of way better sound than the camera app currently offers. The g2 has a faster processor-- it should be able to encode better sound.. AAC? Ogg?
Update: It's not the camera app's fault. It's Android's. There is an open issue for this. It looks like Android itself doesn't support anything better. The good news is this isn't a hardware limitation. As someone suggested, a WebM encoder seems like an obvious thing to add.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well that's a plus.

VValdo said:
One more thought... This is an old issue. If you doubt the potential the video camera COULD have, take a look at this audio comparison linked from the thread. At least on the n1, the microphone is capable of way better sound than the camera app currently offers. The g2 has a faster processor-- it should be able to encode better sound.. AAC? Ogg?
Update: It's not the camera app's fault. It's Android's. There is an open issue for this. It looks like Android itself doesn't support anything better. The good news is this isn't a hardware limitation. As someone suggested, a WebM encoder seems like an obvious thing to add.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wow amazing! i really hope we can fix this issue

I just starred the issue (they look at that don't they?)... I recorded some video at a concert last night and while the video wasn't terrible, the sound is absolutely unbearable. Makes the videos pretty much worthless

I keep wondering if it's possible to stuff our own codec in there. I mean, some of the android phones have higher quality audio, right? If so, how do they do it? Why are those codecs commented out in the video camera code for...?
Doesn't cyanogenmod have FLAC support? Couldn't other codecs be added to the phone app, even if they're in java?
You're right, the current audio situation sucks.

High-Quality Audio Recording

I have a question for the developers (im not one):
Though the KF doesnt have a built-in mic, it supports an external one for audio recording. Ive been using Android devices for a little over two years, and have tried a number of audio recoring apps on them.
There are a number of stereo microphones available (from Belkin, Tascam, Blue, etc) that allow high-quality stereo recording on ipods and iphones. There are a number of apps available for recording on Android, but the quality of the recordings is not great. Why is that? Is there something inherent in the Android platform that does not permit hi quality recording?
Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk

This link might enlighten you a bit. Along with extremely poor audio-latency it would seem that audio recording is also problematic. Strange to find this in an audio device such as a phone eh?

Thanks; I actually used to use the Rehearsal Assistant app. I posed this same question to the developer of J4T, which is a very cool Android multitrack recording app, and I just got his response:
"One reason might be that the best recording quality that is supported by most Android phones is mono, 16-bit pcm, with samplerate 44100. So to make sure a recording app runs on most most android phones, the developer should probably use those numbers and not go any higher.
But it also means it's possible to have android phones that can record at much higher quality, and maybe they are out there. But that capacity may go unused, because the apps are developed for the 'average' phone.
Perhaps on other platforms the 'average phones' have higher bitrates and samplerates.
There are actually 2 ways to do audio recording on Android, but I'm not familiar with the other way (where you can record to AAC or AMR format). Perhaps the quality using those codecs is better than PCM, I don't know.
Please don't take this as a definite answer - this is just a guess from my perspective, maybe a manufacturer (or the Android team) would give a different answer."
I've been using a Belkin Tundtalk stereo microphone with a 3rd-generation ipod nano to make reharsal recordings of my rock band; the quality is actually very good. It records in wav format, stereo, 16-bit pcm, with samplerate 44100. So, outside of the fact that Android records in mono, not stereo, the potential for decent quality is there. The lousy quality must have a lot to do with the cheesy microphones used in the Android phones. If I could find a decent quality mic that would work with my Android phone (or with the Fire), I imagine it would make a big difference.

Yeah, from what I know about Android audio going the other way, the audio-latency issues, Google really managed to screw up on a bunch of levels. The audio app market on the iPhone is pretty big and they just haven't stepped up to the plate for developers from what I can see. I see a few apps coming out like AudioSketch that claim to have custom low-latency audio drivers, but that one isn't available for the Kindle Fire so I really can't say. But, sorry, I am digressing. I'd be curious as to see what results you get from your experiences.

grvthang said:
Perhaps the quality using those codecs is better than PCM, I don't know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This man doesn't now a thing about sound encoding. PCM is uncompressed audio format so it have smallest use of CPU and it has best quality. Only problem is that is space-hungry in comparison with other codec's.
In audio, whole system is good as the weakest thing in it. You need good MIC, you need good MIC input, you need good audio driver and you need good recording app. If one link in this chain is inadequate resulting sound quality is on level of that poor part.

Hey, just a thought but you might be able to turn your question into a free Kindle Fire if you were so inclined.

Buffet_of_Lies said:
Hey, just a thought but you might be able to turn your question into a free Kindle Fire if you were so inclined.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now that you've brought it to my attention, I AM so inclined! That's for letting me know.

I posted my question there, and after about an hour it was Closed as "not constructive" lol.
As I said, I'm not a developer. Even before I posted the question here I googled the subject and haven't been able to come up with a definitive answer as to why this is so. I would think there would be a huge market for after-market microphones for people to use on their Android phones (as there is for iphone and ipod). If I was an iphone fanboy, this would be my first argument against Android - crappy audio recording!