The TRUTH Behind The Sony A7S iii Codecs… XAVC-S vs XAVC H-S vs XAVC S-I

[@itsjoseperez]

I personally shoot with XAVC -S-i strictly for one reason, ease of editing. In Premiere, It allows the smoothest scrubbing and playback even with heavy grades and effects added in AE. Less compression just means easier work for your computer. The file sizes suck, the amount of time per memory card sucks, but the trade-off in working faster in post is worth it for some.
I found out that for moving/faster pace type of footage, intraframe is key. But for simpler, more static footage, I would always go with the HS and save hard drive space.

[@DannyBligh]

Exactly!! Got to go for whatever works best for your situation. Thanks for watching

[@adamcox6399]

That's why the post department is asking for this expensive codec.

[@capturedbyfabian]

completely shocked that I only missed on the second one. The S-I looks significantly better and I'm surprised that it makes a difference in movement too. This enlighten me of why Netflix requires Intra codec

[@fofopho]

Yeah, I didn't expect that I would recognize the XAVC S-I footage, but it was actually pretty easy to pick out of the line up here. I have been shooting XAVC-S for years, but I might just have to switch over to XAVC S-I for my next project

[@lukastemberger]

The footage you made for the test is very easy for any codec to handle, so you won't see much difference, if any.
I made a test of leaves in a rainy and windy scene with which is the hardest for codecs to encode (other than confetti lol).
I found S to be a more stable codec than I or HS. It had the least grain smearing, compression artefacts and it retained the most color definition and sharpness. In a static image it'll perform even better because static areas won't have to be encoded for long strings of frames.

[@TaanielMalleus]

THIS

[@lukastemberger]

@@TaanielMalleus there's just one thing I'd add to this :) If there absolutely has to be visible grain in the footage, I think I prefer Intra. If it's a dark shot and there's no way to overexpose it for a stop or two to tone down the noise in post or denoiser would destroy the details too much, I find the grain with Intra to be a bit nicer looking and organic in movement compared to S and HS. Not because individual frames are better quality, but because of the nature of compression, it doesn't apply temporal and motion compression to noise.
All other cases, I prefer S Long GOP.

[@VeronicaRyanVideos]

Exactly what I needed, thank you! Upgrading our rig from an A7SII to an A7IV and needed a clear breakdown of these codecs and you explained it perfectly, thank you! Looks like the A7IV does XAVC H-S at 24p 100M 4:2:2 10 bit, which is looking to be the sweet spot for me assuming my pc can handle it (it should).

[@DannyBligh]

Glad it helped! Fingers crossed for you! And thanks for watching

[@ruisantos166]

But it does 24p XAVC H-S at 100M 4:2:2 10 bit in PAL?

[@andrewkift6746]

Big thank you for a well paced, info packed video full of relevant, useful and usable content.
Much appreciated.

[@DannyBligh]

It's my pleasure! Thanks for watching

[@sstteevveenn77]

I asked about this on reddit once and someone replied with "its complicated" lol. Fore example they mentioned XAVC-SI should in theory be the highest quality, BUT....since its taking every single frame, it would require a very very veryyy high datarate to keep up. His argument was that the datarates for XAVC-SI were still too low for a for there to be a noticeable difference that would make the video actually look better. In fact, it is possible that XAVC-SI might actually look worse than HS or S because it requires much bigger datarates than what Sony offers. I also remember reading an article about this topic but I can't remember where. Its a very complicated topic because there are so may variables.

[@DannyBligh]

It certainly is complicated... And the data rate situation may be correct, I don't doubt that for a second to be honest. I'd love to try it on something like the fx6 which is a much higher quality camera but still, I don't have the need (or hard drive space for that matter) to start filming everything in XAVC S-I, especially when it comes to content for on here, ha! Thanks for watching

[@aathmastralismusic1233]

I wonder if XAVC-SI in 1080p HD has enough bitrate for maximum HD quality

[@schroots23]

FYI, the values Danny is calling bytes are actually bits. For example at 5:25 when he is showing the table of XAVC S, HS and S-I, XAVC S at 50P is recording at 200 Megabits per second (Mbps), not as he says 200 Megabytes per second (MBps). There are 8 bits in one byte so his terminology is off by a factor of 8. You can also reference any Sony a7 camera guide, the data rates in their tables are bit rates not byte rates.

[@DannyBligh]

Absolutely right 😂 apologies for the minor but important dumbass moment 😂

[@tonytech5520]

4:43 There is still compression within the individual frames.

[@DonAbaddonn]

nice vid, great flow, keep it up man!

[@DannyBligh]

Thank you!! Appreciate you watching

[@R1kka]

Thanks for the best explanations

[@evmathison]

Great video thanks for making this! Just bought an FX30 I'll be using alongside an FS7 and was wondering what to use to match up with the FS7's 'XAVC-I' Codec and this cleared it up. will definitely be using XAVC-S... until I want to fork out £400 for a CFExpress card

[@DannyBligh]

yeah, them CFExpress cards will empty your bank quickly, and fill your hard drive up even faster! Enjoy the FX30, great camera!!

[@pomanprod]

I recorded S-I at 60fps (600Mbps) on CF type A card in my a7S3 for high school track sprints. I couldn't see the difference when uploaded to TH-cam. For the Sony A1, recording at 560 Mbps in 8K30fps I did notice better color.

[@DannyBligh]

Interesting 🤔 reminds me of the colour shift between 8bit and 10bit within the same camera on a Sony 😂

[@krbdesigns]

Really good video! just what I needed - thank you!

[@DannyBligh]

Thanks Kirk! Thanks for watching too

[@auroraflash]

For some reaqson, XAVC S allows 4k 120 4:2:2 10 Bit 280 MBit recording on a V60 card and XAVC HS does not and tells me to swap for a V90 card.

[@JJSCR1]

great video! really well presented. Thank you!

[@DannyBligh]

Thank you very much! Hope it helped!

[@wakeywarrior]

It’s ridiculous there is no 25fps in PAL HS.

[@righthererightnowproductio9525]

Right? It's one of those little things where Sony just decided to say "F You, consumers". Literally no reason for this

[@user-gm8kq6yc2f]

really useful, thanks and your channel is great

[@DannyBligh]

Thanks for watching!

[@DannyBligh]

It's been super fun making so many videos for the Sony A7S iii, anything else you wish to see before I move on to something new?!

[@nick_malone]

Hey Danny, great vid. Did you know that if you switch to NTSC mode it will allow you to shoot in HAVC HS with the equivalent of 25p which is 23.98 in NTSC. Any idea why this is? And any potential downsides(flickering aside)

[@MilanSerwanski_media]

Yeah we all need that video ! Thanks

[@jamessonfield]

You can use 24fps in HS and if you use 10bit 420 rather than 422 it edits like butter and again for me I cannot tell the difference.

[@DannyBligh]

Unfortunately for me 24fps is out of the question due to being in the UK. Would cause a few problems with lighting etc but yeah. It's crazy how we have all these possibilities though and still there's very little difference visually with them. Thanks for watching James!

[@jamessonfield]

@@DannyBligh I’m in the uk and all of my video lights are fine, the odd household light may flicker but I rarely use those anyway and a small adjustment of shutter sorts it plus everything is pretty much delivered in a digital format so the whole PAL/NTSC thing is a non issue.

[@paulskaria2859]

@@DannyBligh You can use 10bit 4.2.2 on XAVC HS if you calibrate that in the S&Q settings. The bit rate seems to be higher than shooting in regular mode slow-motion, you would need a CF Express card or a V90 card. This is the only way I can shoot as for some reason final cut pro X does not allow you to import 100 or 120 fps clips into a timeline for 4x/5x slow motion.

[@SPJonbass]

thanks!

[@johnster02]

watch this on a phone (like most people on youtube do) it looks THE BEST. not sure if it’s youtubes compression changing it or if it’s my iphone 12 pro, but HS was surprisingly a clear winner for a phone.
it’s as if you’re shooting in 24 frames on the others and 60 on the HS. it’s the same principle i observed when i learned that 30 fps literally looks smoother on youtube because most phones are 60 hertz and the even split to 30 creates less dropped frames and it’s noticeable. it’s smoother, and much more so than how it would look on your computer. (the 6 extra frames in 30 to 24 isn’t what’s making the difference, youtube is).

[@Kyle.Doherty]

10/10 as always man 👏👏

[@DannyBligh]

Thanks Kyle!! Really appreciate you watching!

[@RayRomanMedia]

Thanks for this.

[@jeskid]

Just mine and this was super helpful dude!

[@DannyBligh]

Glad to head it 🤌🏻

[@jeskid]

​@@DannyBligh "to head it" lol. Seriously, though been making films for 25 years and finding inspiration in your journey.

[@DannyBligh]

@@jeskid ha i was clearly half asleep this morning 😂 thanks mate!

[@TimmyDahitman]

THANKS 4 THIS

[@videobytrkx]

XAVC and so on are actually not Codecs, they are Formats which use the HEVC Codec. But im not an expert, just what i read in the manual or somewhere on the website. But its really confusing me, all these codecs, formats and containers 😵‍💫 do you have any recommandation on a tutorial or something that helps understanding the sony codecs and formats?

[@user-vg6sk1wt7t]

Will XAVC be able to handle 6K footage in future models ?

[@gabrielemariotti5780]

Can anybody help me figure out the main differences in terms of quality, compression and weight between MXF files coming from a Sony FS5 and XAVC coming from a FX30 as I am considering doing the switch of camera.
I want to know how much my editing workflow will change with this new codecs.
Thanks

[@p0ggles]

bro, how do you remove noise from your camera sensor in post?

[@Maubro1]

It's interesting, I really didn't see any difference between the codecs on my 1440p monitor! I guess the XAVC S-I must shine on a 4K display or something

[@DannyBligh]

I struggle too, but in some footage I can spot it. I've tried a number of things since filming this video. But for the hassle, I'm happy with XAVC-S

[@auroraflash]

So what's the difference between S and HS? ^^

[@Jambo1999]

Yes I was foolish, listening to TH-cam wonks telling me i needed a special card and yada yada for my A7S III. I do fine with the same codecs you use, on a 5yo pc, using proxies.

[@aevoss]

So let me get this straight. Are you saying that codecs affect motion blur?

[@DannyBligh]

No, they don’t effect motion blur. However, the difference between the xavcs, xavsi and xavchs is that the higher quality ones can produce artefacts

[@LanceRazon]

Is a Sandisk Extreme Pro UHS 1 enough for xavc si? 4k 30

[@GreenhornPhototaker]

for my purposes i really like 30p which I thought would be problematic being "stuck" with only XAVC-S. But in my testing and your video today, I can't really consistently tell a difference between XAVC-S and XAVC H-S at 24p or 60p. Plus, the large bitrates I could theoretically have with H-S don't play well with my computer. In fairness, i don't really color grade so my use case is very narrow compared to many others who watch this channel.

[@DannyBligh]

With anything to do with cameras, it's down to what you as the user needs for the project you're working on, nothing more. File size is a big thing with these codecs for me and doing wedding, I fill up hard drives so quickly with the footage and that's in XAVC-S. Imagine the S-I! Thanks for watching!

[@Lonewolf2482]

Help! I'm a newbie and recently bought a A7IV. When I transfer the XAVCS 4K to my laptop or android phone it doesn't work. Can anyone recommend any converter android app or a software I can use. Many thanks in advance.

[@DannyBligh]

The files should be on your memory card and you should be able to just drag and drop them to your laptop. As for your phone, no idea mate. Sorry

[@RE3DT]

Great video, I love your teaching style.

[@DannyBligh]

Thank you!! My whole goal is to pass on my knowledge and help people get out of their 9-5 job. Appreciate your support

[@swashyhimself]

i have NTSC but XAVC HS does shoot 24p so...

[@e84720p000]

thanks for sharing

[@DannyBligh]

It's my pleasure! Thanks for watching

[@djvoicy1653]

B looks like more dynamic range

[@MilesCooperUK]

Surely youtubes compression makes determining and distinguishing quality impossible?

[@DannyBligh]

In my opinion, somewhat yes. This is why I always question 'Where is this footage going?'. But even in person it's pretty hard to notice I think. But you're right with the TH-cam compression! I don't see any need to do any filming in anything higher than the standard XAVC-S. Thanks for watching, Miles. Really appreciate it!

[@MilesCooperUK]

@@DannyBligh just got an a7siii so really appreciate all the videos ✌️

[@DannyBligh]

My pleasure! If there’s anything I haven’t covered but you want to know, make a suggestion! Always up for making something new

[@gerrypi51]

But it's also about the bit depth: with 10 or 12 bits and in external recording (Ninja 5 or Black Magic Video Assist monitors) in ProRes HQ or ProRes Raw for optimal color grading (keyword: LUTs or skin tones). This is where differences become visible!

[@stijnbuyse2155]

Im stuck between choosing XAVC-S 10 bit 4:2:2 or XAVC-HS 10 bit 4:2:0. I havent looked into what my pc can do cuz I assume I cant use the 4:2:2 natively without transcoding it to a prores 4:2:2 for example with the free davinci resolve? Is it than better to choose HS with 4:2:0 or S with 4:2:2? Anyone has experience with this?
Im new to video so plz go ez on me
My pc specs: AMD Ryzen 9 7900x, Nvidia 4080 OC, 32GB ram

[@DannyBligh]

This is a place of learning so if anybody says anything wrong, they will be gone and banned from the channel… simple!
Unfortunately i’m not very knowledgable on PC’s. I’d recommend trying both though on something that isn’t important. Go out and shoot in both. Import them and see how you get on.
4:2:0 will work better but with that being HS, it’s slightly compressed. So some computers have been slow using it…
Sorry I can’t be of anymore help

[@joshelias8472]

Those are perfect PC specs. I have a ryzen 5 3070 16 ram and I edit smoothly. I do have some stuttering at times so your should be 99% doable.

[@stijnbuyse2155]

@@joshelias8472 thanks for the reply, I’ll test them out whenever I get the chance to see what works best for my needs.

[@CineFlavor]

With the XAVC-HS I have a lot of terrible stuttering when playing back the HS footage. I run a Ryzen CPU and RTX 3080 and 48gb of ram. So you would think I could handle it but no. I definitely suggest using just XAVC-S and skip the HS. Not worth it in my experience with post production playback

[@ElizabethaKaur]

YES! XAVC-HS 10 bit 4:2:0 will playback smoothly on DaVinci Resolve Studio, the free version of DaVinci Resolve DO NOT support 10 bit footage, but 8 bit 4:2:0 and 10 bit 4:2:0 are the best options for DaVinci Resolve coz it will utilize your hardware to decode the footage, giving you a smooth playback when editing!

[@PunkisDeadUareNext]

let me tell you something. 👐 if you want to convert a video, first make a record at the best quality, then compress it in the format you think suits you. for me, as far as I've tested, it's mp4 - HEVC / H.265 hvc1 average bitrate 1500 (it's quality and size), but unfortunately you can't really see them all. when you're talking about things in motion, you're running at frame rate 60

[@johnlocke3481]

For me, it was S-I all the way

[@TaoCovillault]

No 25p in XAVC HS, only 50p -_-
Seems like Sony is always limiting europeans :/

[@DannyBligh]

On the A7Rv it is available though but i want to say only in 1080p. Not got my camera with me to check but i noticed it when i was setting it up. So strange

[@SteveLacante]

Knap gefilmd!

[@DannyBligh]

Thank you!

[@marcusthompson666]

XAVC-S-I is waaaay slower and harder to edit native than just about any Intra codec you'll encounter. Most likely because it uses h.264 with 2 reference frames which goes against the whole purpose of INTRA. This is why FX3 is out of spec for our needs. It also has no internal ND stack and is used by mostly novice DLSR shooters don't understand why never to use variable ND's and end up degrading all of the footage with low contrast, foggy looking shots that intermittently get splotchy dark areas. FX6 with AVC-I is the lowest we can go. editing with INTRA. This is why FX3 is out of spec for our needs. It also has no internal ND stack and

[@adamcox6399]

Calm down man. It's just tech crap