Help Can/will the Froyo update improve camera and video quality?

[Jack2010]

I remarked to my wife that the video shot with my new EVO looked like home movies from when we were kids. I then saw that the EVO shoots at 24 fps which explains the home movie video look.

Will/can the Froyo update improve the video and or camera quality? It's not a deal breaker but when you have kids it's nice to have a video camera with you at all times.

I've got 3 more weeks left on my 30 day trial period. I know the iPhone 4 will shoot at 30fps and the test images I've seen are considerably better than my EVO.

 

[Jack2010]

Mods, I apologize, I posted this in the wrong forum. Wold you please move it to the main HTC EVO forum. HTC EVO 4G - Android Forums

Thanks.

 

[RiverOfIce]

Seriously why wait, return the phone. If you think the iphone is going to be better for you. Then go. As for the frames per second, yes it can be updated, but I doubt it will happen in the next 12 months. They has soo many other things to fix. If 24fps vs 30fps is the deal killer for you, then you already have one foot out the door and just looking for the time to pull the trigger.

 

[Jack2010]

Jesus, why do people get so defensive about the features of the phone they happen to be using at the moment?

You caught me. I'm secretly an Apple iphone cult member. Even though I had the iphone 3G and knew iPhone 4 was soon to be out, qualify for an immediate upgrade, I still took the time to actually drive to the Sprint store, lay out hundreds of dollars on the phone and accessories, all so I could drive back to the Sprint store, return the phone while still having to eat the expense of the accessories....all so I could then just buy the iPhone 4 that I secretly desire.

The 24fps isn't a "deal killer" but since the iphone will have 30fps with a processor that may not even match the snapdragon's power, I figured it would be great if the EVO's frame rate could be increased with a software update. There is a big difference between 24 and 30 fps.

The EVO is an incredible phone and the iPhone is an incredible phone. They're electronic devices not children. Try not to get so emotionally involved with consumer brands and you won't get your feeling's hurt when objective people discuss the pros and cons of tools when trying and determine which tool best fits their particular needs.

 

[Rob_A]

to me, 24fps for a smart phone is just fine.

It's not like I'm producing professional video with it.

I can see if it was really low and things looked choppy but that's not the case with the EVO.


Should I be upset that I cannot play the latest PC FPS on my EVO? Or watch 1080p movies in 3D?


Lastly, the best tool for video isn't a smart phone.

 

[ShawnN]

BTW if you look at your clip frame-by-frame with QuickTime (or even better, AtomicBrowser) you may be even more disappointed. 24 FPS is on the high end of what I was seeing, in low light it drops to 10 FPS at 720p.

720p10 is a waste of my time. The phone shouldn't have shipped like this.

 

[Jack2010]

to me, 24fps for a smart phone is just fine.

Great for you. For me, preserving my kids' special little moments with high quality video is a factor. Lugging around a separate video camera is not always feasible so it's nice that it's on the phone is great. The fact that there is another phone coming out in a few weeks that might shoot much better quality video is something to consider.

I can see if it was really low and things looked choppy but that's not the case with the EVO.

Yes, that is the case with EVO. It's choppy.

Should I be upset that I cannot play the latest PC FPS on my EVO? Or watch 1080p movies in 3D?

Maybe. Depends on whether there is another phone that can do that and how important that is to you.

Lastly, the best tool for video isn't a smart phone.

Thanks for that tech tip.

 

[Evo_Pimpin]

Great for you. For me, preserving my kids' special little moments with high quality video is a factor. Lugging around a separate video camera is not always feasible so it's nice that it's on the phone is great. The fact that there is another phone coming out in a few weeks that might shoot much better quality video is something to consider.

Yes, that is the case with EVO. It's choppy.


Maybe. Depends on whether there is another phone that can do that and how important that is to you.


Thanks for that tech tip.

Sound like your mind is already made up. If you are so concerned about preserving your kids' special little moments with high quality video then why the hell would you use a cell phone? Yes, the video/audio on the Evo is crap and the iphone is more than likely going to be better, but when you say high quality video, I don

 

[arrantknave]

Jack,
It's a good question and I don't know if a software upgrade can upgrade the frame rate. Maybe someone that does know can read your question objectively and provide an answer.

 

[staubio]

Wow, you guys need a hobby.

WHY DO YOU NEED CLEAR CALLS? It isn't like I'm doing press interviews with it! WHY DO YOU NEED A CAMERA AT ALL? It isn't like I'm a professional photographer! WHY DO I NEED BATTERY LIFE? It isn't like I don't have a charger!

Guess what, the device isn't perfect. If your ego is that intertwined with this phone, seek help.

The video was an oft-touted feature of the phone, so it isn't unreasonable to be disappointed that the quality just isn't that great. When they advertised 720p video, I delayed purchasing a flip camera. With the quality of the sensor and processing power of the Evo, there is no reason that the Evo shouldn't deliver great video at high frame rates.

I'm the very opposite of an Apple fanboy, but first looks at the new iPhone make it look like they did HD video right. Say what you will about Apple but if they don't do something right, they don't do it at all. The Evo can't rightly claim 720p video and deliver such abysmal framerates.

That said, this should be doable with software, but it won't be the Froyo update unless HTC bundles improvements with it. The hardware is certainly there, but the software is HTC's and is the hindrance on video performance. In my opinion, this is the single biggest disappointment about the device, so my fingers are crossed.

By the way, it is healthy for us to identify missed opportunities with our phones. That is the only way we'll get much-needed improvements. Making excuses for the phone's failings doesn't help anybody -- especially the user.

 

[ExtraCrispy]

There is no need to be so defensive and attack anyone who says anything -ve about the Evo, or suggest 'they have one foot out the door'.

He has a legitimate complaint about a software defect. I'm sure HTC/Sprint are well aware of it too, and will fix it, since the cpu obviously has plenty of power. It's fine to make compromises but if users don't voice complaints, then nothing will ever get fixed.

 

[tardmobile]

Jack is like the calmest new guy on these forums right now.

You guys are just trolling yourselves at this point while he sits and waits for a legitimate answer

 

[neoshi]

Well, depending on how HTC and Sprint prepare Froyo for our Evos, it probably could, but it probably won't.

But most likely, camera improvement will require a firmware update.

 

[SHO_ONE]

Jesus, why do people get so defensive about the features of the phone they happen to be using at the moment?

You caught me. I'm secretly an Apple iphone cult member. Even though I had the iphone 3G and knew iPhone 4 was soon to be out, qualify for an immediate upgrade, I still took the time to actually drive to the Sprint store, lay out hundreds of dollars on the phone and accessories, all so I could drive back to the Sprint store, return the phone while still having to eat the expense of the accessories....all so I could then just buy the iPhone 4 that I secretly desire.

The 24fps isn't a "deal killer" but since the iphone will have 30fps with a processor that may not even match the snapdragon's power, I figured it would be great if the EVO's frame rate could be increased with a software update. There is a big difference between 24 and 30 fps.

The EVO is an incredible phone and the iPhone is an incredible phone. They're electronic devices not children. Try not to get so emotionally involved with consumer brands and you won't get your feeling's hurt when objective people discuss the pros and cons of tools when trying and determine which tool best fits their particular needs.

Seriously... River has been this defensive since I first read one of her posts.... When we were all waiting impatiently for the EVO she seemed to want to tear into anyone that may have a question or want to voice there opinions.... I personally will never buy an iphone, not because it's a bad phone, but because the whole trilogy between Jobs, AT&T and the iPhone represent everything that

 

[docprego]

It's only a matter of time until one of two possible outcomes occurs:

1. Sprint and HTC feel the heat of these other devices whose cameras are performing well and issue a fix.

2. XDA conquers it.

Either way I see this becoming a thing of the past, eventually.

 

[RiverOfIce]

Seriously... River has been this defensive since I first read one of her posts.... When we were all waiting impatiently for the EVO she seemed to want to tear into anyone that may have a question or want to voice there opinions....

Just two things.

1.) He wants polished. The htc evo, or any phone offered by sprint is not going to be polished. Period. Not like the iphone is. Not going to happen. So to say they will fix it in the next 2 months, is folly. If you want polished, your only choice is iphone.

2.) I am not defensive, that is where you are wrong, I could care less about sprint, the htc evo, and what apple does. But to mindless beat a dead horse is just beyond dumb. If you have read my post, I have repeatedly said do not get your hopes up, this is sprint, they will screw it up if they can.

Now why did I tell the op to go to the iphone? Well, a little problem of time. The htc evo 2, or the next great phone is about 6 months out. After sprint fixes the build quality, battery life, graphics frames per second, receptions issues, glitchs, and the other 1001 problems, they will get to increasing something that is not broken. It is not the frames per second that is making the phone look bad, it is the software that processes it and compresses that makes it look bad. That is alot more harder to fix then just increasing the buffer rate of the memory.

Doing a simple youtube search will show you the difference between 24fps and 30fps. For just the tinyest amount of light increase and smallest amount of motion blur to be a problem for him, then the real problems of the phone is going to just to much.

So instead of him hanging his hopes on something that does not need to be fixed only for the sake of numbers, is just too much. So go to the iphone, get your 6 frames per second more, and be happy.

If it means that much to you. But the real problems with the video is how htc and sprint choose to compress the file which can not and will not be fixed by either froyo or them anytime in the near future. They simply have too many other problems, like battery life to deal with.


YouTube - Comparison 24vs30 - Guess which video is 24fps and which is 30fps?
YouTube - Comparison 24vs30 - Guess which video is 24fps and which is 30fps?

YouTube - 30 fps to 24 fps (24p version)
YouTube - 30 fps to 24 fps (30p version)

 

[htcevolee]

Short answer probably not. We have to remember its a phone, if someone wants something more professional grade video quality just get a regular video camera that suits your needs. Otherwise on the go the video on the EVO does fine for me. =)

 

[docprego]

Short answer probably not. We have to remember its a phone, if someone wants something more professional grade video quality just get a regular video camera that suits your needs. Otherwise on the go the video on the EVO does fine for me. =)

I'd bet the farm on the EVO's video quality improving, and quite a bit too.

 

[dornier]

double post.

 

[dornier]

Hey folks,

I really like my EVO, the camera takes good pictures, its fast, love the sense UI, love the kickstand, and more. What don't I like? The HD video and the video calling. My big beef is that the videos look bad. On a clear day with bright light, the videos look bad. Lots of flickering, shimmering, and the video is not clear (soft focus like video). I don't expect HD quality that rivals my HD camcorder, but when HTC advertises 720p, it should at least look okay.

In either case, I really hope the fine folks at HTC will do the right thing and improve the video quality soon.

 

[PyroSporker]

I'm choosing to look past the tangent that this thread has inevitably taken in hopes to try to answer the original query.

Will/can the Froyo update improve the video and or camera quality? It's not a deal breaker but when you have kids it's nice to have a video camera with you at all times.

Straight from the horse's mouth as they say:
"Camera and Camcorder

New preview API doubles the frame rate from ~10FPS to ~20FPS. Camera now supports portrait orientation, zoom controls, access to exposure data, and a thumbnail utility. A new camcorder profile enables apps to determine device hardware capablities.

Graphics

New APIs for OpenGL ES 2.0, working with YUV image format, and ETC1 for texture compression."

Android 2.2 Platform Highlights | Android Developers

Do I think that based on this information that Froyo could possibly improve the camera and camcorder performance? Yes, but I am not getting my hopes up for anything impressive. Just because it is from the 'horse's mouth' doesn't mean that the 'horse' cannot change its mind, lie, or overstate a preliminary quotation. I think camera performance will be better post Froyo, but I don't forsee any world changing shifts in quality.

Google/Sprint: Get your tails in gear and prove me wrong please
(Optimize Gingerbread for the Evo while you are at it)

 

[RiverOfIce]

pyro, how does that change the fact they are still using a really bad compression on the video, we are not talking about what froyo will do, we are talking about what htc and sprint are doing after the video/picture is taken.

 

[leegseegs]

Just two things.


YouTube - Comparison 24vs30 - Guess which video is 24fps and which is 30fps?
YouTube - Comparison 24vs30 - Guess which video is 24fps and which is 30fps?

YouTube - 30 fps to 24 fps (24p version)
YouTube - 30 fps to 24 fps (30p version)

The first ones are 24fps. that's easy! More trivia please.

 

[leegseegs]

I remarked to my wife that the video shot with my new EVO looked like home movies from when we were kids. I then saw that the EVO shoots at 24 fps which explains the home movie video look.

Will/can the Froyo update improve the video and or camera quality? It's not a deal breaker but when you have kids it's nice to have a video camera with you at all times.

I've got 3 more weeks left on my 30 day trial period. I know the iPhone 4 will shoot at 30fps and the test images I've seen are considerably better than my EVO.

Cinema is shot in 24 fps, FWIW. Its not the fps, but the compression, sensor quality, and encoding that gives it the home movie video look.

 

[RiverOfIce]

The first ones are 24fps. that's easy! More trivia please.

The question is there enough difference to justify having HTC fix what is not broken.