DaVinci Resolve short codec testing
2024-06-28
I spent some time today testing out the different video format settings on my camera with DaVinci Resolve, as I got burned on the latest project I was working on when none of the footage I shot on my ZV-E1 would import correctly into DVR. The video files would import as audio clips with no apparent warnings or errors.
Here are the test results, as of DaVinci Resolve 18.6:
| File format (fps) | Bitrate / Color space | Imported? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| XAVC HS 4K (24 fps) | 100M / 4:2:2 / 10 bit | No | Imported as audio clip |
| XAVC HS 4K (24 fps) | 100M / 4:2:0 / 10 bit | Yes* | First few seconds corrupt |
| XAVC HS 4K (24 fps) | 50M / 4:2:2 / 10 bit | No | Imported as audio clip |
| XAVC HS 4K (24 fps) | 50M / 4:2:0 / 10 bit | Yes* | First few seconds corrupt |
| XAVC S 4K (30 fps) | 140M / 4:2:2 / 10 bit | No | Imported as audio clip |
| XAVC S 4K (30 fps) | 100M / 4:2:0 / 8 bit | Yes | |
| XAVC S 4K (30 fps) | 60M / 4:2:0 / 8 bit | Yes |
Some notes:
- I was unable to test any of the XAVC S-I options, as none of the SD or microSD cards I have on hand are fast enough (V90) :/
- For the entries that imported with an asterisk, something interesting happened in the first couple of seconds of the footage where the video frames showed up with this weird corruption/color-banding effect in DVR:
I initially thought that maybe the microSD card was going bad, so I swapped it with a spare and tested again, but the same exact problem occurred. I then ran the video through MPC-HC and discovered that the corruption issue was not there.
Summary
As of DaVinci Resolve 18.6, on the free version, the following setting on your camera (assuming you use a Sony ZV-E1) is your best bet:
XAVC S 4K, 100M / 4:2:0 / 8 bit
- If you use the 4:2:2 chroma subsampling, your videos will import as audio clips.
- If you use 10 bit, the first few seconds of the footage will be corrupt, and there may be other rendering issues exporting the video.
And I’m still looking for a good NLE video editor that won’t make me sign away my newborn (cough Premiere cough) and won’t crash every ten seconds (Kdenlive) and doesn’t have codec allergies. Tag me on Mastodon if you have any suggestions!
