Database Users

[Q] HD Video Recording Jerky, Because Of Class Of SD Card?

Howdy, I tried to film the aftermath of the bizarre weather we've been having here in Scotland yesterday, but I noticed that when I played it back, even converted it to an HD Avi and ran it through VirtualDub that at certain points the video lags and freezes, the sounds remains the same but the picture will pause for a second. I'm assuming (based on some research on Google and here) that it's because the memory card I'm using was the basic Class 2 that was shipped with the phone. Assuming I buy a Class 6 or that, the card will be fast enough to write HD video to it? I'm just wondering if any of you have had these problems, and/or does a higher class SD card fix it? (before I buy one!). Or, is it for a separate reason on the Desire Z that the video is jerky? Thanks! Below is my video should you want to see an example!
http://youtu.be/XX0zKKDRtUI?hd=1

Yes the class can have a massive impact on HD recording on this phone (and others), get a class 6 and you should soon see the differences.

Lennyuk said:
Yes the class can have a massive impact on HD recording on this phone (and others), get a class 6 and you should soon see the differences.
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Thank you, I shall, I just wanted to make sure! On a side note, if I change my memory card does Android get confused because of how it "deals" with the SD Card? (I'm coming from five years of Windows Mobile & I know they had no issues with SD Cards being swapped) but I noticed Android "Prepares The SD Card" whenever you unmount it or that.. Is it a straight forward swap and everything's working or is it a hassle of reinstalling certain things? Thanks!

salemfox said:
Thank you, I shall, I just wanted to make sure! On a side note, if I change my memory card does Android get confused because of how it "deals" with the SD Card? (I'm coming from five years of Windows Mobile & I know they had no issues with SD Cards being swapped) but I noticed Android "Prepares The SD Card" whenever you unmount it or that.. Is it a straight forward swap and everything's working or is it a hassle of reinstalling certain things? Thanks!
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I only ever copy files over, never had any issues doing that.

Lennyuk said:
I only ever copy files over, never had any issues doing that.
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Click to collapse
Perfect thanks! I'm away to buy one, I assume that a higher class will improve the frame rate too! Thanks for your help!

Mine even stops recording after 13 seconds or so. Also have an older 16GB Class 2 card. I'm also getting a good Class 6 one.
Regarding files on the sdcard: Just copy everything from your old card to the new one. If you are using linux, be sure to also copy the hidden directories

dicer42 said:
Mine even stops recording after 13 seconds or so. Also have an older 16GB Class 2 card. I'm also getting a good Class 6 one.
Regarding files on the sdcard: Just copy everything from your old card to the new one. If you are using linux, be sure to also copy the hidden directories
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Click to collapse
Thank you, shall do! I'm just waiting on it now!

I have a 16Gb Class 6 card and have noticed the same thing with my HD video recordings being choppy.
I attributed it to other things going on such as data downloading or the system splitting resources to keep other balls in the air at the same time.
I can live with it, but would like it to be better as well.
I don't think the Class 6 card will make a difference for you, but it can't hurt either.
As to switching microSD cards, there's no issue with that. I don't know what happens behind the scenes when it's 'preparing the SD card' but the only issue I had was on the G1 when I was using apps2sd and have all of my apps on the ext3 partition.
I use a couple of different microSD cards regularly, no issues with swapping.
Good luck!

B73C said:
I have a 16Gb Class 6 card and have noticed the same thing with my HD video recordings being choppy.
I attributed it to other things going on such as data downloading or the system splitting resources to keep other balls in the air at the same time.
I can live with it, but would like it to be better as well.
I don't think the Class 6 card will make a difference for you, but it can't hurt either.
As to switching microSD cards, there's no issue with that. I don't know what happens behind the scenes when it's 'preparing the SD card' but the only issue I had was on the G1 when I was using apps2sd and have all of my apps on the ext3 partition.
I use a couple of different microSD cards regularly, no issues with swapping.
Good luck!
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I'm using a 8GB Class4 card, same situation.
I tried to disable Live Wallpaper, put the phone in Flight Mode, close all user background program, overclocked to 1.4GHz. still lags.

If you change to the resolution just below the HD level then the videos record smoothly even on my 8gb class 2 card.
Does formatting the SD card with a different allocation unit size increase performance? Can anybody with a spare mini SD card test this -- the higher the size the better the performance (but more space gets eaten up by small files). The general idea with this is if the aus is small it conserves file space but you get slower read/writes -- if the aus is higher you get faster read/write but files take up more space.
I wonder if there is a good alternative video recording app that would handle the recording better...?

ayewhy said:
If you change to the resolution just below the HD level then the videos record smoothly even on my 8gb class 2 card.
Does formatting the SD card with a different allocation unit size increase performance? Can anybody with a spare mini SD card test this -- the higher the size the better the performance (but more space gets eaten up by small files). The general idea with this is if the aus is small it conserves file space but you get slower read/writes -- if the aus is higher you get faster read/write but files take up more space.
I wonder if there is a good alternative video recording app that would handle the recording better...?
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Ah that's a good point if anyone has one spare!
Yeah, the 480 works fine on my standard SD too!

B73C said:
IAs to switching microSD cards, there's no issue with that. I don't know what happens behind the scenes when it's 'preparing the SD card' but the only issue I had was on the G1 when I was using apps2sd and have all of my apps on the ext3 partition.
I use a couple of different microSD cards regularly, no issues with swapping.
Good luck!
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Perfect, thank you!

For info i had bought a Kingmax class10 8gb, to swap with the supplied one but
after a 10 hours use of my desireZ, i had a message "sd card is read only"(corrupted files on it, in fact), at that time i used only googlenavigation/Layar/whatsApp as software "using Sdcard" and took 2 or 3 pictures with the camera for testing.
perhaps it's a single defective unit, but for feedback and history purposes, i post that

Choppy hd video w stock micro sd

I'm waiting for my 16gb to arrive but I'm wondering if the chippy video is due to the included memory card.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App

just got my new 16gb class 4 card and the video steal seems to be a problem. when moving the camera, the video will be smooth, then pause for a split second and continue w/smooth recording again, then the video will pause for a second again and so on. anyone having this issue while recording in hd?

markjnj said:
just got my new 16gb class 4 card and the video steal seems to be a problem. when moving the camera, the video will be smooth, then pause for a split second and continue w/smooth recording again, then the video will pause for a second again and so on. anyone having this issue while recording in hd?
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Bumping this thread because both my wife and I have the same problem with hesitations in video. She's stock; I have a 16gb class 4, stock rom, and faux's latest kernel.
Anyone else have or solve this problem?

I also have this problem. I was wondering if it was the sd card. I have this isssue with all sense ROMs. I even unrooted and flashed PD15IMG to get back to "as new" and reformatted sd card. The hesitation was still there. I haven't always had this problem with HD videos... I have a few videos recorded a while ago that are perfect or have one spot where it skips. I have contacted Tmobile about the issue because I have the insurance. The technician wanted to do some research on the issue and get back to me within 72 hours... which should be tomorrow (3-15-11). He said he wanted to see if there was a solution he didn't know of before they replace the phone. I'll let you know what happens.

T-mobile told me it was my sd card. I bought a class 10 and still had the problem. I called them back and asked for a replacement phone. My replacement should be here tomorrow.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using Tapatalk

roush97 said:
T-mobile told me it was my SIM card. I bought a class 10 and still had the problem. I called them back and asked for a replacement. My replacement should be here tomorrow.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using Tapatalk
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Seems unlikely, but keep us posted...
I read that rebooting right before creating a video helps, and I've also played around a little with overclocking the cpu before making a vid. Seems like these have helped on mine, but haven't had a chance to really test it out thoroughly.

I did get good 720p recording a day or two ago. It was a 40 second video with no choppiness. It's the first good video I had in a long time. I was running the RoyalGlacier 1.2 ROM. Team Royal makes great ROMs, especially coupled with faux123's kernels.

Here's some info that might be helpful to someone. I'd been having problems with choppy video, and was using a 16gb Patriot class 4 card. It turns out that this card was at least part of the problem. It's not a 'counterfeit' and was bought through a reputable retailer, and it passed the the 'h2testw' program in terms of overall capacity. BUT, the test showed that the write speed was actually a bit slower than the 8gb card that came with the phone (the read speed on the 16gb was a bit higher than the 8gb card, but I imagine this doesn't matter in recording vids much).
So I'm back to using the 8gb card that came with the phone. This fixes 90% of the choppiness issue that I've been experiencing the past couple months (got the new card in January). Btw, I did try reformatting the card, etc. I'm now going to look at buying another 16gb or 32gb card, but will be staying away from the Patriot brand and also trying to get one that is class 6 or higher.

I have class 2, 4, 6, and 10 cards. Only my class 10 patriot 8gb micro sd card seemed to work. Honestly a class 4 card should be fine for 720p recordings...but something's up with the software.

nodrogkam said:
I have class 2, 4, 6, and 10 cards. Only my class 10 patriot 8gb micro sd card seemed to work. Honestly a class 4 card should be fine for 720p recordings...but something's up with the software.
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It may be that something in the software keeps it from writing efficiently, but definitely weird that the 16gb class 4 patriot tested out with a lower write speed than the 8gb one that came with the phone...and that's the only thing that seemed different with that card that would explain why I was getting so much more stuttering on my vids.

netter123 said:
It may be that something in the software keeps it from writing efficiently, but definitely weird that the 16gb class 4 patriot tested out with a lower write speed than the 8gb one that came with the phone...and that's the only thing that seemed different with that card that would explain why I was getting so much more stuttering on my vids.
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Click to collapse
what class is the 8gb card that came with your phone? some came with class 2 and some with class 4.
it's commonly known in the storage/memory world that the larger the card size the slower the write (and often read) speeds will be. Granted when an SD card is certified to be a certain class it should meet the standards of that class. That being said, how a card is formatted, handled, and ejected or not ejected properly affects the performance of the card.
in my years of experience buy the size of the card that you need to use...getting a card 2x than your storage needs maybe thinking ahead but if speed is what you want, smaller is better and of course the higher class the better.
I got my 8gb class10 patriot from amazon for $25 flat and have no complaints. SD card tester programs tell me the card is writing data at about 10mb/sec which is what it should be doing.
good luck with your video issues, and hopefully a future update will rectify the situation so that even class 2 can handle the recording and playback of recorded videos on the device.

nodrogkam said:
what class is the 8gb card that came with your phone? some came with class 2 and some with class 4.
it's commonly known in the storage/memory world that the larger the card size the slower the write (and often read) speeds will be. Granted when an SD card is certified to be a certain class it should meet the standards of that class. That being said, how a card is formatted, handled, and ejected or not ejected properly affects the performance of the card.
in my years of experience buy the size of the card that you need to use...getting a card 2x than your storage needs maybe thinking ahead but if speed is what you want, smaller is better and of course the higher class the better.
I got my 8gb class10 patriot from amazon for $25 flat and have no complaints. SD card tester programs tell me the card is writing data at about 10mb/sec which is what it should be doing.
good luck with your video issues, and hopefully a future update will rectify the situation so that even class 2 can handle the recording and playback of recorded videos on the device.
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Click to collapse
The card that came with the phone is a class 2, and the test showed it was writing at above 5MBps, while the 16gb Patriot class 4 was just above 4MBps.
In terms of creating videos on each card, I tested them each immediately after a full format and with a somewhat controlled view of the same scene. Thus, the only variable that would seem to be able to account for the poor performance using the 16gb card seems to be the card itself, and, my guess is more specifically, the write speed.
Perhaps slightly over 4MBps is just below the threshold for what is required for a stutter-free video, and perhaps some variability in the cards that shipped with the phones accounts for why some people are reporting hesitations in their videos while others are not.

netter123 said:
The card that came with the phone is a class 2, and the test showed it was writing at above 5MBps, while the 16gb Patriot class 4 was just above 4MBps.
In terms of creating videos on each card, I tested them each immediately after a full format and with a somewhat controlled view of the same scene. Thus, the only variable that would seem to be able to account for the poor performance using the 16gb card seems to be the card itself, and, my guess is more specifically, the write speed.
Perhaps slightly over 4MBps is just below the threshold for what is required for a stutter-free video, and perhaps some variability in the cards that shipped with the phones accounts for why some people are reporting hesitations in their videos while others are not.
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Click to collapse
that's probably a good evaluation of the situation. i never did test my 4gb class 6 card, but i do know it transfered the contents of my music folder significantly faster than the 8gb class2 card that came with the device. Yet that card was still not enough for stutter free 720p recording. I can only assume its speeds were <10mb/sec. So the sweet spot is probably 6mb/sec.+
thinking bigger picture, there's a serious QC issue if some people with the same cards have issues while others don't. though i question if some people think that they're recording 720 by default and never bothered to check the video settings to begin with (default is 480p). therefore some people think they have no problems, but it's only because they're recording in 480p (which is still clear, especially on screen).

i had a few minutes. ran a test on 3 cards
1. 8gb class2 - stock card - ~4mb write
2. 4gb class6 - ~6mb write
3. 8gb class10 - ~10mb write
So as i stated before, for my phone, i need more than 6mb/sec + card for stable 720p video recording.

I haven't checked this thread in a while, but I just got a replacement mt4g w/the good screen and thought maybe it'd improve, but hd video recording is still freezing up every so often. so I've just resorted to taking video in widescreen. hopefully someone figures something out. I'm running faux kernel, stock rom.

So I was reading this thread and remembered a thread I read yesterday in the android apps and development forum. Apparently we are governed by how fast our SD Cards are read, but you can change it. Anyway, if someone wants to try the fix out (seems simple) I think it would be a good place to start. If it ends up working out make sure to let us know which method you used.
Link to the thread..
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1010807

just flashed 2048 on my mt4g. tested a few short clips which seemed to have improved. The 2nd clip there were only a few very slight pauses on video recording. This was off of a fresh reboot though, so I will continue to test through out the day as I use my phone more.
Update: The flash didn't seem to stick. as suggested by some others on the thread I'm now using/testing sd speed boost. Settings seem to stick, and so far there hasn't been any choppiness in recording hd. will continue testing and let you know.
Update: Doesn't help...still happens.

im on cmrc4, using the same sd card that came with the phone it is recording fine

could you try this out
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1025512

just made the changes. video -15000000 and audio -96000. Let me do a few tests.

Is it real or placebo? Would using faster SD card improve phone performance?

I just got an "advertised " centon class 6 card. It seems a little quicker. I can't tell. Anyone can shed some light on this?
Maybe because the card is empty and doesn't have thousands of files on it, like my previous one does, might have something to do with something.

using a faster card will impact the performance slightly. Any time the phone has to go to the SD card to read something (opening apps, pics, videos, etc.), the faster it can read it, the faster it performs.
Is it necessarily noticeable? Probably not.

not a placebo at all, If you had let's say a Class 2 or class 4 sd card and you get a class 6 you can tell the difference.
I changed the stock card for a class 6 and I can tell the diffence as when you view pictures or play music.

For recording and watching video and copying data would benefit from a faster card. With video, you can get studdering if the card can't send and receive data fast enough to keep up with higher bitrates. If you have a card that reads two meg a second and a video that plays at almost four, the card would probably be the bottleneck.

On my old phone (moto backflip). Using aps2sd and swap on the sd card I noticed a difference. I went from the stock card to an 8gb class 6 and then to a 16gb class 10 and noticed a difference each time.
Sent from my PG06100 using XDA App

Nitro3a said:
On my old phone (moto backflip). Using aps2sd and swap on the sd card I noticed a difference. I went from the stock card to an 8gb class 6 and then to a 16gb class 10 and noticed a difference each time.
Sent from my PG06100 using XDA App
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Glad to hear this as I just ordered a 16GB class 10 Patriot card from amazon, was only 35.99 Beats the hell out of my current 4GB class 4

The class of a card is based on write speeds. It could still have bad access speeds which wouldn't do anything to help performance. Random access speed is the spec you care about for stuff other than taking pictures or video. I would look up tests people have done on the card before buying and get one with fast random access speed. There is no easy way to know other than benchmarks people have done. For example I have a 2gb class 2 card that works with a few emulated games(castlevania por in particular) that even a class 6 gives problems. Also it only matters when you are accessing your SD card of course.

I haven't noticed any increase in performance with a faster sd card. The only thing I noticed is a lot better is HD video recording. It can now record HD video without stuttering like before.

Micro Sd Card Camera

Hey I know that the main problem with the Evo camcorder is in how it is encoded and the main restriction holding back the quality is the speed of the sd card. I would like some feedback for those of you who upgraded their sd cards on whether it has had an impact on video recording.
Thanks
currently I have the stock sd card, but I'm considering upgrading if there is a significant difference in video quality

no increase on mine
cl6 16gb

drew16 said:
Hey I know that the main problem with the Evo camcorder is in how it is encoded and the main restriction holding back the quality is the speed of the sd card. I would like some feedback for those of you who upgraded their sd cards on whether it has had an impact on video recording.
Thanks
currently I have the stock sd card, but I'm considering upgrading if there is a significant difference in video quality
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've had two memory cards besides the factory 8GB. One was a Sandisk 16GB Class 2 and the other is a Lexar 32GB Class 10. Video recording on the class 2 cards while panning at a good clip introduces artifacts into each captured frame, and the fps drops considerably. However, with the class 10 card, both of those are reduced significantly. The artifacts are virtually non-existant and the fps slow down only happens when moving the camera really fast.
I would definitely look into getting a class ten. Two cards that people are going with are the Wintec 32GB (avoid the 16GB) and the Lexar 32GB. Check out www.provantage.com for the Lexar card and www.newegg.com for the Wintec one.

I'm using a class 10 16gb, After looking through my videos, I would say there is a small improvement in quality. Mainly in the old videos I noticed every once in a while it would get pixelated, the new ones don't and theres less of a grainy look. One MAJOR thing I want to point out is on the old 8gb class 2 I was using a sense camera now I'm using the asop one in CM7.
I would just go spend the $30 and get a better card, it'll make your life better in every way!

anyone know what the threshold is for sd card classes regarding quality? in other words, besides faster data transfer speeds to another device what is the lowest class # needed to see improvement before its overkill?

TBoner101 said:
anyone know what the threshold is for sd card classes regarding quality? in other words, besides faster data transfer speeds to another device what is the lowest class # needed to see improvement before its overkill?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seems class 10 works well. If I get time at some point I'll try to do a test with similar lighting and such. I have class 2,4(?)6, and 10.
Also one point I want to make is I got my 16gb class 10 on newegg for $30(wintec, it has horrible reviews but mine works fine), but theres a ton of others and check out the accessories forum a lot of times people will post up when they find a deal.
If you just want more speed theres lots of 8gb class 6 for under $15. Micro Sd cards have dropped a whole lot in a short time

Drewmungus said:
Seems class 10 works well. If I get time at some point I'll try to do a test with similar lighting and such. I have class 2,4(?)6, and 10.
Also one point I want to make is I got my 16gb class 10 on newegg for $30(wintec, it has horrible reviews but mine works fine), but theres a ton of others and check out the accessories forum a lot of times people will post up when they find a deal.
If you just want more speed theres lots of 8gb class 6 for under $15. Micro Sd cards have dropped a whole lot in a short time
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i dont care too much for faster data/file transfers to & from a computer as id rather spend the extra money for more storage than on a class 10 when a class 6 improves video recording just as well.
on the other hand, if apps or videos that are installed onto an external class 10 sd perform better than class 6, than itd be worth the upgrade, but im not sure if the phones processing power is the limiting factor or the weakest link, if that makes sense.

any one else care to share their thoughts of say a class 6 vs a class 10. I still have the stock class 2 in both my evos and video quality is very unreliable.
Thanks

Tips to improve camera/camcorder performance.

I) Change the SD card.
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Although Dell's stupid camcorder settings probably should not overload the class 4 card that comes with the phone for the most part, a 720p video I recorded using my Class 10 card has a bitrate of roughly 6MB/S, which is higher than the 4mb/s a class 4 card is supposed to be able to transfer. I changed to a 32GB Sandisk Mobile Ultra Class 10 and there is a noticeable difference in the smoothness of the video recorded. Some lag is still present(In reality the phone records at 23 fps as opposed to the 25fps Dell says it should), but for the most part the video is now acceptable. Maybe a placebo effect, but photos seem to be captured slightly faster.
II)Settings in the Camera.
------------------------------
This makes a HUGE difference in the viewfinder, where it's silky smooth one second and laggy as hell the next. Turn auto-banding on,change the scene mode to sports or something,and if you want change the white balance from automatic to something else.
More tips to be added as I discover them

Great tips! Especially your second point.
Thanks for the info!

Theres a lot of discrepancy as far as choosing the class of memory card for the dvp. Some users say stick with class 4 because its more likely to be accepted with the dvp, some say get class 6 or class 10 due to higher speed. However, is getting a higher class card riskier? I have read online that the phone may get bricked if you use an incompatible card and it is safer to use a class 4... is this true or is getting a class 10 card okay?

My personal experience is that there is no problem with a SANDISK card.(maybe other popular brands too, but Sandisk announced something about Windows phone compatibility, and the stock card is Sandisk too, so it's the best bet)Maybe if you use some cheap-ass no brand card then it won't get recognized, but I don't think you'd entrust your phone and all your valuable information on those. Seriously, get the class 10, it makes a lot of difference in performance and usability.

I got a Transcend working

yeungl said:
I got a Transcend working
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Transcend isn't a "cheap-ass no brand card" but thanks for the info. The thanks button doesn't work for some reason...

SunnyChrono6 said:
Transcend isn't a "cheap-ass no brand card" but thanks for the info. The thanks button doesn't work for some reason...
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Who said it is a cheap-ass no brand card?
The good thing is, it has life time warranty