[For Users Of 120Hz Monitors] Player Tests on World's First 120fps Web Embedded Video

[Mark Rejhon]

Here's what we believe to be the world's First Web-Embedded 120fps Video!

With my help, Hypermatrix of 120hz.net has successfully created full screen video game play recordings at 120 frames per second! Via an SSD RAID and Geforce Titan's, the system managed to record 120 frames per second uncompressed, and then converted into an MP4 afterwards. Via this forum thread collaboration (http://120hz.net/showthread.php?3115-SUCCESS-Web-based-120fps-video-in-REAL-TIME!) between myself and Hypermatrix, we have successfully created the world's first publicly released 120 frame per second game play recording! ... This is a true high frame rate 120fps video in real time, not 30fps and not 60fps, and not slo-mo, but real-time.

Battlefield 3 video game recording, 28 seconds, 1920x1080p at 120fps, H.264 video (http://www.blurbusters.com/hfr-120fps-video-game-recording/)
8 Mbps version at 30MB download
25 Mbps version at 100MB download

You must be using a 120hz monitor (http://www.blurbusters.com/faq/120hz-monitors/) to play these video files at a full 120 frames per second. Tested Players on Geforce GTX 680 in Windows 8 on a 120Hz monitor:

120fps Game Play Video (http://www.blurbusters.com/hfr-120fps-video-game-recording/)
(MUST have a 120Hz monitor. Looks like live graphics, looks as if you have a Geforce Titan, doesn't look like a video when playing full screen)

Quotes from other 120Hz monitor users:I just watched it, and it was amazing, I've never seen such fluid motion in video form on a browser!
Looks amazing, excellent fluidity and smoothness; good job md! :thumb:
Sweet Jeebus, this looks incredible.

Great work as always Mark. That video looks wonderfully smooth! Death to 60 Hz!

[Mark Rejhon]

Test Your Player At 120fps On 120Hz

I'd like to hear about other software players that are successful able to smoothly play back 120Hz videos on a 120Hz monitor (http://www.blurbusters.com/faq/120hz-monitors/). And make sure that any video player creators (reading this) are making sure their players are capable of playing 120fps smoothly.

Player Tests

Web Browsers:

-- SUCCESS: <EMBED> / <VIDEO> Internet Explorer 10; perfect playback (but let it buffer first)
-- SUCCESS: <EMBED> / <VIDEO> FireFox 24+ Beta; usually smooth playback
-- SUCCESS: <EMBED> / <VIDEO> (partial) Google Chrome; sometimes pauses, sometimes perfect. Wait for buffering.
-- UNTESTED: Safari
-- FAIL: Opera

Software players:

-- SUCCESS: Media Player Classic Home Cinema; perfect playback
-- SUCCESS: Windows Media Player; usually smooth playback
-- FAIL: VLC Media Player (stutters super badly!)

[beter]

Test Your Player At 120fps On 120Hz

I'd like to hear about other software players that are successful able to smoothly play back 120Hz videos on a 120Hz monitor (http://www.blurbusters.com/faq/120hz-monitors/). And make sure that any video player creators (reading this) are making sure their players are capable of playing 120fps smoothly.

Player Tests

Web Browsers:

-- SUCCESS: <EMBED> / <VIDEO> Internet Explorer 10; perfect playback (but let it buffer first)
-- SUCCESS: <EMBED> / <VIDEO> FireFox 24+ Beta; usually smooth playback
-- SUCCESS: <EMBED> / <VIDEO> (partial) Google Chrome; sometimes pauses, sometimes perfect. Wait for buffering.
-- UNTESTED: Safari
-- FAIL: Opera

Software players:

-- SUCCESS: Media Player Classic Home Cinema; perfect playback
-- SUCCESS: Windows Media Player; usually smooth playback
-- FAIL: VLC Media Player (stutters super badly!)

Opera doesn't support H.264.
it fails of course.

[aufkrawall]

What's so exciting about this?
With DX10/11 games even Fraps recording doesn't eat extremely much performance and no need for a SSD raid then.
In the future it will be even less demanding with ShadowPlay.

[Reino]

Nice video quality, although better x264 settings could've been used imo, but what's with the extreme low volume mono audio streams? What did you use to record? Surely neither of such programs records in mono with extreme low volume.

ffmpeg.exe -i bf.mp4
...
Input #0, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from 'D:\Video\Game movies\bf.mp4':
Metadata:
major_brand : mp42
minor_version : 0
compatible_brands: mp42isomavc1
creation_time : 2013-08-23 06:51:40
encoder : HandBrake 0.9.9 2013052900
Duration: 00:00:28.65, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 30163 kb/s
Stream #0:0(und): Video: h264 (High) (avc1 / 0x31637661), yuv420p, 1920x1080 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9],
29917 kb/s, 120 fps, 120 tbr, 90k tbn, 240 tbc (default)
Metadata:
creation_time : 2013-08-23 06:51:40
Stream #0:1(und): Audio: aac (mp4a / 0x6134706D), 48000 Hz, mono, fltp, 160 kb/s (default)
Metadata:
creation_time : 2013-08-23 06:51:40
Stream #0:2(und): Audio: ac3 (ac-3 / 0x332D6361), 48000 Hz, mono, fltp, 96 kb/s
Metadata:
creation_time : 2013-08-23 06:51:40

[Mark Rejhon]

Nice video quality, although better x264 settings could've been used imoThe low bitrate version is the one embedded, download the 100MB high quality version if you want to see improved quality.

but what's with the extreme low volume mono audio streams? What did you use to record? Surely neither of such programs records in mono with extreme low volume.Hypermatrix accidentally used the wrong audio settings for audio, so you need to raise/equalize the volume. But we spent so much time trying to get the right settings, so he decided to release the video as-is.

Here’s the info:

1. Recording:
For 1920x1080p at 120fps uncompressed, you need SSD RAID 0 or a RAM drive including overhead room. A pair of 128GB SSD’s capable of >500MBytes/sec can be had for under $200. Alternatively, a computer with 16GB RAM can easily give you a 12GB RAM drive (as a temporary drive letter). Uncompressed recording is best for raw footage, or the CPU/GPU caused by realtime compression will slow down the videogame to less than 120fps.

2. Processing:
Hypermatrix says: “Encoded using Handbrake and x264 codec. The 100mb file was at 30mbps, constant framerate, “slow” encoding speed, h264 profile set to “high” and level set to 5.1. For the second file which comes in at around 30MB, it was at 10mbps, constant framerate, “placebo” encoding speed, double pass, h264 profile at “Main” and h264 level 4.0.”

[Mark Rejhon]

With DX10/11 games even Fraps recording doesn't eat extremely much performance and no need for a SSD raid then.At lower resolutions, yes.

However, 1920x1080 at 120 frames per second is a DIFFERENT BALLGAME. Uncompressed is approximately 750 megabytes per second. That doesn't fit over a single SATA link. Even adding a little bit of light compression or decimating to 4:2:2, to try to get it within a single SATA link, it's going to choke. This isn't YouTube recordings, or 720p recordings. This is full HD 1080p@120fps recordings, WHILE the game simultaneously runs with ZERO framedrops at full 120fps@120Hz. Zero framedrops -- not 119fps@120Hz. Full 120fps@120Hz, while being recorded. I bet your system can't do that on a sustained basis without a RAMdrive or a 2-SSD RAID0 or a PCI SSD. Prove me wrong, please.

Fortunately a SSD RAID0 can be had for just under ~$200, /or/ having a 16GB RAM drive (for recording a short gameplay clip) isn't that terribly expensive.

[edison]

What capture card are you using ?

[Reino]

Nice video quality, although better x264 settings could've been used imoThe low bitrate version is the one embedded, download the 100MB high quality version if you want to see improved quality.I was actually talking about the 100MB version.

For anyone interested:

bf.mp4.bat
ffmpeg.exe -i bf.mp4 -c:v libx264 -preset slow -level 4.1 -b:v 3072k -bf 8 -refs 8
-me_range 24 -subq 9 -trellis 2 -r 60 -vf scale=960:540 -pass 1 -an -f matroska -y NUL && \
ffmpeg.exe -i bf.mp4 -c:v libx264 -preset slow -level 4.1 -b:v 3072k -bf 8 -refs 8
-me_range 24 -subq 9 -trellis 2 -r 60 -vf scale=960:540 -pass 2 -map 0:0 -c:a libvorbis
-filter_complex "[0:1][0:2]amerge,volume=30.7[out]" -map [out]0:1 bf_½hd-amerge-muxed.mkvTo merge both mono tracks into 1 stereo track, boost the volume, encode the video to 540p@60fps (my videocard doesn't support 1080p@120fps) and mux everything together.

Or...
bf.mp4-amerge.bat
ffmpeg.exe -i bf.mp4 -c:v copy -map 0:0 -c:a libvorbis -filter_complex
"[0:1][0:2]amerge,volume=30.7[out]" -map [out]0:1 bf_amerge-muxed.mkvto leave the video-stream untouched.

For the second file which comes in at around 30MB, it was at 10mbps, constant framerate, “placebo” encoding speed, double pass, h264 profile at “Main” and h264 level 4.0.”Since you need level 5.1 for 1080p@120fps (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H.264/MPEG-4_AVC#Levels), I'm amazed level 4.0 also works (at least with LAV Filters).

[nevcairiel]

Since you need level 5.1 for 1080p@120fps (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H.264/MPEG-4_AVC#Levels), I'm amazed level 4.0 also works (at least with LAV Filters).

Software decoders don't generally validate levels, they just decode the stuff, since they have no real limitations. :)
Hardware decoders may use the levels to check if the stream is compatible with their hardware.

[Reino]

I don't have a 120Hz monitor, but playing bf1.mp4 with LAV/MPC VD (DXVA2 at 60Hz) seems to work fine too, although level 4.0 supports 1080p@30.1fps max. Guess not all hardware decoders are that strict.

[STaRGaZeR]

Rockin' a 120Hz here :)

I don't need an expensive raid setup to record at 1050p120 in games like TF2, a simple Intel SSD 330 is enough. For steady 120fps in BF3 you certainly need more GPU power than I have.

[aufkrawall]

You need especially CPU power for BF3.
For Fraps YV12 120fps a Samsung 830 SSD works well here too. Maybe I will try a 120fps Grid 2 capture tomorrow.

[Reino]

bf.mp4.bat
...Because using ffmpeg for this was also a learning process for me, I'd like to revise that code to:
ffmpeg.exe -i bf.mp4 -filter_complex "[0:1]volume=30.7[a1];[0:2]volume=31.0[a2];[a1][a2]amerge[a]" ^
-map 0:v -map [a] -vf "framestep=2,scale=flags=spline:s=960x540" -c:v libx264 -preset slower ^
-level 4.1 -crf 21 -bf 8 -me_range 24 -c:a libvorbis -qscale:a 2 bf_qHD.mkv
- boost volume* of both mono tracks separately and merge them to one stereo track
- specify input-streams in output order
- convert framerate to 60fps (framestep=2 = SelectEven() (AviSynth), while -r 60 and -vf "fps=60" are not)
- resize to qHD (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphics_display_resolution#qHD_.28960.C3.97540.29) using spline algorithm
- x264-settings, followed by vorbis-settings

*to find out the amount of dB to boost the volume with:
ffmpeg.exe -i bf.mp4 -map 0:1 -af volumedetect -f null NUL && ^
ffmpeg.exe -i bf.mp4 -map 0:2 -af volumedetect -f null NUL

[mdrejhon]

Interestingly,

VLC plays 120fps videos on Radeon's better than Geforces's, for some strange reason. So my recommendation has been changed:

MPC-HC -- plays 120fps files smoothly on GeForce, but badly on Radeon
VLC -- play 120fps files smoothly on Radeon, but badly on GeForce

120Hz users, please test both players out, and see if your observations agree with mine.