support decoding the CineForm codec

[dave rice]

I found that ffmpeg can't read CineForm CFHD files.

There are some samples available here: ​http://samples.mplayerhq.hu/V-codecs/CFHD/
I may be able to provide more samples if needed.

ffmpeg -y -i MT_BeartoothHighway_1min_Cineform.avi anything.mp4
ffmpeg version N-34835-g4a9f466 Copyright (c) 2000-2012 the FFmpeg developers
  built on Mar  4 2012 08:53:39 with gcc 4.2.1 (Apple Inc. build 5666) (dot 3)
  configuration: --prefix=/usr/local/Cellar/ffmpeg/HEAD --enable-shared --enable-gpl --enable-version3 --enable-nonfree --enable-hardcoded-tables --enable-libfreetype --cc=/usr/bin/gcc-4.2 --enable-libx264 --enable-libfaac --enable-libmp3lame --enable-libtheora --enable-libvorbis --enable-libvpx --enable-libxvid --enable-libopencore-amrnb --enable-libopencore-amrwb --enable-libass
  libavutil      51. 41.100 / 51. 41.100
  libavcodec     54.  7.100 / 54.  7.100
  libavformat    54.  2.100 / 54.  2.100
  libavdevice    53.  4.100 / 53.  4.100
  libavfilter     2. 63.100 /  2. 63.100
  libswscale      2.  1.100 /  2.  1.100
  libswresample   0.  7.100 /  0.  7.100
  libpostproc    52.  0.100 / 52.  0.100
[avi @ 0x7fb4c201ae00] decoding for stream 0 failed
[avi @ 0x7fb4c201ae00] Could not find codec parameters (Video: none (CFHD / 0x44484643), 1280x720)
Input #0, avi, from 'MT_BeartoothHighway_1min_Cineform.avi':
  Duration: 00:01:01.96, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 16472 kb/s
    Stream #0:0: Video: none (CFHD / 0x44484643), 1280x720, 29.97 fps, 29.97 tbr, 29.97 tbn, 29.97 tbc
    Stream #0:1: Audio: pcm_s16le ([1][0][0][0] / 0x0001), 48000 Hz, 2 channels, s16, 1536 kb/s
Video pixel format is unknown, stream cannot be encoded

[compn]

we need a specification or whitepaper or other info on this codec to speed up development of a decoder.

try contacting cineform , maybe they will share with us?

[leandroprz]

I contacted Cineform support and they replied back:

===========
Thank you for you interest in Cineform. Please would you provide some more details of your project ?
===========

I'm no developer so I don't know what to reply.

[compn]

tell them you want cineform cfhd decoding support in the ffmpeg project.
​http://www.ffmpeg.org
that may answer their questions.

[Ian Kennedy]

FWIW: Cineform is on it's way to becoming a SMPTE standard as "VC5"

​https://kws.smpte.org/apps/group_public/project/details.php?project_id=15

[compn]

someone could try again to get a response back from cineform...

[Elon Musk]

Is there dll somewhere?

[Hendrik]

Replying to richardpl:

Is there dll somewhere?

There is a binary decoder here, for DirectShow/VfW as well as QuickTime (Mac):
​http://cineform.com/gopro-cineform-decoder

[Ridley Combs]

Apparently Cineform has now been adopted as VC-5 by SMPTE; the spec documents are here: ​http://standards.smpte.org/search?fulltext=VC-5&smptes-status=in-force&submit=yes&content-group=smptes&x=0&y=0

[Elon Musk]

I'm not subscribed and I'm not going to pay for spec documents.

[Casey Hancock]

With VR coming down the pipeline, we are looking at the best way of dealing with much higher resolution files efficiently and it seems that for windows, Cineform may be the best way to go when dealing with moving between Adobe and ffmpeg. What is the proper place to try to contribute to VC-5 decoding (any maybe even encoding?) support to be added to avcodec. Also, what is needed to make this happen - I can gather documents and contact people easily enough.

Also, what is necessary to increase the priority for the ticket?

[Elon Musk]

Get specification and contact developers, me for example.

[Elon Musk]

I got specification.

[Kieran Kunhya]

Specification is not very useful, please provide more samples.

[Reto Kromer]

I can provide file examples on Monday.

[Reto Kromer]

Here I up-loaded two short clips: ​http://avpres.net/CineForm/

[Kieran Kunhya]

Thanks, can you document the expected resolution of these files?

[Carl Eugen Hoyos]

bigger_res.mov: 4512x2952
lower_res.mov: 3312x2488
Or do I miss something?

[Kieran Kunhya]

Asking because these files are completely different internally to other CFHD samples I have.

[Carl Eugen Hoyos]

Just guessing: The new files correspond to the VC-5 specification while the files we already had are years old and use another codec (with the same fourcc)?

[Kieran Kunhya]

No files in the wild comply with VC-5 at this time.

[Carl Eugen Hoyos]

So VC-5 is just based on Cineform but different? What fourcc does it use?

[Kieran Kunhya]

VC-5 uses some of the features from Cineform but it's a different codec.
The fourcc's are not standardised yet but I guess it will use "VC-5" or similar.

I get the feeling this is just marketing though with the intent that Cineform can say their codec is standardised but you have to buy their implementation in order to play actual files in the real-world.

[Carl Eugen Hoyos]

Replying to kierank:

VC-5 uses some of the features from Cineform but it's a different codec.
The fourcc's are not standardised yet but I guess it will use "VC-5" or similar.

Thank you for explaining!

I get the feeling this is just marketing though with the intent that Cineform can say their codec is standardised but you have to buy their implementation in order to play actual files in the real-world.

The scandal is apparently that SMPTE allowed to be (ab)used for this marketing gag.

[Kieran Kunhya]

The scandal is apparently that SMPTE allowed to be (ab)used for this marketing gag.

This is normal in SMPTE - AVC-Intra is another example.

[Reto Kromer]

Sorry for stepping in that late!
Yes, it's 4512 x 2952 pixel resp. 3312 x 2488 pixel.
Yes, it's scandalous that SMPTE accepted CineForm/VC-5 as a standard without having to document the format.

[Kieran Kunhya]

Interestingly these files seem to have an internal resolution of a quarter of what they are meant to be. Perhaps they are encoded as quadrants or something.

What pixel format are they (YUV, RGB, ???) - nothing looks correct so far. There appears to be 4 planes though and I don't understand how a film scanner can scan alpha.

[Reto Kromer]

Yes, the sensor has 4 quadrants. Bayer is used. I'll check next week, if I can find the pixel format. The CLI MediaInfo? gives me CFHD; I'll try also a hex dump if you don't haven't yet done it.

[Carl Eugen Hoyos]

Replying to kierank:

What pixel format are they (YUV, RGB, ???) - nothing looks correct so far. There appears to be 4 planes though and I don't understand how a film scanner can scan alpha.

If it is a Bayer format, please look at AV_PIX_FMT_BAYER_BGGR8 and AV_PIX_FMT_BAYER_BGGR16 and their friends. If it is CMYK, you will find a conversion routine in mjpegdec.c. But in any case, if you have a patch that produces a recognizable image with wrong colours (and resolution) please post it, others could improve it.

[Reto Kromer]

It should be RGR. I’ll try to find out more on Monday.

[Reto Kromer]

The packet will be decoded to a 16 bit Bayer space image. A single 16 bit ushort per pixel. Are you deriving the size based off of 4 components per pixel RGBA (4 x 16 bit)? This may be be where you are miscalculating resolution. Information from the CineForm SDK definitions:

Original to encoder

CFHD_PixelFormat = CFHD_PIXEL_FORMAT_BYR4 = FOUR_CHAR_CODE('BYR4')

«RAW» Bayer 16 bits per pixel received by the encoder should also be used as the decoded interpretation.

Compressed

CFHD_PixelFormat = CFHD_PIXEL_FORMAT_CFHD = FOUR_CHAR_CODE('CFHD')

CFHD_EncodedFormat = CFHD_ENCODED_FORMAT_BAYER

CFHD_BayerFormat (Bayer phase) will be one of the following, but can change every frame based on stabilisation

typedef enum CFHD_BayerFormat {
    CFHD_BAYER_FORMAT_UNKNOWN = -1,
    CFHD_BAYER_FORMAT_RED_GRN = 0,
    CFHD_BAYER_FORMAT_GRN_RED = 1,
    CFHD_BAYER_FORMAT_GRN_BLU = 2,
    CFHD_BAYER_FORMAT_BLU_GRN = 3,
} CFHD_BayerFormat;

Hope this helps!

[shekh]

I saved color_709.avi with vfw codec 9.0.5, option "use 709" was on.
I noticed value at offset 203F, it is either 01 (709 off) of 02 (709 on).
Hope this helps.

[v0lt]

On this page there are samples that ffplay not play.
​http://www.siliconimaging.com/DigitalCinema/gallery_footage.html
Not all samples are available, but something can be downloaded.

[stib]

Anyone contacted this guy? Unless I'm reading it wrong, from this post he seems to have reverse-engineered CFHD successfully. ​https://medium.com/@kierank_/reverse-engineering-the-gopro-cineform-codec-7411312bfe1c

[Hendrik]

Cineform is already supported in FFmpeg based on exactly that work. Also, a few months ago the SDK was also officially released.

[Kieran Kunhya]

Most samples work nowadays.