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ZRAW source code is now published
  • storyboardcreativitystoryboardcreativity

    ZRAW decoder clone source code is now published and can be used anywhere you want.

    It supports new ZRAW versions (extracts pure HEVC bitstream without reencoding) and old ZRAW versions (reconstructs Bayer CFA).

    Code is very draft, but it works.

    https://github.com/storyboardcreativity/ZRAW-Parser

  • 8 Replies sorted by
  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    @storyboardcreativity

    Thanks for info.

    Do you know any update how are they doing concerning chips for ZCAM-s?

    I asked some of the dealers and they still use only main chip that is no longer produced for around one year.

  • storyboardcreativitystoryboardcreativity

    @Vitaliy_Kiselev

    I don't have any info about chip replacement. But in my opinion they will soon stop E2 flagship production (no reason to keep E2 support so long, they need to make a new camera). It's better for them to make a new camera on a new base + fix mistakes they've made with E2 cameras (poor soft, bad ZRAW codec, VERY POOR protection, leaked debug information in releases and many other things).

    Even more, I've researched that they prepared changing ZRAW to HEVC at the very beginning (I've found this code in v0.88, but it was disabled). This means, they knew that some day they would have to do it.

    And this made me to search more info about old ZRAW codec. In leaked HiSilicon documents for Hi3559A I've found info that this chip supports hardware line-compression for RAW. Than I've checked - yes, Z CAM did not make ZRAW (it's just a label). ZRAW was just HiSilicon's line-compressor. That's why it's so primitive. Z CAM had no chance to make any other RAW implementation on E2 flagship, because they are bound by their not very good SoC choise (maybe at start they did not have plans to make cameras with 8K resolution and high framerates).

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    @storyboardcreativity

    Well, their main chip was made for action and industrial cameras and had been extremely low cost.

    Most of their team is from people who before ZCAM made cheap bad action cameras using Ambarella LSI.

    ZRAW compression using chip is normal thing as it is very weak and ARM part won't be able to compress stuff.

  • storyboardcreativitystoryboardcreativity

    @Vitaliy_Kiselev

    They could use Mali GPU to do smth like wavelets (for example, smth like Cineform RAW). I have a draft prototype, that reaches ~25 fps 4K wavelet RAW compression on my E2, but without some steps (that can be done on ARM).

    And Hi3559AV100 has 3 CPUs on board (Dual-core A73, Dual-core A53 and an additional A53 CPU) + Programmable Quad-core DSP (700 MHz) + Mali G71 - seems not so weak.

    Z CAM just were lazy and did not try to do anything with RAW at all.

  • storyboardcreativitystoryboardcreativity

    @Vitaliy_Kiselev can you give me a link to the RED RAW patent? I want to read it

  • ChrisSjolinChrisSjolin

    https://patents.google.com/patent/US8872933B2/en

  • ChrisSjolinChrisSjolin

    @storyboardcreativity can you comment on the HEVC profile that Zcam used for their 'ZRAW'?

    Is it 12-bit 4:4:4? Is it All-Intra?

    Seems like the most usefull thing to do with your decoder is actualy just to decrypt the files so that they can be used in Resolve.

  • storyboardcreativitystoryboardcreativity

    @ChrisSjolin converter is released, you can extract HEVC bitstream and check it

    https://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/26554/z-cam-e2-zraw-to-dng-converter-alpha-version-released

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