GH4 video judder/strobing - a solution

Hi Andy

I've been trying to solve this problem also; some people say they don't see it at all, some really do see it!  At present I'm at a stalemate with the GH4, I've just bought into it, and I'm stalling - as is the camera.

24fps looks very strobe-y, flickery, judder-y, as if its running at 5 fps (not 24fps).

29.97fps runs like silk, more than could be expected by a 20% increase in frame rate when gauged against the result of 24 (with the same date-rate / second).

I'm thinking that if any professional tries this camera they will see the issue very bluntly.  I'm just about to undertake a job with it, and am really wondering whether it'll be up for the task.

I'm still wondering if it's my brain, or my quad-core Mac hardware / SSD drive, or its just 24fps. Other 24fps footage I'm seeing does seem to also stutter/flicker, BMD4K even, though other seem smooth, even on TV - which is an essential distribution platform.

If this is possibly a decode data rate issue (100Mbps) I wouldn't still be seeing it on transcoded material, even exported lower res files I see it, curious.  My Mac hardware can smoothly deliver the higher 29.97 frame rate - I mean really smoothly, unlike 24fps, perceptually seemingly like 5fps!?

One possible conclusion is the codec which uses motion-compensation to compress footage ... key-frames over long periods - so ugly pulsing is produced in low contrast areas every second or so; here I think that effect has been speeded up - the 'jumps' are every 4 (or so) times a second?

If you keep the camera's view still (no smooth panning), you can just about get away with it, but even I can see the flicker in moving subjects - yes I'm v.critical - but so are audiences.  If there's an issue when panning, it'll be there in static views - but not so obvious (though I can just see it).

TV dramas would freak-out with the footage I'm seeing from this camera.  Yes keep the view stationary and you probably won't notice - as most footage from the GH4 seems to be shot - check it on Vimeo.

What panning/gliding footage there is, seems to be using 29.97fps.  At present I think for some weird reason 24fps has an issue, like the camera's dropping frames from perhaps what it's delivering at an internally higher rate, or **the codec's motion-compensation compression is tuned to a higher frame rate**

Many people are finding this problem, on top spec hardware, we need some solution - even if it's to say - 'you idiot just change this setting to that!' - I and we will thank you wholeheartedly!

Otherwise the GH4 is a v.expensive experiment; and now for my next commissioned project, I'm without a workable camera.

Help! anyone out there who've seen this and solved it?