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YouTube videos on habitats, Peru, IBWO, 4K, etc. (1 Viewer)

fishcrow

Well-known member
As discussed below, I have updated three bird related video playlists on YouTube. Some of the videos were posted previously in 1080p, but they have now been upgraded to 4K. I wasn't aware until recently that the difference between 1080p and 4K on YouTube is more than just the number of pixels. Videos that are uploaded in 4K are re-encoded using VP9, which is much better than the AVC encoder that is applied to 1080p uploads. There can be substantial differences for videos that show vegetation and motion, which often turn out blurry in 1080p but appear sharp in 4K.

I would like to share some information (learned the hard way) that might be useful to others who are interested in posting and viewing 4K videos. First of all, there is misleading information out there. Someone reported that videos must be uploaded in mp4 format rather than mov format in order to qualify for VP9 encoding. For my videos, this would have meant spending many hours converting from mov to mp4. Fortunately, I discovered (by trial and error) that at least some mov files (such as those captured by DJI Phantom drones) qualify for VP9 encoding.

Another possible source of confusion is that some combinations of browers and operating systems don't support 4K videos. I made several attempts to upload 4K videos, but I didn't see the 4K option when viewing with Safari on my computer. All that I could see was a blurry 1080p version that was encoded with AVC. While trying to sort this out, I uploaded one of the videos in mp4, but it still didn't seem to work. By chance, I happened to view one of the attempts with Chrome, and there was the 4K option in the little wheel at the bottom. When viewing a video on YouTube, you can check the encoding by right clicking on the picture and selecting "Stats for nerds." The codec will begin with avc or vp09.

Mike Collins
Alexandria, Virginia, USA

--

Manu Park in Peru (2019): On this trip, I took (1) a DJI Phantom 4 Pro drone to obtain video footage of cloud forest and jungle habitats from above, (2) a Sony PCM-D100 to obtain audio recordings, and (3) a Sony FDR-AX53 video camera to obtain 4K footage of birds and other wildlife. I spent much of the trip at Amazonia Lodge, which I had visited briefly on a previous trip and would highly recommend. Some of the videos show Amazonia and the surrounding habitats. I placed the audio recorder in locations far from human disturbances and used this high-quality device to obtain recordings with lots of avian sounds, including the multiple knocks of a Campephilus woodpecker.

Ivory-billed Woodpecker Habitat from a Drone: Most of these videos are from sites in the Pearl River swamp in Louisiana and the Choctawhatchee River swamp in Florida, where Ivory-billed Woodpeckers were observed between 2005 and 2008. Some of them were obtained in other swamp forests that have similar habitats.

Conservation of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker: If you're interested in learning about the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, the lectures in this playlist (and in papers that may be accessed at fishcrow.com) contain more information about the flights and double knocks of this fascinating bird than any other source. James Tanner was given the opportunity to study Ivory-billed Woodpeckers at the last known nest sites, but his descriptions lack details, and I'm sure that he didn't understand the mechanics of double knocks. As discussed in the lectures and in this paper, there is a great deal of nonsense about the Ivory-billed Woodpecker out there. The information that I have laid out is based on ten sightings, videos that were obtained during three of the encounters, and analysis of the flights and other behaviors that appear in the videos in terms of comparisons with historical accounts, flight mechanics models, and the flights and behaviors of other Campephilus woodpeckers.
 
I used to live in Peru. There used to be a Harpy’s nest downriver from Boca Manu near Blanquillo. Worth seeing if you visit the area again. Impressive birds. Thanks for the tech advice on uploads.
 
As discussed below, I have updated three bird related video playlists on YouTube. Some of the videos were posted previously in 1080p, but they have now been upgraded to 4K. I wasn't aware until recently that the difference between 1080p and 4K on YouTube is more than just the number of pixels. Videos that are uploaded in 4K are re-encoded using VP9, which is much better than the AVC encoder that is applied to 1080p uploads. There can be substantial differences for videos that show vegetation and motion, which often turn out blurry in 1080p but appear sharp in 4K.

I would like to share some information (learned the hard way) that might be useful to others who are interested in posting and viewing 4K videos. First of all, there is misleading information out there. Someone reported that videos must be uploaded in mp4 format rather than mov format in order to qualify for VP9 encoding. For my videos, this would have meant spending many hours converting from mov to mp4. Fortunately, I discovered (by trial and error) that at least some mov files (such as those captured by DJI Phantom drones) qualify for VP9 encoding.

Another possible source of confusion is that some combinations of browers and operating systems don't support 4K videos. I made several attempts to upload 4K videos, but I didn't see the 4K option when viewing with Safari on my computer. All that I could see was a blurry 1080p version that was encoded with AVC. While trying to sort this out, I uploaded one of the videos in mp4, but it still didn't seem to work. By chance, I happened to view one of the attempts with Chrome, and there was the 4K option in the little wheel at the bottom. When viewing a video on YouTube, you can check the encoding by right clicking on the picture and selecting "Stats for nerds." The codec will begin with avc or vp09.

Mike Collins
Alexandria, Virginia, USA

--

Manu Park in Peru (2019): On this trip, I took (1) a DJI Phantom 4 Pro drone to obtain video footage of cloud forest and jungle habitats from above, (2) a Sony PCM-D100 to obtain audio recordings, and (3) a Sony FDR-AX53 video camera to obtain 4K footage of birds and other wildlife. I spent much of the trip at Amazonia Lodge, which I had visited briefly on a previous trip and would highly recommend. Some of the videos show Amazonia and the surrounding habitats. I placed the audio recorder in locations far from human disturbances and used this high-quality device to obtain recordings with lots of avian sounds, including the multiple knocks of a Campephilus woodpecker.

Ivory-billed Woodpecker Habitat from a Drone: Most of these videos are from sites in the Pearl River swamp in Louisiana and the Choctawhatchee River swamp in Florida, where Ivory-billed Woodpeckers were observed between 2005 and 2008. Some of them were obtained in other swamp forests that have similar habitats.

Conservation of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker: If you're interested in learning about the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, the lectures in this playlist (and in papers that may be accessed at fishcrow.com) contain more information about the flights and double knocks of this fascinating bird than any other source. James Tanner was given the opportunity to study Ivory-billed Woodpeckers at the last known nest sites, but his descriptions lack details, and I'm sure that he didn't understand the mechanics of double knocks. As discussed in the lectures and in this paper, there is a great deal of nonsense about the Ivory-billed Woodpecker out there. The information that I have laid out is based on ten sightings, videos that were obtained during three of the encounters, and analysis of the flights and other behaviors that appear in the videos in terms of comparisons with historical accounts, flight mechanics models, and the flights and behaviors of other Campephilus woodpeckers.
Hi Mike. Good post. I'd like to mention some helpful things.

1. The drone research is promising. I too was bewildered (researching head-mounted action cams) with conversions from and to 4K. A simple answer here, for me at least, with resolution and clarity is that optical zoom is clearly better than digital zoom. Slide 34 of this presentation shows the difference at 100 yards--


This is not exactly an answer to the ideas you mention about 4K conversion, but the basic question is clarity of an IB image. You and I both know that if you get a definitive video, it will be examined on more than Youtube!

2. You are leading the way, as far as I know, with drone application for the IB. I would hope that you are offered new information, as it changes, on hotspots to deploy this intelligently. I also feel that you should train others, almost like you would be teaching a university-level Ivory-Billed class, to utilize this method. I am beginning talks with professionals on satellite imagery (successful with albatross), but am seeing limits at this time. I am also inquiring about cameras on Pileated Woodpeckers-- again preliminary.

3. I agree with and understand the basis of your DK kinetics work on what I call resonance (hope I am not mis-using the word in a math sense). It truly makes me wonder about the Cornell-published idea that a substantial percentage of DKs seem to have the first knock softer. I understand this as controlled damping? But I am asking here if this seems correct. It certainly seems to have been observed.

4. I thought you would like to see, in the slideshow above, slide 15, a workup I did concerning patterns of putative DKs. The data points are 150, and there seems to be a pattern. The suggestion from the data might be useful for searching. I'm curious as to your hypothesis. The page had references, mainly Dan Mennill's, but copy-paste was not good from the original, and for some reason I cannot attach it here.

5. The attached image is a still from a video take by a Scopecam Lite. The far stop sign is at 226 meters, and has good clarity. I will be testing it soon with an IB model, at the 128 meters you mention for your bird in the Pearl, and comparing images with what you obtained. I am hoping to build on two important ideas you have stated-- that a camera has to be easily aimed and on (paddle-mount), and that video is better (and easier) than still images.

6. Finally, you should see that I used your equation in the slideshow-- slides 26 and 27. The equation is important to work from.

John Williams
[email protected]
 

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