Sony A55 hack! It can record 1080p at 48/60fps?
UPDATE: The hacker needs some help: “Do you have any info on where the Alpha Cameras are made? Which plant? Who supplies specific components?” Please contact me if you have the answer. Thanks!
—
As you might know the Panasonic GH1 camera got a lot of attention after beeing hacked (click here to read the DVXuser hacking thread). The hack allows a higher bitrate, third-party battery support, 30min recording removal and many other improvements. Now we have a good news for you. A hacker just sent me an email: “I have had the Sony A55v for about a week. I’m already into the firmware and from years of hacking motherboard/video-card BIOS and Pentax cameras I can tell you the APS-C sensor can shoot MJPEG at 3k resolution at 24p for at least 45 seconds. I’m more interested in 1080p at 48/60 FPS. I’ll tell right now the memory buffer systems in this camera is huge….probably 3-4 times that of the GH1. All I’ve done is break into the code. A proper hack would take months. Thousands of possible settings to adjust. Testing. But you need thousands of people and a big community to support a project like that.”
The hacker wants to know if you would support this project with technical help and financial support. That’s why I added a poll. Please contact me at sonyalpharumors@gmail.com if you can help the hacker. Thanks!
Loading ...
mike_2008
3 years ago |Voiding my warranty for a feature I’d never use? No thanks.
nexusr
3 years ago |I would void that warranty in a heartbeat for a feature I’d never use for anything else than to show off for other interested people. These things are what progresses the camerafunctions we will take for granted tomorrow.
If it werent for people like Vitaly Kiselev we wouldn’t even have cameras today. Big corporations have never progressed anything more than the size of the ceo:s and shareholders wallets…
llama
3 years ago |I don’t believe he has achieved anything interesting with firmware.
1) There isn’t firmware update for A33/55 to start hacking
2) I doubt he could find this by firmware reverse engineering – one needs desordering BGA to do that.
3) You can easily guess that this camera has huge buffer just by reading specs – it can take 10 fps 16 mpix pictures.
4) There are two firmware updates for NEX3/5 cameras, so far we know Sony has protected their software – it is encrypted and decryption is probably done inside camera during uptade.
Pepperoni
3 years ago |The guy would definitely earn the bragging rights with this project.
Personally, I’m not interested in dslr video at this time because even though it may be easy to hack the software, there are too many hardware limitations.
PnP Bios
3 years ago |I’d pay money for a hack that let me do tethered shooting on my nex-5
jazzroy
3 years ago |I second llama, this looks like fake.
If he has any info he can share them on dvxusers or wherevere he wants
asking money without any evidence of your skills/results, without even showing your name, that’s quite odd.
and promising 3k mjpeg..
Steve
3 years ago |The hack info cam from here:
http://scarletwhore.com/?p=1067
A few days ago he posted info about a GH2 hack and Vitaliy has already confirmed it was a hoax. This guy was also booted off the DVXuser forum for bad behaviour. Just take a look at the garbage on his web site. I would recommend not giving him any limelight.
Kerg
3 years ago |You’re absolutely right. This guy is completely talking out of his… you know where. There’s no such thing as ‘Japabinary’ which he seems to imply is a programming language.
Firstly you don’t need thousands of people… quite often you only need one very dedicated person or a handful of talented coders to modify firmware. He’s either hoaxing for fun, wants money, or just doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
john
3 years ago |i found this post of his pretty amusing
http://scarletwhore.com/?p=1000
acolyte
3 years ago |Should this be given an SR rating just to not keep new readers too hopeful/giving this guy too much credit?
Sky_walker
3 years ago |^ Good point
Adi
3 years ago |A33 and A55 can not do 1080p/60. The sensor is not fast enough so no firmware hack can enable this. There is a rumour around that the new sensor used in A77 is faster (more important than the higher pixel count at least for video), so let’s hope it will allow 1080p/60. The problem is that AVCHD does not allow 1080p/60 as it implements only MPEC AVC 4.1 profile (same as Blu-Ray). So if it does will be a nonstandard option ( Panasonic already does this in it’s latest camcorders). This can also enable higher bit rate than24 Mbit/s ( maximum defined by AVCHD).
My oppinion is that it’s time for a revision of AVCHD standard, even if this mean higher specs thab Blu-Ray.
Milos Janata
3 years ago |Yeah, why not raise the bit rate? Pana did 28mbit already with tm700.
btw: Where did u find the information that sensor is not fast enough?
Adi
3 years ago |The info about sensor was more than a half a year ago but I can not find the link. It was about Sony working on new high speed sensors which will enable 1080/60p. It was hoped that this sensor will be included on the new camcorders and cameras but it looks that it’s not the one in NEX or current SLTs cameras.
We know that A77 will have a new sensor, so let’s hope is finaly the fast one.
The bit rate is another story. Bot NEX and A33/55 can do 24 mbs ( Maximum AVCHD) but Sony limits it to 17 mbs (marketing decision). Anything more than 24 mbs is out of AVCHD specs. If Sony will add a 1080p/60 mode which is also out of AVCHD they can also increase the bitrate as is anyway nonstandard. They should just do what Panasonic did, keep the AVCHD structure and container and add the additional mode as an option for whoever wants to use it. Changing the AVCHD to version 2 would be even better because will force the software companies to update the software also, but remember editing 1080p/60 require a high end current PC with a high end CPU ( Core i7) and lots of memory ( at least 8 GB ).
Editing standard AVCHD require a middle of the range desktop now so it’s more consumer friendly.
I think Sony should at least maxout the AVCHD specs ( means adding 24 mbs rate) and add the 1080p/60 option (same as they allow AVCHD and MP4 now for example). I don’t think this will realy hit the camcorder sale, as the use and consumer group is quite different, but for sure give a push on their camera sales.
Milos Janata
3 years ago |I think that they can really gain money by adding those features and even more.
It is enthusiast who promotes camera on every forum and youtube/vimeo, not the amateurish terrible videos. Although I admit that many consumers really can’t even see the difference between jelly interlaced noisy crap and pro-looking material. But they are being educated over the time by using those cameras they buy.
Good video and discussion by enthusiast are best promo for them.
Arthur
3 years ago |Let Sony advance their cameras to their fullest. A900/850 update?
fido
3 years ago |a nice way to loose your warranty…
mike
3 years ago |would take thousands of people working on this to do this?
I doubt thousands of people are going to buy this let alone want to devote anytime to rendering their camera into a expensive paper weight.
Sounds like this guy spends more time reading code than actually shooting video, priority people
Tom
3 years ago |Very interesting.
Could someone hack the alpha 700 firmware, please?
I do not understand why Sony crippled the european firmware by deactivating the grip sensor.
The contacts of the grip sensor may be upgraded easyly, but the EU firmware has no menu to activate the grip sensor. It should be easy to make a patched EU firmware by comparing EU and US/”rest of the world” firmware… but I`m not a programmer…
Froo
3 years ago |See reply below.
Rambits
3 years ago |Could you hack the Sony firmare to release the Asian language menu in Europen Sony alpha products?
Froo
3 years ago |Not true. The european grip sensor is not there, it’s a dummy. The reason is that the grip sensor uses an alloy that’s banned in the EU — IIRC it has to do with too high nickel content.
Froo
3 years ago |Meant as a reply to Tom, of course, sorry!
Francisco
3 years ago |Haters gotta hate I guess. IMO, If the GH1 can be hacked, then so can the A55. I’m pretty sure the hardware is capable of great things, but this hacker should give us something for free first before expecting people to donate their money and time to the project. Just like the original hacker of the GH1 did.
mochapaulo
3 years ago |Be rational, that won’t help but harm even someone is success to hack it getting 1080p /60fps. This is because A33/A55 both suffer from overheat problem. A higher frame rate and bit rate just speed it up. So, let it go.
Zdrobot
3 years ago |Not necessarily. Besides, even 720 / 60p would be welcome.
Milos Janata
3 years ago |Another thing comes into my mind. If they release product as a camera and 3rd parties changes it to powerful camcorder using hack for free…
So the company still pay taxes for the camera and they sell extra because it crush every competitors camera.
They could also sell hardware and software separately.
Sony A55, un hack per registrare video 3k | Sony Alpha News
3 years ago |[...] Via | SonyAlphaRumors [...]
sgts
3 years ago |Its not really hacking – its more like modding.
sony should release the sdk/decrpyt if they want to overtake canikon, people interact with technology now – theyre not passive.
If not sony, then the field is wide open for someone to come in.
acolyte
3 years ago |What you’re requesting is something that’ll never happen from retail corporations. That’s why we need the hackers
Milos Janata
3 years ago |Yes they should.
Let’s call it modding. <- lol my spell checker does not know this word. Too bad.
Chris Marino
3 years ago |How about a hack that doesn’t make it overheat? Or wait…
Catching up | Photo Rumors
3 years ago |[...] Sony a55 hacked to record 1080p at 48/60fps video [...]
هاكر يخترق نظام كاميرا سوني A55- المصور حسين الدغريري | الهوس الضوئي | hosain photo
3 years ago |[...] الفوتوغرافي لتنفيذ مشروعه .. للموافقة يمكنك دعمه من هنا [...]
Peter Wiggins
3 years ago |Wow shooting 3K would be amazing. Is this the first of many DSLR’s shooting more than just 1080p?
How I would love this a a feature in a Canon5D MkIII
Peter
Vanessa
3 years ago |2400×1350 @ 24p http://www.thehdblog.net/2010/10/27/sony-a55-hack-2400×1350-24p/ ?
zzz
3 years ago |Hi. This is a total scam. I wish it was true though.
The source is unreliable:
1. The guy is asking for money, quoting “thousands of dollars”, so you donate for his “hack” and at the end you realize that the only thing that’s been hacked is you.
2. The video looks choppy, it isn’t 60fps.
3. If the video indeed is 60fps, how crappy is that?? It’s fake and fraud.
4. Any post claiming same arguements as given before is being deleted from his video comments on youtube. This just proves the guy’s a phisher.
Do not donate to this scamer.
When he gives us the real hack, then maybe we will pay him.
But for now we need a real hacker who can prove he’s worth our money.
rrtdj
3 years ago |I’m willing donate a few hundreds for this hack. But before I pay anything, I should be able to reproduce this person’s achievements with my own camera.
Maybe to get the necessary amount of donations, he should sell his firmware in its present condition with a promise to upgrade – for $250-300 or so.