iPhone 3G S / 4 HD video camera enhancers released (full source code!)

I've been developing a tool for the iPhone 3G S and the iPhone 4, compatible with all(!) 4.x-series iOS versions (and prolly with 3.x on the 3G S, dunno, haven't checked on 3.x). It lets for the following:

iPhone 3G S:
- vastly enhanced resolution (1080*800 at most) compared to the “stock” VGA one
- in sensor binning mode, vastly superior low-light sensitivity (also in hi-res)
- in all modes (even the stock VGA one), selectable data rate (from 30 kbps to 25 Mbps on iOS versions before 4.3 and up to 1.75 Mbps on 4.3.x)

iPhone 4:
- main advantage: uses the entire sensor surface, resulting in a way wider field-of-view (appr. 31-32mm equiv. vs. the stock appr. 40mm).
- as with the 3G S, two different hi-res modes (one with true 1102*822 at most), each with different strengths and weaknesses
- the hi-res mode with pixel-binning has vastly superior low-light performance

The two apps have exactly the same user interface and are in the same Cydia repo; this is why I'm discussing both in the same post. The Cydia repo is at winmobiletech.com/cy; feel free to experiment with the two packages. You can also check out the source code of both utilities; they're at http://dl.dropbox.com/u/13100693/html/062011iPhone4CameraHack/iP4VCamEnhancer.zip and http://dl.dropbox.com/u/13100693/html/062011iPhone3GSCameraHack/iP43GSCamEnhancer.zip , (iPhone 4 and 3GS) respectively.

What you need to know:

- on the 3G S, the “full sensor” mode works differently on pre-4.3 and 4.3.x OS versions. On the former, there's live view but there's also some “clicking” (lagging), particularly on higher data rates; on the latter, there is NO live view and the focus is firmly set to infinite.

- on both models, “Full sensor” (pixel-binned) modes have far better true resolution than the “1080p” modes.

For more info, you may want to check out the following (warning: long and technical!) articles, in addition to the Help / info screens in the two apps:

iPhone4, first version (without the 1080p option yet; intro to using; full sensor lagging test videos etc): http://www.iphonelife.com/blog/87/yet-another-great-iphone-4-video-camera-hack-me-v11-released-sources
iPhone4, second version (with the 1080p option, with a lot of comparative frame grabs and videos to show the difference between 1080p and Full sensor option): http://www.iphonelife.com/blog/87/how-you-can-make-your-iphone-4-much-more-versatile-video-camera

3G S, last version: differences in “Full sensor” mode between (above-mentioned) iOS versions prior to 4.3 and 4.3.x; problems of Full sensor under these OS versions: http://www.iphonelife.com/blog/87/new-vastly-enhanced-iphone-3g-s-video-recorder-enhancer-released-source-code
3G S, previous version: other plist hacking info: http://www.iphonelife.com/blog/87/v13-iphone-3g-s-video-camera-enhancer-app-released-cleaned-ios-43x-support-full-sources
3G S, original article, with, among other things, a tutorial on using iFile to grant the system plist files global write permissions (this part can be useful for iPhone4 users as well, should my app fail at granting permission!): http://www.iphonelife.com/blog/87/enhancing-video-recording-quality-iphone-3gs-part-i

Again, these articles only need to be read if you want more info and are VERY long and technical. For casual users, probably they aren't worth reading unless you have a specific question. (But it's better to ask your questions here so that you don't end up having to read my looooooooong articles.)

I'd REALLY like to hear your feedback. Over at MacRumors, I've got plenty (see http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1178171 (iPhone4) and http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1178730 (3G S; note that the first half of the thread discusses outdated versions; now, my utility is fully compatible with all iOS versions and in no way messes up anything)). Nevertheless, the more feedback, the better, before finally committing the utilities to a major Cydia repository and writing a beginners' tutorial on using and, if possible, fine-tuning the tools.

 

New version released for both the iPhone 3G S and the iPhone 4. Change description and a LOT of resolution chart shots (both photos and original videos) at http://www.iphonelife.com/blog/87/iphone-3g-s-4-video-camera-enhancement-news . As you can see, I thoroughly examine all the different “hacks” the hacking community has produced.

Feedback is, as usual, more than welcome so that I can finalize the two projects and upload them to a common Cydia repo!

 

New version, with vastly enhanced backup / restore capabilities, released to Cydia (of the iPhone 4 version too). I've elaborated very thoroughly on the backup / restore algorithm. I also present some information on minimizing "clicking" using my live view-less 4.3.x Full Sensor mode by using 1.75 Mbps data rate.

Please see http://www.iphonelife.com/blog/87/ios-programming-making-backup-copies-system-files-and-restoring-them-iphone-3gs-4-video-came for the article. Feedback welcome!

 

I've uploaded new iPhone 4 / 3GS-specific app versions (1.5 / 1.7, respectively) in Cydia. The major change is that I've moved permission setting in an install-time script (and the docs directory removal into uninstall-time one). Now, it doesn't require the root password to be “alpine” as these scripts are run as “root”, not as “mobile” (the restricted user Cydia apps are run). With uninstall-time directory deletion, I've also eliminated the need to manually tap the “Restore Original Configuration” button before uninstallation to remove the docs directory.

Please see http://www.iphonelife.com/blog/87/other-tips-programming-cydia-or-just-system-hacks-new-iphone-3gs4-video-camera-enhancer-tool for more info (warning: highly technical info, mostly for programmers or hackers!)

NOTE: the article has TONS of Cydia-related hacks and tips!