I recently got a camera setup to shoot VR, and have dived into the expansive and complex world of videography. While I do not yet know what format I will master my files in, I want to at least understand the levers that affect the perceived sharpness of content in order to maximize image quality. I do understand that there are very high bitrates and respective very high file sizes which obviously make handling editing and consumption of content both expensive and technically challenging. This is the reason for applying compressive encoding, but with loss of sharpness. I also understand that device selection for consumption also affects whether or not image sharpness can even be detected. For example, viewing on a Q3, a HEVC encoding is likely perfectly acceptable due to the HMD panel pixel density being poor. On the other hand a HMD like the Varjo Aero, or Pimax Crystal Light, and especially Super, it is obvious that the original master of a film is notably clearer.
To get to what prompted me to ask this question here, SLR made a blog post https://www.sexlikereal.com/blog/574-comparing-bitrate-in-vr-porn-blind-test-with-av1-hevc-master
To my eye Master > AV1 > HEVC. Frankly as compared to a RAW file of over an hour which would be near 1Tb in size at 8k 60p, 50Gb for a Master is totally fine. BUT, most frustrating, they didn't provide what the master was.
I want to know what was the original file from the camera? What is the Master Encoded with? Shot in RAW/Log? What where the encoding settings for AV1/HEVC? What are the technical details of how each file was produced?
Forgive me if my question has been overly complicated. All the options are a bit overwhelming. I will of course do my own tests once the rest of my gear arrives and I can use my own RAW to create an acceptable master.
