How to Enable 720p HD Video Recording on iPhone 3GS! [Updated for iOS 4.3.3]

by Jawwad in Guides, iPhone, Mobile | 12 comments


iphoneHD | How to Enable 720p HD Video Recording on iPhone 3GS! [Updated for iOS 4.3.3]Traditionally iPhone 3GS video recording capability is limited to VGA 640×480 resolution, although 5.0 MP image sensor installed on the iPhone 3GS supports much higher capability. 720p high definition recording is something that is reserved for the newer generation iPhone 4. Thanks to a clever hack it is actually possible to enable HD recording on the iPhone 3GS. I am sure some you might be thinking that is not something new because this tweak has been known for quite some time. However, the original tweak was only working till iOS 4.2.x. As users started to migrate to the newer iOS 4.3.x releases, they noticed that tweak don’t work anymore. But now it seems that the same tweak with some minor modifications can be used to enable the HD recording on the iPhone 3GS even on iOS 4.3.3 (or 4.3.2)! I have personally tested this tweak, and I can confirm that this tweak does work on iPhone 3GS iOS 4.3.3 and improvement in quality is also noticeable!

Take a look at the sample video taken using an iPhone 3GS with HD video hack enabled:

Here is the guide to enable the HD recording. Note that basically you have two choices either you can enable the 720p (1280×720) mode, or 1080×800 mode.  Actually, I suggest to enable the second mode since iPhone 3GS originally support 4/3 aspect ratio and this mode will not squash your video output. As bonus this tweak will also double the encoding bitrate of the recorded video to give much higher video quality! So, these things aside lets move to the actual procedure:

First download the HDVideo3GS 4.3.2 Awesome .zip file and extract the contents.

Step 1. First Jailbreak your device and install afc2 from Cydia. If you are not sure how to jailbreak follow any of our latest guides in the jailbreaking section.
Step 2. Now download the iPhoneBrowser from http://code.google.com/p/iphonebrowser/. You can also use iPhone Explorer or any other similar browser that provides file system access to the iPhone through USB. You can even use SSH to connect to the device (then you don’t need step 3).
Step 3. Connect your phone to the computer via USB cable.
Step 4. Browser to /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/Celestial.framework/N88/
Step 5. Replace the 4 plist files from the HD folder in HDVideo3GS 4.3.2 Awesome .zip file.
Step 6. Decide if you want 720X1280 0r 800×1080 and browser to /System/Library/Frameworks/AVFoundation.framework/N88 and overwrite the AVCaptureSessions.plist
Step 7. Respring your iPhone 3GS.

Step 8. Enjoy the HD video recording on your iPhone 3GS!

[Thanks to azharhamzahya and blog.mikepan.com]

Tagged as: camera, camera features, guides, iphone, jailbreak, jailbreaking, mobile, video

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  • Jerry

    I dont understand it! :( On Step 5, what does it mean by “Replace” There is no replace button, Also im usinf iPhonebrowser, and i go to “Replace File” what do i replace it with? Im completely lost, Can you please make a video or something? Thank you so much !

  • wert

    this is 720p all right. but no real 16:9. the proportions are wrong. the sensor is 4:3 so, you have to capture 720×960 using sensor size that is also in 4:3 ratio

  • Werner Ruotsalainen

    I’ve played a lot with hacks and have written a Cydia app for both iPhone 3GS (all 4.x versions – yes, 4.3.x too!) and iPhone 4. Posted a full summary on all these to howardforums.com/showthread.php/1723145-iPhone-3G-S-4-HD-video-camera-enhancers-released-(full-source-code!) . (Sorry, non-clickable link, you’ll need to copy/paste – I’d like to receive feedback ASAP and, consequently, don’t want to wait for the moderation.)

  • Werner Ruotsalainen

    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 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!

  • Werner Ruotsalainen

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

  • Werner Ruotsalainen

    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!)

  • Ali Nouman

    whats the password of the zip folder ?

  • MZ

    @Werner Ruotsalainen
    Sound like a great tweak. You wrote you uploaded it to the common Cydia store? Can you tell me the name of the tweak?
    I’m getting lost in the tons of tweaks on Cydia.

  • http://www.tousgeeks.com Hamza

    what about iOS 5, please please please !!!

  • vokaber1

    can anyone confirm if this works on 4.3.5 firmware… please and thank you!!

  • Vokab1

    It does work on 4.3.5 firmware!!! Soooo dope, thanks to the dev’s and hackers behind this tweak!!

  • Sandeep

    works on 6.1.2 also…Thnx

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