Letterboxed video in 4:3 frame- crop and convert to 16:9?

[gastrof]

Recently I tried to crop out the black bars on a Standard Def letterboxed video (4:3) and convert a it to 16:9.

The results weren't pretty. Burning the video to DVD, the picture quality was tolerable, but pretty much any movement produced short horizontal lines here and there until the movement stopped.

I was using Avidemux to do the cropping and conversion.

I know starting with a letterboxed SD picture and trying to blow it up to true widescreen isn't ideal, but if memory serves I'd managed it with decent results once before.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

[jagabo]

Your source is interlaced. Resizing that requires a deinterlace or inverse telecine before resizing.

[manono]

And if the source is a DVD, DVDRebuilder can convert it to 16:9 properly at the same time keeping it interlaced. But it won't IVTC it and if that's something that can be done, I'd do it manually before reencoding. A short sample might help in figuring out what you have and how best to treat it..

[gastrof]

It was a recording made from TV. Not sure it's something to post anywhere.

Your source is interlaced. Resizing that requires a deinterlace or inverse telecine before resizing.

Can Avidemux do that? Pretty much all I have. Is DVDRebuilder freeware?

[manono]

Is DVDRebuilder freeware?

Yes. If your source is DVD compliant but not a DVD (MPG or some other kind of program stream), it shouldn't be hard to make a DVD from it without reencoding before then feeding it into DVD-RB for the conversion to 16:9.

Can Avidemux do that?

I don't use it but I suppose it can deinterlace it and doubt it can IVTC it. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Not sure it's something to post anywhere.

Even a short 10 second sample?

[poisondeathray]

avidemux has yadif,dgbob,libavdec,kernaldeint available for deinterlacing ; and has decomb telecide, decomb decimate for IVTCing

[gastrof]

Not sure it's something to post anywhere.

Even a short 10 second sample?

It was recorded off TV, a Standard Def channel. That's why it was letterboxed. Not sure it'd be a good idea to post. Not sure how or where to do it anyway.

avidemux has yadif,dgbob,libavdec,kernaldeint available for deinterlacing ; and has decomb telecide, decomb decimate for IVTCing

Problem is, I'm a babe in the woods with regards to this.

I've checked and seen Avidemux does have a number of features having to do with de-interlacing, but have no idea which one to use, if only one will do the job, if two or more need to be combined, etc.

If anyone is willing to take me by the hand and tell me which method (in Avidemux) to use, it will be appreciated. Again, please remember I know NOTHHING about interlacing/de-interlacing.

Thanks for the help so far, and for any further help anyone can give.

[johns0]

It's gonna be too hard to give you anymore help without a short sample.

[gastrof]

It's gonna be too hard to give you anymore help without a short sample.

So you don't know what features from Avidemux's "Interlacing" filters should be used?

[jagabo]

Different source characteristics should be treated differently. To get the best results requires the correct techniques. So giving you specific instructions requires a sample. If you just want something fast and crappy use any of the deinterlace filters.

[gastrof]

Different source characteristics should be treated differently. To get the best results requires the correct techniques. So giving you specific instructions requires a sample. If you just want something fast and crappy use any of the deinterlace filters.

Well, since I don't even know where to post a sample, let alone safely, I'll try one filter that uses 'just the top', and see how that goes.

Still appreciate the efforts to help. Thanks guys. Will let you know what comes out of this, if anything.

[jagabo]

You can post samples directly to this forum. Look below these posts at the Quick Reply box. Below that is a button that reads "Upload files/Manage attachments". You can upload video samples up to 500 MB. A 10 second clip with moderate motion is sufficient.