JVC .TOD Files, MPEG2 and Deinterlacing

[Cralis]

Hi guys,

I have Pinnacle Studio 12 (Getting 14, I hope one day). I record video in two different ways. Most is recorded on a HDD Digital recorder, which records to a hard disk, at 640*480 (I think) MPEG2. This records my FPV videos. FPV is where you have a video camera (small spy style one) on a remoet controlled plane, transmitting the video down to my ground station, and I fly the plane using goggles.

Here's an example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmUGqRW_BQ8

The second method is using my JVC Evario HDD based HD video camera. It records in a .TOD format. My research on the camera was poor, and if I'd known it wasn't a mainstream format, I'd never have got the camera 18 months back - but I did. Pinnacle does seem to support .TOD files though, so it's not too bad.

Here's an example from that camera.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffAeUH-epyk

Both are horribly interlaced. In Pinnacle, I selected the 'De-Interlace (Odd field, Bilinear)' option, but that didn't have much effect. Also, it crashes when it tries to apply the effect to my .TOD files. Doesn't crash on the MPEG2 files, but also didn't make a difference.

Could anyone suggest a method for me to achieve higher quality video? I am not a company, or a pro, or a profit maker... so, the cheaper, the better. A 'batch convert' for the .TOD to MPEG2 would maybe be a start?

Hopefully someone can assist me.

Thanks,
Craig
(Brisbane, Australia)

[lordsmurf]

Open that first one in VirtualDub, use DEINTERLACE AREA-BASED filter on it, export as AVI. Can Pinnacle 12 import HuffYUV codec? If so, use that one to export from Vdub.

I actually don't see any issues in the last one. Standard blurring, not interlace or drop-frame deinterlace. If could be done better, same above method, but not sure about importing TOD. A TOD has to be something else probably MPEG, meaning the above method WILL work.

You can maybe exclude Pinnacle altogether.

I'd pre-edit the MPEG in Womble MPEG Video Wizard. Low cost software, about $35.

And then convert to deinterlaced AVI from that.

Convert to MP4 in something. This is where I use high-end expensive pro software. Maybe find one of those GUI's for x264, and encode with it. It's free. https://www.videohelp.com/tools/Leimings_x264_GUI

I use to advise somebody that sold DVDs about planes. I don't remember if he built them or what. 8)

[Cralis]

Thanks for that!

I tried VirtualDub, but after 20 seconds of video (Added a deinterlace filter, and then clicked 'Save AVI', the file size was close to 2 gig! That was 20 seconds. Is there a way to reduce that, drastically, without removing too much quality?

[lordsmurf]

You didn't select an export codec, it was saving as uncompressed video, about 75GB/hour. You'll need to export as HuffYUV and re-encode to a final format, or frameserve from VirtualDub to an encoder that accepts frameserved source.

[jagabo]

I actually don't see any issues in the last one. Standard blurring, not interlace or drop-frame deinterlace.

Looks like blend deinterlaced to me (or just a big resize without paying attention to interlacing):

[lordsmurf]

Your footage is so shaky it's really hard to tell.

[Cralis]

Thanks guys - the ground footage is indeed shaky. Not sure how to resolve that... besides getting a better cameraman! The footage from the plane is less fixable. It's not a stable platform. Without any wind, it'd be a bit better. I'm also getting some gyros to try dampen out any bumps... but it's not going to be steady-cam stable though.

I managed to deinterlace the MPG2 files using VIrtualDub, and also, store it in a more compressed format. Happier with that.

VirtualDub doesn't like my .TOD files though.... Is there a tool to do a .TOD -> MPG2/AVI conversion? I tried a tool called AVS4YOU - but although it managed to convert the video to MPG2, the video seemed like it went down to 15 fps or something. Seemed very jerky... Can anyone advise?

[jagabo]

Try opening your TOD files with DgIndex. Then you can open them indirectly in VirtualDub via AviSynth and Mpeg2Source().

[Cralis]

*bang*

That was the sound of my head exploding trying to work that out. I'm just very very novice with video editing... So, download dgindex... and somehow, Avisynth and virtualdub will detect it or something?

[jagabo]

Install AviSynth and DGMPGDec. Then open your TOD file with DgIndex (part of the DGMPGDec package). I'm pretty sure that will work. Save Project in DgIndex. That will create a D2V index file. You then create an AviSynth script (WHATEVER.AVS) with notepad and enter the following commands:

Mpeg2Source("FILENAME.D2V")

Then open WHATEVER.AVS with VirtualDub as if it was a video file.

Another possiblity, if Windows Media Player can play your TOD file, is to use AviSynth's DirectShowSource() to open the TOD file:

DirectShowSource("FILENAME.TOD")

Then open that AVS script with VirtualDub.

[Cralis]

Thanks sir! I'm going to give it a bash quick.
(And Windows Media Player doesn't play .TOD...)

[Cralis]

OK, I did all the steps, but... when I open my script file with the

I get:

'Mpeg2Source not found'

Have I missed something?

[jagabo]

I think that means you didn't put DgDecode.dll (included in DgMpegDec) in your AviSynth plugins folder.

[Cralis]

Thanks for that.
I must be doing something wrong, so here's the steps I have followed:

Downloaded video (.TOD) from JVC Everio into Video folder.

Downloaded VirtualDub (1.9.6)
Downloaded Avisynth (2.5)
Downloaded DgIndex (1.5.4)

Opened the .TOD file (~1Gb) in DgIndex
Didn't change any settings. Clicked 'Save Project', and saved the project to a separate folder.
Ended up with 2 files. A .mp2 (~14meg) and a .d2v file (~38k).

Created a script file in a Scripts folder, called test.avs:

MPEGSource("C:\Users\A User\Desktop\Video Editing TOols\D2Vs\MOV024.D2V", info=1)

I then open VirtualDub, and select File->Run Script. .avs isn't an option, so I select all files, select my test.avs, and get the error right away saying:

Error in script execution. Variable MPEGSource not found.

From that, can you see hat I may be doing wrong?

Plugins folder for VirtualDub only has MPEG2.vdplugin and a readme.txt. DgDecode.dll is sitting in my C:\Program Files (x86)\AviSynth 2.5\plugins folder.

[Cralis]

Change!
It seems I mustn't 'Open Script'. I should rather 'Open AVI', and the open the script file from there. I am now doing that, but get the error:

'test.avs does not have a video stream'

[poisondeathray]

Are your file paths/directory names correct? Did you move any of the files? Is everything in that directory except the .avs?
C:\Users\A User\Desktop\Video Editing TOols\D2Vs\

Was the video visible in the preview in DGIndex?

Avidemux might be another option to use if it can understand .tod (I think it should)

[Cralis]

The paths seem correct. I've moved the script file to the same path as the dv2 now, and removed the path, to check. Same result.

Previewing in dgIndex was fine... all showed nicely.

[poisondeathray]

Everything should be in the same directory that the original video and .d2v created was in

Since you have specified that path in the .avs script, the location of the avs script doesn't matter. If you moved anything, the .d2v has to be re-indexed

Can you upload a .tod small sample? If <6Mb you can upload it here.

[Cralis]

Also, DGDecode.dll is in my C:\Users\A User\Desktop\Video Editing TOols\DgIndex folder.

First line of the script is:
LoadPlugin("C:\Users\A User\Desktop\Video Editing TOols\DgIndex\DGDecode.dll")

Hope that's right.

[poisondeathray]

You could do it that way too, but if dgdecode.dll is in the avisynth/plugins directory, it isn't necessary to use LoadPlugin("Path\....DGDecode.dll")

[Cralis]

Can you upload a .tod small sample? If <6Mb you can upload it here.

Uploading...
Actually, smallest I have is 50meg.

I've checked the dv2 file, and it does have a reference to my .TOD file... and that all seems OK...

[poisondeathray]

Can you just turn on the camcorder for a second or two for a short test clip?

You could use a free hosting site e.g. mediafire.com , megaupload.com for larger clips, but we only need a tiny sample

[Cralis]

Yes, I've just done that. My ISP has throttled me... down to 3.5k or something... So, uploading... says 28 minutes to go... It's a 10 meg file though.

[poisondeathray]

LoadPlugin("C:\Users\A User\Desktop\Video Editing TOols\DgIndex\DGDecode.dll") 
MPEGSource("C:\Users\A User\Desktop\Video Editing TOols\D2Vs\MOV024.D2V")

You're saying that doesn't work with the plugin loaded manually? What error does it give?

Avisynth 2.58 ?
Vdub 32-bit ? (x64 is buggy)

[Cralis]

OK, video uploaded:

http://images.listerhome.com/MOV02C.TOD

[Cralis]

LoadPlugin("C:\Users\A User\Desktop\Video Editing TOols\DgIndex\DGDecode.dll") 
MPEGSource("C:\Users\A User\Desktop\Video Editing TOols\D2Vs\MOV024.D2V")

You're saying that doesn't work with the plugin loaded manually? What error does it give?

Avisynth 2.58 ?
Vdub 32-bit ? (x64 is buggy)

Downloaded VirtualDub (1.9.6)
Downloaded Avisynth (2.5)
Downloaded DgIndex (1.5.4)

All 32bit versions (I think), BUT... running Windows7 64bit Ulitimate....

[poisondeathray]

Everything works here, but under XP

Make sure your avisynth is recent, not 2.50

Try vdub x86

Also DGIndex is now at 1.5.6

Avidemux also works, but it decodes at 1920x1088, so you have to crop the 8 black edge pixels

[Cralis]

Downloading... at a massive 6k/sec!

[jagabo]

All 32bit versions (I think), BUT... running Windows7 64bit Ulitimate....

I think the 64 bit OS is your problem. Many 32 bit codecs require special installation methods with 64 bit Windows.

https://forum.videohelp.com/topic332208.html#1723154

[Cralis]

Thanks guys - I think Avidemux is the answer. It reads in the .TOD files, gives the option to de-interlace (Never sure what's the best setting....), and exports perfectly (again, best format to export to is MPG2?).

Thanks for all your help and time.

Edit: Only problem is, my exported file has no sound.

When I watch the video in Avidemux, I have fine sound. Just the exported file is silent... What should I be doing?
On the left, under 'Audio', I have selected 'Copy'. Infact, both video and audio are set to 'Copy'.