Garbage In, Garbage Out: An intro to restoring

lordsmurf · Posted: Nov 26, 2004 12:35

The blunt reality: Please do not come to this forum expecting miracles. You cannot take a downloaded video file or garbled VHS tape and make it a commercial-grade DVD with perfect audio and video quality. That's not going to happen. And you've also got to realize that not all errors can be fixed.

The only goal: Video and audio restoration has ONE GOAL: To make it better than the source. The goal is NOT to make it perfect quality. Just fix as much as you can and be happy with the results.

How to accomplish it: Hardware filters, software filters, time and experience. Those are the 4 key ingredients. Some errors can only be fixed in hardware, some only in software, some in both. It takes a lot of patience, a keen eye, and an understanding of the errors. Software work always requires lots of encoding time, regardless of the "speed" of the encoder. Even hardware can take a lot of setup time to tweak settings.

... and if all else fails, you do not have to do this on your own, there are services out there that you can pay to do the work for you (legal work, at least).
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gshelley61 · Frequent Flyer Joined: 19 May 2004 Location: USA

Here's a link to the Association of Moving Image Archivists fact sheets on videotape preservation:

http://www.amianet.org/publication/resources/guidelines/videofacts/intro.html

Video Preservation Handbook:

http://www.amianet.org/publication/resources/guidelines/WheelerVideo.pdf

There's some good info at their site. They make a clear distinction between archiving videotape sources and restoration. Archiving involves transferring the original source to a suitable storage format without any alteration of the signal, while restoration is the process of creating viewable copies of the source that are "cleaned up", enhanced, color corrected, etc.

DeXeSs · Member Joined: 06 Jul 2008 Location: Canada

Hello ghshelley61, I guess those links are almost 5 years old but they no longer work. Are there any new sources for this particular information?

Thanks!
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redwudz · Mod Neophyte Joined: 07 Sep 2002 Location: AZ, USA

The AMIA is still around. You might look through their site index as there are some links there and those files may still be available: http://www.amianet.org/sitemap.php

lordsmurf · Posted: Jun 07, 2009 14:27

This link still works: www.amianet.org/resources/guides/fact_sheets.pdf
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mega · Member Joined: 20 Jul 2009 Location: Australia

Mega here in Australia,
I write willing to show ignorance, and even idioticity, but still seeking answers.

I had read and heard some comments on restoring and enhancing old svhs video to HD .
What I'd like to know, is this:
Has anyone tried Magic bullet 24p or what is now sold by redgiantsoft... in their speels they claim to be able to add pixels, and enhance old video? plus straighten, and eliminate jitters.. and is there a free product simiar?.

Unfortunately I am still using Adobe premier 6 ( so magic bullet is not compatible) and my shares money has gone down the gurgler ...so I am looking for a free fix if possible.

I am wanting to mix hd 16x9 with older svhs (it can be done in premier) but I need to enhance or restore the old footage as much as possible. I have had a peek at Avisynth but don't think I have the programming knowledge to use it..
While I am limited by lack of knowledge, I have been wondering if a second line of video would sort of merge two layers together. I am considering using a green title clip with a dot in the corner...and dragged across the length of the timeline.. Not even sure about the colour green.. should I try white?
It will probably be ok on my TV but that will not show HD or show me what a big screen result would be.
ANY SUGGESTIONS WOULD BE APPRECIATED.

guns1inger · Member Joined: 01 Apr 2004 Location: Miskatonic U

No, there is a not a free alternative. There are cheaper alternatives, such as Video Enhancer, however you need to understand a few things.

First, the best place to fix problems with analogue video is in the analogue domain. Jitter and other issues are better fixed by hardware such as time base correctors and video proc amps.

The next thing to consider is that these upscalers are basically just sophisticated resize algorithms. Yes, they can produce better results than just a straight resize, however they come at a huge processing cost, and the results are still just basically a resize. They cannot create details that are not there. In short, they cannot convert your s-video SD material to HD. All they can do is make is HD resolution with a little extra sharpness.

The final thing to consider is just how fast hardware upscaling progressing. All Bluray players, most new DVD players and most decent HD televisions have upscalers built-in. Some, like the PS3, have extraordinarily good upscalers. These are getting better all the time.

This means that of you use a software upscaler now, you are locked in to whatever quality it can produce. However if you do the best standard definition conversion that you can now - and the tools to do this are very sophisticated and robust - you can benefit from the on-going improvements in upscaling playback without losing out.

Save your money for a decent hardware upscaler that will upscale not just your converted tapes, but all your SD material (DVDs etc) as well, rather than a software solution that locks you into today's quality, not tomorrow's.
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mega · Member Joined: 20 Jul 2009 Location: Australia

THANKS for your reply.
so re-editing fromthe master copy and putting in another layer, would not do anything?

mega