VHS-to-DVD quality issues

[trlowe]

I have captured a VHS tape that was recorded at the EP/SLP speed. I did it using Ulead Videostudio 6 and then again with version 7. I used high quality capture parameters that I found on this site. (Field order B, 720x480, VBR 6000 max bitrate). Here is the problem. The capture looks good on the PC but when I burn the DVD-R and watch it on the TV, the DVD image is much poorer than the original VHS copy.

I don't have this problem with VHS tapes that were recorded at the SP speed and captured using the same settings. I wonder if the problem is with the Ulead codec having issues with the EP quality. I realize that I can never get better quality than the original VHS but I would like to have a DVD with AT LEAST the SAME quality.

Has anyone encountered this and found a solution? Thanks.

[kiki]

No help from me. I have the same problem. Even pc capture direct to
mpg looks washed out. However! capture to avi with picvideo mjpeg codec
looks absolutely steller. When converted to mpeg, it looks the same as
a direct capture to mpeg.
So, in common with you, how can I convert avi to mpeg with the same
or near same quality. Maybe I am just to damn picky????

kiki

[Rookie64]

Try adjusting the brightness and contrast - about 17% darker on the computer.
Also increase the color a little before you capture (assuming your capture software has those controls)

You can also apply filters with Vegas Video, Adobe Premiere or Virtual Dub
to adjust the color brightness and contrast levels.

That should fix your problem.

[Spicuzza]

Has anyone encountered this and found a solution?

There isn't 720 x 480, (digital frame size), of representative detail with VHS tape.

If you have the HDD space capture 352 x 480 uncompressed AVI,
then encode 352 x 480 MPEG-2 6000 kbps.

This should give you very nearly the exact quality of the source material.

[FulciLives]

I think the main problem here is that EP/SLP speed tapes have a lot of "video noise" and the more video noise in your video signal the harder it is for the MPEG encoder to convert your footage to MPEG because it sees the video noise as video information ... thinks the image is extremely detailed ... and needs a lot of bitrate to convert it JUST TO MAINTAIN the same crappy EP/SLP VHS crap quality.

So you need to clean up that signal.

I do it by capturing to AVI using the PICVideo MJPEG codec with the 19 out of 20 quality setting. I'm pretty much stuck there due to a slow computer and not having a whole lot of HDD space.

If your computer is fast enough then definately do HuffyUV for your capture although honestly you will probably never really see the difference between HuffyUV and PICVideo MJPEG ... at least not in the final result. Capturing uncompressed is crazy ... HuffyUV is more than good enough (it does use compression but it is considered to be nearly lossless compression).

Again if your computer can handle it capture at FULL D1 resolution (which is generally 720x480 or 704x480 for NTSC and can be 768x576 or 720x576 or 704x576 for PAL ... the exact FULL D1 resolution you use depends on your capture card and how it captures i.e., it either does horizontal internal scaling or it is ITU complaint).

In this case though you are most likely better off using HALF D1 for the final product but it is better to capture FULL D1 then resize down to HALF D1 than to capture direct to HALF D1. NTSC HALF D1 is 352x480 whereas PAL HALF D1 is 352x576

Anyways once you get your AVI capture (and if you do DV capture that is A-OK too) then you can use a variety of image filters to CLEAN UP the video noise.

My favorite is Convolution3D but there are many and I know some like PeachSmoother over Convolution3D and of course VirtualDub has several filters already built-in as well as plug-in filters. Some filters work in VirtualDub others only work with AviSynth.

Here are some websites to explore:

1.) The offical AviSynth website
2.) The offical VirtualDub website
3.) Website with filters for both VirtualDub and AviSynth
4.) Yet another excellent website of AviSynth filters

As I said check into Convolution3D and PeachSmoother. You might also want to check out the Flaxen VHS filter which is for VirtualDub (the other two are for AviSynth).

Also in my opinion the best version of VirtualDub is the one called VirtualDubMod. You can find out some info about it as well as download it from this link here:

https://www.videohelp.com/tools?tool=332#comments

Good Luck

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

P.S.
As far as doing a HALF D1 software MPEG-2 encode try the following settings:
2-pass VBR (or 3-pass if using CCE SP) with a MIN of 2000kbps an AVG of 3000kbps - 4000kbps and a MAX of 5000kbps and use either MP2 or AC-3 with a bitrate of 224kbps

Using that with an average of 4000kbps will give you EXCELLENT quality with more than 2 hours per DVD disc (roughly 2 hours 15 minutes). If you need more time on the disc try an average of 3500kbps or even 3000kbps but don't drop much below that if you want EXCELLENT quality. In fact I wouldn't drop below 3500kbps myself.

[pijetro]

quote:

As far as doing a HALF D1 software MPEG-2 encode try the following settings:
2-pass VBR (or 3-pass if using CCE SP) with a MIN of 2000kbps an AVG of 3000kbps - 4000kbps and a MAX of 5000kbps and use either MP2 or AC-3 with a bitrate of 224kbps

I usually set MIN to 0, and MAX to 9300. Can you tell us why you use these numbers??

Thanx

[FulciLives]

quote:

As far as doing a HALF D1 software MPEG-2 encode try the following settings:
2-pass VBR (or 3-pass if using CCE SP) with a MIN of 2000kbps an AVG of 3000kbps - 4000kbps and a MAX of 5000kbps and use either MP2 or AC-3 with a bitrate of 224kbps

I usually set MIN to 0, and MAX to 9300. Can you tell us why you use these numbers??

Thanx

Well first of all we are talking HALF D1 here. Most people will tell you that HALF D1 hits the MAX bitrate at around 4000kbps. In my testing it appears to be about 5000kbps (or at least a lot closer to 5000kbps than 4000kbps). So either way once you go over that MAX you aren't really gaining any quality .. just wasting your bitrate (and limiting how much you can fit on a DVD disc).

So for HALF D1 I use a MAX of 5000kbps

If I was doing FULL D1 I would use 8000kbps since that is the highest bitrate that TMPGEnc can use. I know you can technically go above 8000kbps if you are using, for instance, CCE SP but I don't know if I would "trust" doing that.

But anyways we are talking HALF D1 here.

For the MIN I use 2000kbps because I have read a few things that have hinted that going below that is not really a good idea. I definately think that going as low as 0 is BAD. I would set my MIN to at least 1000kbps but I like to use 2000kbps

As for the AVG well I like to use 4000kbps because at that rate I can fit 3 60 minute TV shows on a single DVD disc (commericial free) and the quality is most excellent.

As I said though you could go as low as 3500kbps and still get outstanding quality.

As far as I'm concerned once you go much under 3500kbps then it shows in the encoding as a lack of quality.

In short I am a quality freak.

As for going HALF D1 ... we are talking EP/SLP VHS source material here. Although I advocate capturing at FULL D1 and then resize down to HALF D1 (as opposed to capture at HALF D1) I see no reason to use FULL D1 (for the final project) for such a low quality source.

I often will use FULL D1 (from start to finish) for a good quality pre-record VHS if I am really trying to get the best out of it ... like converting a movie from VHS to DVD when there is no DVD of that movie yet etc.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman