Is it better to capture half size or capture full size & dei

I know that TV signal is interlacced, and that deinterlacing algorithms pratically join the 2 fields in one. So IS IT BETTER TO CAPTURE AN HALF SIZE VIDEO (and then resize it) OR CAPTURE A FULL SIZE INTERLACED VIDEO (and deinterlace it)? THANKS

[lmichiel]

Depends whether you want to play it on a PC only. If you still want to play on a TV set, you'll need to keep it interlaced.
Full size means more information and thus better quality (for both interlaced and non-interlaced)

cheers
Leo

[iant]

Whether you want to play it on a PC or not ( No offense Leo ) it's better to capture at the largest size possible and de-interlace and reduce. A standard TV picture is actually 2 frames interlaced so, if you only capture quarter resolution, you can miss a whole lot of detail.

Get hold of the 'smart de-interlacer' filter for VirtualDub. This does a great job of it on the default settings.

Mind you, having put in all the guff above, it also depends whether your hardware can handle the larger size and the higher data rate. If it can't and you're getting heaps of frame drops, stick with the best it can do. No point missing large chunks to get a bit of extra frame detail.

Best bet, have a play with it and see what gives results you like. My personal settings are to capture at 352x576 ( half PAL ), smart de-interlace, 2-1 vertical reduction and serve to TMPEG on standard VCD. Very watchable on a 51 cm TV.

Have fun,
Ian

[Anonymous65]

The vertical 2:1 reduction can be done during capture, so no deinterlacing is needed. Also, you save a lot of disk space by doing vertical reduction during capture instead of after capture.