VHS quality loss when rendered...HELP!

[southernp]

Gentlemen,
I have searched the web, read the guides and can't figure out why I am getting so much loss of quality when I render a VHS.

I started out with an analogue VHS cassette and recorded from my VCR to my SONY DV mini cam...No quality loss..in fact it looked better in playback.

Then captured from my Dv camera through firewire to:

Studio Pinaccle 8
Adobe Premiere Pro
Win Dv/Virtual Dub

The results were all the same! Great playback on the timeline but rendering caused graineyness and interlacing problems.
I have to say that Premiere was the best quality but not by much!
No dropped frames on any capture!

Can anyone give me some advice????

My computer is: Abit NF7 rev 2.0, Barton 3200, 2x256 Corsair LL3200 Fast, fast, fast!!

[Richard_G]

What are you rendering to? Framesize, bitrate, etc

[southernp]

Hello Richard,
I am Rendering to Bitrate I think. Is there one thats better than the other?

I have to admit I am a newbie but used the settings other guides recommended. Mostly I would use presets like DV or such.

Thanks for your help.

Patrick

[Dr_Layne]

Interlaced video like that on VHS and TV will look bad on a computer do to a "combing" effect. If you are getting "blcoks" in the video, most likely you are encoding to too low of a bit rate for the resolution. Here's how I encode VHS:

I capture to DV using a Analog to DV bridge by Datavideo model DAC-100. I also have a Datavideo TBC-1000 Time Base Corrector running between the VCR and the DAC-100. The VCR i use is a Panasonic AG-W1 worldwide vcr. It plays and converts all the different TV standards around the world. You can normally only capture DV in 720x480 or 720x576 for PAL. I then using TMPGenc to encode the video to mpeg2 but I resize to 352x480 or 352x576 for PAL to fit more video on the DVD. Since VHS resolution is about half that of full DVD resolution, it's unlikely you will notice a difference. But cutting the resolution in half does not make the filesize smaller. It does allow you to use a lower bit rate to get the same quality. The lower bitrate will make the file size smaller and allow more video on the DVD. I normall use a bitrate between 3000 and 4000 to encode the video. The results may not look great on a computer at full screen, but will look good on a TV set.

[southernp]

Thanks for the info,

I thought if you encoded at a lower framesize then when it displayed on the TV it would be Grainey?
I guess what you are saying is that if it's going to be shown on the computer then quality loss is a reality that can't be changed with current technology?

Patrick

[indolikaa]

Keep in mind that VHS is nowhere near 704/720 resolution. Many people choose Half-D1 (352x480) because even at this resolution, you are still higher than what VHS actually produces. I use Half-D1 even for satellite recordings and the results are fine.

My VHS transfers are excellent. I use both realtime MPEG capture and DV, with a Time-Base Corrector for good measure. They are transferred to Half-D1 with bitrates in the 3000 range and look every bit as good as the VHS material itself. They are encoded interlaced, not progressive, since the destination device is a television.

Visit lordsmurf.com and take a look at the first few sections on the left. Especially the Understanding your Source essay. You'll find the information useful and informative.

.indolikaa.

[southernp]

Thanks Indolikka,

I will visit Lordsmurff and find out what things like D1 and time based corrector are LOL. It's encouraging to know that there will be no quality loss when seen on TV. If I use progressive will that look better on a computer screen?

Thanks for your help!

[indolikaa]

If I use progressive will that look better on a computer screen?

It should. Never tried it myself. At least, I don't think I have...

[southernp]

Thanks,
I am at the Lordsmurf site now getting smart. Great site, thanks for the info!

Patrick

[LSchafroth]

Keep in mind that LordSmurf encoded his website at 6000bps, so you have a be a Great reader to keep up.

I went there and read all teh awesoem info there but I'm still only as smart as I was before I went there. Maybe there's only so much you can do. hehe

LS

[southernp]

Yeah, I know what ya mean!! Man I feel really stupid and have to read it all about 10 times just to begin to understand.LOL!

Alot of really smart people here..just wish I was one of them!

Patrick

[jgandara]

As long as you read some guides by urself, you will be ok. Most people think creating a DVD is very easy, but it's not. Maybe in a couple of years when more programs are more user friendly and produce better quality videos.

for now, just read and learn