VHS to DVD conversion, interlacing is good?

[Xantham]

So, I've been working on encoding our VHS home movies into DVD, and I have come to some confusing issues. I have been told to deinterlace video when you encode it onto the computer, since computer screens (and modern TVs) can show progressive video. While I know it is destructive, it looks much better without those lines. However, I was reading this post: https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/156313-clean-up-video-noise-Grainy-from-VHS-tape and some others like it, talking about deinterlacing for some of the filters and then interlacing it again.

Am I in some world where cats and dogs are now friends or something? Why would I want it to be re-interlaced when working with modern TVs? I know the DVD is going to put it on a tv again, but I thought DVDs could handle being deinterlaced now.

Also, any help in ideas for filtering the video would be much appreciated, but I am definitely most curious on this reinterlacing issue.

[PuzZLeR]

Good practice is to put separation between what you use to capture (acquisition) and what you use for playback (delivery).

For acquisiton, capture integrity to VHS Source is interlaced, so capture as such. Use this as your Source and archive.

For delivery, just encode to MPEG-2 from the Source for whatever you wish to play it on, interlaced for an interlace-aware system, or de-interlaced for an unforgiving TV, monitor, etc. There is no straight answer actually.

A good example of what I'm talking about is capture to a lossless codec, such as HuffYUV, which is better suited for capture than DvD's MPEG-2. Then edit and archive. Keep this as your Source. When you decide what you want to play it on then encode to MPEG-2 from the Source, interlaced or progressive.

You already do understand that de-interlacing can be destructive. So can filtering actually (which is highly subjective so hopefully someone else gets in on this one). That's why you should always keep a separate copy of the Source - especially if you change your mind down the road.

Keeping a good Source gives you options.

[robjv1]

If you're intent on keeping one copy of your VHS capture that is MPEG2 (DVD), then the general idea is to leave interlaced stuff interlaced and not to deinterlace the file -- just let your playback hardware (DVD player, TV) or software (VLC Player, Windows Media Player, etc) handle the deinterlacing in real time.

The issue at hand is that if you deinterlace the file now -- that's it -- you're locked into whatever quality of a job your software does. If it does a mediocre job or if software deinterlacing improves in the future, you can't redo it (unless you follow PuzZLeR's suggestion and keep a copy of a lossless source file and have the option of redoing it at anytime).

If you don't like seeing lines when you play it back on the computer, play it back in VLC player with deinterlacing turned 'on' in the Bob or Yadif 2x mode. That will approximate the look of watching it on a DVD player on a TV.

[jagabo]

The issue is this: Deinterlacing can never be perfect. There no way to turn half a picture (every other scan line) into a full picture except by "guessing" at what is missing. The best software deinterlacers today are better than the deinterlacers found on any HDTV. But ten year from now TV's may do better than the best software today. If you deinterlace your videos now you won't be able to take advantage of those better deinterlacers in the future.

Since the deinterlacers in TVs, DVD players, computers, etc. are fairly good now you can use them to deinterlace at playback rather than deinterlacing before encoding and locking in whatever artifacts that generates. If you want a deinterlaced version for upload to Youtube (or whatever) go ahead and deinterlace. But save your original interlaced version in your archive.

[lordsmurf]

If you want a deinterlaced version for upload to Youtube (or whatever) go ahead and deinterlace. But save your original interlaced version in your archive.

^ This.