MPEG Enhancement Tips?

[NeuroManson]

Heya all, well, I've checked around on the site and couldn't find any info... I'm slightly versed on ripping and conversion, but have started converting VHS to MPEG for later use in VCD and DiVX formats. This leaves me a bit in the dark, not so much the ripping/editing aspect, but the quality could stand a little improvement. Are there any recommended apps that I could use to clean up the video IN it's basic MPEG format?

Trying to take an ancient piece of anime, clean up the sound, and enhance the video if possible. About halfways through the subtitling, and decided since it's a classic piece of Tezuka anime, that I'd go whole hog, ran the sound through Soundforge and cleaned it up with EQ... Now I want to fix the video (of which, even the LD version the VHS was copied from, was also copied from ancient early 80s 3/4" tape). Virtual Dub has enhancement capabilities, but only (apparently) if you want to save it as an AVI file (as said, I want to do it as VCD as well)... I could save it as DiVX, then convert it back with TMpeg, but would rather try fixing it in it's original format...

So in a nutshell, I want to fix MPEG files, filter out any glitches, correct levels and sharpen the video, from a VHS 1st gen copy. Can anyone suggest any software that'll serve this purpose?

[medievil]

Avisynth and tmpeg or cce. You can use filters in avisynth to correct for many things. However, if the source mpeg is of low quality, there is very little "Fixing" you can do. As the saying goes. "Garbage in, Garbage out"

[easydvd]

I agree with AVISynth-->CCE. Take a look at the filters on www.avisynth.org and also the AVISynth forum at dooms'. I've had really good luck with one called "peachSmoother" along with MSharpen when trying to clean up a VHS source. I'm still kind of new to AVISynth so I can't make a specific recommendation on how to use it for your source but those too should help get you in the right direction

Garbage in, Garbage out.....but maybe we can hide the can behind a tree!! LOL

[Baldrick]

If you wanna learn how to use avisynth you can begin with this
http://www.vcdhelp.com/forum/userguides/99389.php

[easydvd]

KICK ASS!! I just took a look at it and there is stuff that applies to far more than frameserving ripped vob's. Thanks Baldrick!!!!!!

[NeuroManson]

Kewlies, thanks for the replies... I'll look into those immediately... As for the VHS source... It's 1st gen from laserdisk but the original source was kind of pathetic to begin with... Hence my reasons for wanting to enhance and clean up the video... And of course, there's really no such thing as perfect quality VHS, unless you're doing SVHS, and even that has it's limitations...