Video enhancement software

[terryxpress]

G5 2.33 GHZ 2 GB RAM
I have DVDs in the usual vob file format that I made by digitalizing PAL VHS tapes from the 80's. On two, the colour saturation is too high (orange suntans). MPEGStreamClip has an Adjustment feature, which is perfect - allows +/- for brightness, saturation, contrast, and volume..........BUT ........this feature only operates during Export mode, converting my files to Quicktime, DV, AVI, or MPEG4. I don't want to lose any video quality, so is there any other reasonably-priced MAC software that works with vob files, saves to vob, and has the enhancement capabilities. Final Cut Express is a bit dear for this purpose AND only works with DV files.

[guns1inger]

Any changes to the video of the nature you describe will require re-encoding the video, which does carry some risk of quality loss. Unless you export to a lossless or uncompressed format. However, as you will then have to encode back to mpeg-2 for DVD authoring, the ultimate outcome is the same.

Doesn't iMovie support doing these sorts of minor, run of the mill adjustments ?

[terryj]

Not that I am aware of on the Mac Platform.
We get asked this same question at least once
a week:

"How do i make adjustments to a finalized format,
such as Mpeg-2, without transcoding it back to
an acceptable format for adjustments, without
any quality loss?"

The only answer to this question will ALWAYS be,
Unless you have the uncompressed SOURCE FOOTAGE
that the end result product was made out of,
You can't adjust anything without taking a quality hit.

Each NLE on the mac, whether iMovie, FCE or FCP,
requires your footage either to be in DV Stream,
Quicktime Movie, or in some cases AVI (that can be
transcoded to DV Stream, in the case of iMovie),
and coming from the finalized source that is Mpeg-2,
it will take a hit going backwards, and then back again.

[terryxpress]

Thanks. I have the source footage (the original VHS tape) but can only digitalize into vob.
So... which path would you suggest : I don't know which of the other formats is the most 'least lost (as opposed to lostless!)- should I go Quicktime, Avi, or DV. I can then burn this file in Toast.
Thanks in advance.

[mats.hogberg]

DV AVI is "least loss". If you're serious about this, I strongly suggest getting a capture device that can capture to DV directly. Then you can edit & filter to your hearts content without noticable loss. Once done, encode to DVD compatible mpg and author.

/Mats