Digitizing Hi8 for storage/editing and dvd

[sanlyn]

Browse some threads, and I think you'll find that many long-time users have a considerably less than high opinion of Power Director.

If you want to repair aliasing, poor interlace, borders, levels, and maintain quality with lossless processing, Avisynth and VirtualDub are the recommended tools. If you prefer to avoid all that, there are some repairs that can't be worked in lossy formats without quality loss -- and some of those repairs can't be done at all. If you can get cleaner captures with hardware/software that captures to DV, capture at very high bitrates and then use the proper tools to losslessly repair damage if necessary, then re-encode. DV is not compatible with DVD, AVCHD, HDACV, or BluRay, whether in standard definition 4:3 or 16:9 display or HD formats. You could also capture at very high bitrates in MPEG2, but working the repairs would be similar to what you'd have to do with DV, and you must still re-encode.

Your original capture should not have most of the problem seen in your AVI sample. Something there is definitely amiss.

[Ranubis]

I'm just using it because VirtualDub decided to go crazy with the framerate... wiish I knew what went went wrong. Hope it's not because of the AverMedia device...

I want to go the losless route. I just need the time to dig into AviSynth properly which lately I didn't have the time to. Is there any list of filters you can recommend for this purpose and if you would be so kind a guide to do it or maybe the manual is already enough.

If the device is the troublemaker then I have a big problem on my hands. If the camera had Firewire I could do this way easily or if I had a bridge, but I simply don't.

But for HI8 tapes the tbc pass-thru are pretty much the ones I mentioned, although I'm screwed because I don't have much choice. For VHS tapes I have a dvd recorder too and will use it later, but for now I'm just focusing on the HI8 tapes.

[sanlyn]

I can understand the unfamiliarity with AVisynth. The best way to learn it is to use it, and their online guide starts with scripts at the most basic of levels.I'll grant you, it does have a learning curve. But so does most video software with multiple capabilities. There really are no fundamental scripts, just as there aren't for VirualDub; it depends on what you're trying to do. Most newcomers here learn it by submitting a project idea (as you did here) and asking for advice (which is usually a script of some kind, or a VirtualDub setup, as shown in the script I posted earlier).

That script uses some highly specialized plugins and functions that were required by the unique problems of your AVI sample. Normally I wouldn't use some of them. some of them are built-in Avisynth commands used by everyone and are documented in Avisynth's help and on their wiki website: ConvertToYIV12() and ConvertToRGB32(), Crop(), AddBorders(), SeparateFields(), Weave(), AssumeFPS(), return() -- these are Avisynth built-ins.

FluxSmooth(), chubbyrain2(), and some of the others are external plugins that I seldom use. The first time I saw these they were recommended for a project I submitted in the forum; I definitely tried the patience of some helpful users who beat me over the head ....er, I mean, who guided me step by step until I understood what the filters accomplished . But there are standard plugins used to deinterlace (QTGMC and yadif), to remove telecine or pulldown effects (IVTC), to remove duplicate and/or blended frames and restore original frame rates (sRestore), to sharpen (LSFmod), to remove noise(MCTemporalDenoise, RemoveDirt(), TTempSmooth(), FFT3D, among many others), sangnom for interlace edge artifacts, and on and on. VirtualDub has its standbys as well, like ColorMill and gradation curves for color correction, temporalSmoother and camcorder color denoise for noise, and many other "regulars".

A site that shows examples of Avisynth filters for anime (the filters can be used for all types of video -- I used a couple of them on your AVI) with many images: http://www.animemusicvideos.org/guides/avtech31/post-qual.html
A site that lists Avisynth external filters by category: http://avisynth.org/mediawiki/External_plugins
A site that lists many VirtualDub filters by category: http://www.infognition.com/VirtualDubFilters/

Avisynth and VirtualDub can be used on many levels, from ridiculously basic to mainstream to mind-boggling. Getting started requires a stage of stumbling about, but matters soon click in the old brain.

Look into your DVD recorder. Depending on the model, it might have a tbc built-in that can be used for pass-thru tbc. Not all recorders can do it, but many can.

[Ranubis]

Thanks for the useful information! I'm going to read all of it thoroughly when I get back to my own computer.

Right now I have a big problem at hand: With VirtualDub gone crazy and PowerDirector giving me huge files and uneven framerates converting the big files to smaller files with Lagarith is the only way to at least have the tapes in digital format. Unfortunately the conversions take so long it's really insane.

Is a Core 2 Duo with 2 gb of ram fit for the job? I will try with VirtualDub on that computer. If so I can always free this one a bit more since it's almost impossible to do things here.

Thanks!

[sanlyn]

2-core isn't as fast as 4 or 5, etc., (of course), but I've been using a trusty 2.2 GHz Athlon with 2GB RAM for 6 years. Even with my newer and not-so-faster-PC, for a really slow job I start it as I'm on my way to sleep and let it run all night. But the good old 2.2 doesn't really take that long, I just don't want to sit and stare at it for over an hour while it compresses 40GB.

[Ranubis]

Yes, I know, but unfortunately these are my tools of the trade here...

I'm going to do it, thanks!