Deinterlacing VHS Captures with Stax Rip... Anyone had good results?

[Neil-Betamax]

I've been capturing all my VHS tapes again & I still can't manage to get a good result when it comes to deinterlacing.

I saw a brief introduction to Stax Rip on youtube and had a play with different settings, which appear to be interlaced ok, but it seems to skip frames & it's quiet a complication program to use for someone like me who isn't an expert but willing to learn what I need to know.

Just a brief note on where I'm upto in my process:

................. . . . . . . . . . . .
VHS out scart > into Panasonic DVD to stabalize image (audio through mixer & back into Panasonic ) >
Into Black Magic Shuttle > into USB Thinkpad i7 running Media Express > Capturing 8bit AVI YUV...

...Then the uncompressed AVI is exported in Davinci Resolve as MP4, 4:3 PAL 23.97 fps using 'High quality' setting, image scaling in project settings uses High interlace, Encoded with H265, audio at 320kps..
.................... . . . . . . . . .

Is there a guide for helping achieve a good quality result for deinterlacing VHS using Stax Rip?

Ideally I'd like to compress the files further too, of course, whilst saving as much quality as possible.
Maybe this means I should deinterlace the uncompressed files - although I have doubts since this could take many hours to process.


This is the closest guide I could find on Youtube as for achieving what I'm hoping for...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sYV-tf05-Q&list=PLtaV5pRozFQEtzjjxoL4Dg0GtFtYZ7UTx

[lollo]

Is there a guide for helping achieve a good quality result for deinterlacing VHS using Stax Rip?
Ideally I'd like to compress the files further too, of course, whilst saving as much quality as possible

Just use a simple AviSynth script like this "deinterlace.avs":

AviSource(<your_file>.avi)
AssumeTFF() # or AssumeBFF() if needed
QTGMC(preset="slow")
ConvertToYV12() # if needed

and a command line like this:

ffmpeg.exe -i deinterlace.avs -c:v libx264 -crf 17 -preset slow -aspect 4:3 -c:a aac -b:a 128k output.mp4

No StaxRip needed. Change QTGMC parameters as you like, and introduce masking of head switching noise. Scale (if needed) with AviSynth, not DaVinci.

[Neil-Betamax]

Hey thank you Lollo,

I will give this a go this afternoon. I'm just waiting for a VHS to finish capture, then I'll make a short AVI clip and give it a whirl.

Cheers

[lollo]

Post a sample here, we can help you on that

[Neil-Betamax]

I've done my best from what I could understand here.

I downloaded Avisynth & followed a short guide as I've never used anything like this before.

I installed AviSynth.
I created a folder & put my AVI file in there, then created a text document in this folder and renamed it deinterlace.avs.

]I noticed that windows 10 didn't change the file type, even though I changed the extension from .txt to .avs, when I check properties windows still see's is as a txt file (Type: Text Document).]

Then I typed up the code in the text file as suggested, which looks like this as an entire text document:

AviSource(<SP Sample>.avi)
AssumeTFF() #
QTGMC(preset="slow")
ConvertToYV12() #

ffmpeg.exe -i deinterlace.avs -c:v libx264 -crf 17 -preset slow -aspect 4:3 -c:a aac -b:a 128k output.mp4

............

I have ffmpeg installed, VirtualDubMod 1.5.10.3, QTGMC is in a folder where my video programs are stored (I'm not sure what it does yet).

So I guess what needs to happen is, VirtualDubMod opens the avs file I created from a text document by changing the extension from deinterlace.txt to deinterlace.avs. Then I'm understanding that it reads the avs file and runs the script typed within it, generating the file.

When I open VirtualDubMod I can't see the avs file as for whatever reason (perhaps a windows issue?) VirtualDubmod doesn't see the avs file as a document for it to open, it only see's the AVI file 'SP Sample.AVI'.

This is where I had to step back as, you might tell I probably lack some basic understanding on how AviSynth works. I'm keen to understand enough to give it a try, I appreciate your time to help me on this too, thanks for this.

If there's anything you can see which stands out, that I'm doing wrong, it'd be great if you could point me in the right direction whilst I can also understand you might have thought I already had this kind of knowledge with applications of this nature.

This is the video I were watching, which I were using to help understand your intial instructions:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXByaCFgIHc

[lollo]

You can use VirtualDub or AvsPMod to open the .avs script and watch the output. For creating the final mp4 you do not need it, just run ffmpeg command line through a "cmd" window.
If you upload a sample of the capture, I will try to show you steps of this basic procedure...

[Neil-Betamax]

The current hurdle I'm up against at the moment, is getting VirtualDub, or VirtualDubMod to open the .avs file I created from a text document. I tried another machine too, I guess it might be that windows 10 continues to recognise any extention changed from .txt to .avs as a text file.

I had a little go at converting the text document after googling, but the software it suggested doesn't change the txt file into avs in order for it to be read in virtualdub. I'll try again later, but yes I think I've done everything I can to find out how I can go about having virtualdub load up the script at this point.

[lollo]

1- download the attached file Neil-Betamax.zip and unzip
2- edit the file deinterlaced.avs replacing my source file with yours
3- open deinterlaced.avs with VirtualDub
4- let me know

[Neil-Betamax]

Thank you Lollo, I think it's really kind of you to do this.

I will let you know how I get on. I'm currently out with family this evening but I've downloaded the Zip and I'll have a good play with this tomorrow.

Many thanks
Neil

[Neil-Betamax]

I've given it a go.

My test AVI file is in (C in a folder called videodeinterlace. The file is SP_Sample.avi
So when I go to properties of this file it says under Location... C:\videodeinterlace

I editted the avs file with your code using notepad as follows, so it says this instead on the first line:

video_org=AviSource("C:\videodeinterlace\sp_sample .avi")

Saved it.

When opening up the deinterlace.avs file in VirtualDub, I get this message:

VirtualDub Error

Avisynth open failure:

TemporalSoften: Scenechange not available on RGB32/64
(AviSynth_plugins\QTGMC.avsi. line 477)
(C:\Videos\Video Software\Neil-Betamax\deinterlace.avs. line 27)

I'm not sure what it means, I'm assuming I typed up the location of the file in the right place which should be
C:\videointerlace\sp_sample.avi

I'm unsure what the rest of the error message means.

[lollo]

Your video may have been captured in a wrong color space.
Try to add ConvertToYUY2() after AviSource.
Next time capture to lossless 4:2:2YUV interlaced.

[Neil-Betamax]

Your video may have been captured in a wrong color space.
Try to add ConvertToYUY2() after AviSource.
Next time capture to lossless 4:2:2YUV interlaced.

Thanks for the tip & taking time to help me, but yes I'm not getting any results yet.

I typed in the extra code line you mentioned but it didn't solve it.

I'm looking in Media Express where I do my captures, I can't see an option to select 4:2:2YUV Interlaced.

I've always captured my lossless AVI as 625i50 PAL, AVI 8-bit YUV. I guess if I try a different program to capture I could give that a go, unless perhaps I've set up AviSynth, ffmpeg or QTGMC wrong, but I'll try capturing in 4:2:2:YUV when I can. Perhaps there could be a limitation with the PC I'm using too, I wouldn't really know though.

[lollo]

I typed in the extra code line you mentioned but it didn't solve it.

What's the error message now?

[Neil-Betamax]

VirtualDub Error

AviSynth open failure:
I don't know what 'AVISource' means.
(C:\Videos\Video Software\Neil-Betamax\deinterlace.avs. line 1)

[Neil-Betamax]

When I added ConvertToYUY2() after AviSource, it reads as follows...

video_org=AviSource ConvertToYUY2() ("C;\videointerlace\sp_sample.avi")

#cropping .... (etc)

[lollo]

it should be:

video_org=AviSource.ConvertToYUY2()

[Neil-Betamax]

Thanks.

Would that make the rest read as follows:

video_org=AviSource.ConvertToYUY2() ("C;\videointerlace\sp_sample.avi")

#cropping .... (etc)

Or should there be a . afterYUY2() ?

Like this...

video_org=AviSource.ConvertToYUY2().("C:\videointe rlace\sp_sample.avi")

#cropping .... (etc)

[lollo]

It should be:

video_org=AviSource("C:\videointerlace\sp_sample.avi").ConvertToYUY2()

read some AviSynth doc to get familiar with its syntax

[Neil-Betamax]

It should be:

video_org=AviSource("C:\videointerlace\sp_sample.avi").ConvertToYUY2()

read some AviSynth doc to get familiar with its syntax

Hey, thanks for helping with what the line should read.

I gave it a go and I have to say thanks! It's the best result I've had yet!

I processed a short clip and it was deinterlaced really well. The machine I'm using only has a 1TB SSD, so I'm freeing up space on it so I can experiment with a 3 hour long uncompressed file. Hopefully, this could become my ultimate process if I reinterlace in this way and then later, convert the file to MP4 in Davinci Resolve.

I'll let you know how I get on with it, thanks very much Lollo!