Convert 4:3 PICVideo mjpeg to 16:9 DV w/o losing clarity

[brassplyer]

I've been experimenting with turning a 4:3 clip from my Coolpix L19 camera which outputs PICVideo mjpeg to 16:9 pillarboxed video. Using the Mainconcept DV codec.

My workflow so far is taking the original and using Pinnacle Studio to convert to 16:9. It works as far as converting the video but the converted video loses a lot of clarity from the original 640x480.

I've tried deinterlacing first in Virtualdub, this actually seems to make it worse.

Shouldn't it be possible to accomplish this within Virtualdub? I've tried the resize filter but no configuration I've tried has worked.

I often seem to get a response where someone says "I use AVIsynth." I'd like to see if this can be done within Virtualdub.

Thanks.

[poisondeathray]

Why don't you use 4:3 DV ?

So you want to export 16:9 NTSC DV and pillarbox 4:3 content ?

What is the original format? 640x480 MJPEG, but what FPS ? Progressive or Interlaced ?




Normally, you would add 106px borders to the left and right first , then resize to 720x480
(The square pixel equivalent of 16:9 NTSC is ~852x480 . So 852-640 = 212 . 212/2 = 106 to left and right)

I would use avisynth , but there is an equivalent filter in vdub for adding borders, I don't recall what the name of it is.

There are several other issues if your content is interlaced (you can't do a straight resize vertically...but i guess it doesn't matter because you aren't resizing vertically...) , and it won't be "real" DV unless you have at least 60fields per second. (eg. If your camera recorded 30fps progressive)

[brassplyer]

Why don't you use 4:3 DV ?

Adding some 4:3 footage to a project that contains 16:9 video.

What is the original format? 640x480 MJPEG, but what FPS ? Progressive or Interlaced ?

The cam outputs 30 fps, though easy enough to convert to 29.97. My assumption is that the Coolpix outputs interlaced but I can't say for sure.

Normally, you would add 106px borders to the left and right first , then resize to 720x480
(The square pixel equivalent of 16:9 NTSC is ~852x480 . So 852-640 = 212 . 212/2 = 106 to left and right)

I would use avisynth , but there is an equivalent filter in vdub for adding borders, I don't recall what the name of it is.

Okay thanks, I'll look into it.

[poisondeathray]

In my experience, most cameras that shoot MJPEG are progressive.

Wouldn't it be easier just to do everything in your editor ?

[brassplyer]

In my experience, most cameras that shoot MJPEG are progressive.

Wouldn't it be easier just to do everything in your editor ?

Might be easier but the results doing it strictly within Pinnacle using the "Convert 4:3 to 16:9" preset look like crap. The original mjpeg looks surprisingly good for an inexpensive camera.

[poisondeathray]

What do you mean "crap" ? Do you mean distorted aspect ratio? or is it a low quality compression issue ?

[brassplyer]

What do you mean "crap" ? Do you mean distorted aspect ratio? or is it a low quality compression issue ?

Image loses a lot of clarity.

I've gotten the best results so far converting the mjpeg to uncompressed converting to 16:9 letterbox with a resize filter within Virtualdub and then going to DV avi, again within Virtualdub. Going directly from mjpeg to DV seems to be a problem.

[poisondeathray]

Why don't you use uncompressed all the way, or some lossless codec ? At least you can eliminate DV generation loss

And if you do it in avisynth, you can eliminate YUV=>RGB=>YUV colorspace conversion losses

[manono]

You lose resolution when converting 4:3 to 16:9 with pillarbars. It shouldn't really look like 'crap', but it may be of noticeably lower quality. Sometimes, though, it can't be helped as in your example of mixing 4:3 and 16:9 sources in a 16:9 project. If it really does look lousy, I'd guess you're doing something wrong somewhere along the way.

Oh, you can also resize something like:

LanczosResize(544,480)
AddBorders(88,0,88,0)

[brassplyer]

You lose resolution when converting 4:3 to 16:9 with pillarbars. It shouldn't really look like 'crap', but it may be of noticeably lower quality. Sometimes, though, it can't be helped as in your example of mixing 4:3 and 16:9 sources in a 16:9 project. If it really does look lousy, I'd guess you're doing something wrong somewhere along the way.

Something about what Pinnacle Studio is doing to it seems to be the problem.

[poisondeathray]

...

Oh, and the resize should be something like:

LanczosResize(592,Height)
AddBorders(64,0,64,0)

You added way too much pillarbars, pdr.

bad math ? opps sorry

i don't understand... i did it as square pixel equivalent 852x480 . 640+106+106 = 852 . so the borders were added , then resized to 720x480 .... what is wrong with this ?

[manono]

Oops, you read it before I edited it. I apologize. I had a setting wrong in FitCD. When I fixed it I realized you were right. And FitCD came up with a similar script (similar amount of pillarbars after the resize to 720x480 when done your way), but resizing before the AddBorders. Again, I apologize.

[poisondeathray]

No problemo manono

I had pinnacle installed once.... never again. Garbage.