VHS video correction?

[T. Scott]

I'm in the process of digitizing of an old karate VHS video recorded way back in 1983/1984 that isn't in the greatest condition. The video suffers from distortion pretty much throughout the tape.

Would a Sima Video Copy Master help correct the problems I'm seeing, or is this a job for a time base corrector such as the TBC-1000?

Alternatively, are there any software packages out there that could correct the distortion? (Short of me editing individual frames, anyway.)

Below are some example frame captures showing the distortion. The left side of each image is a good indicator of how the frames are being warped.

Thanks in advance!!!
--tim

see images below

[macleod]

am on dialup and couldnt wait for the picture to finish downloading. It looks like you picked the wrong field (the film is interlaced video). Whatever encododer you used, pick the other field. Do a short clip and see if it improves

where did you train? I went to black belt karate association in St. Ann Mo?

[T. Scott]

I went with the same exact settings I've done with other videos (which have worked flawlessly). This is the only video that I've had problems with so far. I presumed it is due to the age -- it's pushing 20 years old.

I've trained (and continue to train) in good old Fargo, North Dakota.

--tim

[T. Scott]

Here are the same frame grabs, only in JPG format and much smaller in size.

(images removed)

--tim

[BJ_M]

what a mess - it is true ..

i did this clean up in virtualdub only in about 5 minutes of playing with it ..




you will lose detail to be sure .. but its smoother ..

[T. Scott]

I'm apparently not making myself clear enough. Look at the black section on the left hand side of the frames. See how it differs between the frames? On a good capture, this should not vary. It should remain consistent across captured frames.

The net effect I'm seeing is that the image is very warbly. That's the part I'd like to correct.

[T. Scott]

Here's a three second sample to see the warble problem. The whole tape is like this -- better in some spots, worse in others. This file is about 2.5MB in size and MPEG-1 encoded.

(link removed)

Once again, thanks for any and all help.

--tim

[BJ_M]

just crop that part off ... its a head/alignment/time problem ...but is it worth it to fix it ? prob. not ...

a good head and roller clean up might help ..

[T. Scott]

1) I think you're assuming something is wrong with my VCR. This is the *only* tape that I have problems with.

2) That black area won't even show up when I encode the thing and play it on my DVD player. The warping that you see there affects the frame all the way across screen. Cropping it will have no effect on the rest of the image, which will still be warped.

3) You say it's a head/alignment/time problem. Is it? My original question was to know whether or not the Video Copy Master (cheap) or TBC-1000 (spendy) would be able to fix the problem. Or is it beyond repair?

[BJ_M]

most likely THAT tape is not aligned WITH your current vcr

your video's - when played on a tv , are over scanned by 10% - so anything outside the 90% area is never seen ...


if it is affected your whole screen -- not likely that any tbc will do much in the way of correction .. not of that problem anyway ..

it may help some -- maybe try it first ..

[tattytails]

[T. Scott]

Yep, cropping is easy enough and makes the edges look nice and smooth, but does absolutely nothing to fix the warping within the rest of the frame. I posted the three images to show how the warping changes as the scene changes.

The area I've outlined below in the frame you cropped is still misaligned.

--tim


(image removed)

[BJ_M]

you will never fix that ..

[Megahurts]

T. Scott

Does the tape look good when playing direct to the TV from VCR? If so, then a TBC would correct the problem.

Chas

[ironwood321]

Hi,
If this tape is a first generation and not a copy of a copy a TBC should be able to sort the problem out.

Trouble with multiple generation copies is that you tend to compound the time base problem and a TBC cannot fix it.

TBC will most likely be able to sort your wobbly edge out as it will lock it to a standard clock.

Do you have the original machine the tape was recorded on? If you do this is likely to play the tape back better.

[T. Scott]

Hi,
If this tape is a first generation and not a copy of a copy a TBC should be able to sort the problem out.

Trouble with multiple generation copies is that you tend to compound the time base problem and a TBC cannot fix it.

TBC will most likely be able to sort your wobbly edge out as it will lock it to a standard clock.

Do you have the original machine the tape was recorded on? If you do this is likely to play the tape back better.

This tape is a copy of a copy of a....

I do not have the original machine.

Thank you for the information.

--tim

[ironwood321]

If you can hire a unit it wont hurt to give it a try.

[Blkout]

T. Scott

Does the tape look good when playing direct to the TV from VCR? If so, then a TBC would correct the problem.

Chas

Agreed, I use a Data Video TBC-1000. Works wonders for many of my tapes.

[SLK001]

A Time Base Corrector is the way to go for video tapes. Most capture cards need a very sharp horizontal sync pulse to trigger the capture of each individual trace. And, a very sharp sync pulse contains a lot of high frequency components, which are the FIRST THINGS to be lost with tape age and copying.

If only there was a way to adjust the triggering threshhold to the level that a TV uses, then your caps would be just like what you see on the TV when played.