HCEnc Q's, is my AVI source interlaced??

[towtruck]

Thanks to all who got me started in a previous thread https://forum.videohelp.com/viewtopic.php?t=328048

I have successfully used HCEnc to create my first *.m2v, used ffmpeggui to get my *.ac3, and experimented with DVDAuthorGUI enough to get the basics down. I'll have it create the ISO imagefile, and have Nero burn it.

Now an encoding question. I have no idea whether my AVI source files are interlaced. My content originates with a Panny GS320, and is edited (and put back into 720x480 NTSC DV-AVI) by Windows moviemaker. I understand GSpot should tell me whether my AVI is interlaced, but I have been reading that it may return an incorrect field order, so I don't trust it. I understand AviSynth should be able to tell me, but haven't figured out how to make it do so.

As long as I'm on the topic, assuming my AVI is interlaced, does it matter whether I have AviSynth de-interlace it and leave the 'interlaced' box in HCEnc unchecked, or let HCEnc handle it?

BTW: I actually created 2 *m2v's, one with the interlaced button checked and one without. I played them back (I think using REAL), and I couldn't tell any difference in quality (maybe just a poor video card??)

[gadgetguy]

The video in the camcorder is BFF interlaced and if your goal is DVD, then it should remain BFF interlaced throughout the process. Assuming WMM capsfers the video in DV-AVI then your source files should be interlaced, but it is important that any editing you do be interlace aware. You say that what's edited is "put back into 720x480 NTSC DV-AVI". Does that mean you are doing cropping and resizing? If so you could be damaging the interlaced video. There is a simple technique in AviSynth to determine field order. Use the command "AssumeBFF.SeparateFields" and then open it in Virtualdub and step through a frame at a time. If the motion jerks back and forth as you step through then the field order is TFF, if it is smooth then it's BFF. You can confirm by using "AssumeTFF.SeparateFields" and trying the same thing. Finally, HCEnc should be set for interlaced and the field order set to the correct setting (in this case BFF).

[towtruck]

The video in the camcorder is BFF interlaced and if your goal is DVD, then it should remain BFF interlaced throughout the process.

Thanks!

I assume you are sure the video is BFF FOR THAT PARTICULAR CAMERA? Or is all DV captured from a mini DV cam BFF?? I don't know how I can change that in WMM, so I assume it remains unchanged.

I am using WMM to do the capture (starts out as NTSC), as well as basic editing operations (cutting, re-sequencing, adding transitions, fades, and titles). Then I 'save back to my computer' in DV-AVI (NTSC). No cropping or resizing.

I'll try your technique for Avisynth and VD just for the education of it. Thanks again!

[gadgetguy]

As far as I know, all Mini-DV cams are BFF interlaced. I don't use WMM so I don't know how interlace aware it is, but I think it's dangerous to assume anything when M$ is involved.

[guns1inger]

Windows Movie Maker has a fundamental flaw when handling video. If you apply any effects or titles over your video, your video gets resized to 640 x 480 square pixels while it is processed. It is then resized back to your native resolution.

If you save as DV-avi, you will get a proper, BFF interlaced DV video.

I would only use WMM if the end result is going to be WMV. For anything else there are much better alternatives.

As advised previously, interlaced material should be kept interlaced through to the final DVD. So it should be encoded as Interlaced by HCEnc.

I would not trust Real to give you a good idea of what the image really looks like. If you really want to find out, encode some samples in different ways, then author and compare on your TV.

[towtruck]

Gadgetguy:

Thanks again for the tip on using AssumeBFF.SeparateFields/AssumeTFF.SeparateFields with VD and AviSythn. I thought I was seeing some jerking using AssumeBFF until I tried AssumeTFF. Good to have a reference point.

Gunslinger: Thanks for the info re: WMM. If I add a title before or after a selected clip in the timeline, is that going to affect any of the clips? I do find WMM pretty easy to use for editing where I don't need lots of fancy efffects, but do an afwul lot of trimming, resequencing etc. What editing app do you recomend? As mentioned earlier, final video quality is my biggest driver.

Thanks again to all!

[gadgetguy]

I do most of my editing using AviSynth/VirtualDub. I sometimes create title/credits clips in an old version of Ulead VS (Version 6 I think, I'm not at that PC right now), saved in DV-AVI format, but then use the clips in AviSynth to combine them with my other video for the final product. I encode using either QuEnc or HCEnc for the video and QuEnc for the audio.