how to remove noise from my recorded videos

[harmeetmatta]

i use pinnacle pctv 110i to record tv shows on to my pc....but all my captures have a lot of noise and greyness...as a result i m not happy with the video quality...i save my videos to mpeg2 format...i tried everythin from changing the cable wire to keeping my speakers away and all possible ways of reducing background noise....but i still cant figure out why there is noise in my captures

below is an image of a recorded tv show...pls help me and lemme know is there any way i can reduce this noise and make the quality better...pls suggest any nice software if possible

[nick1977]

To get the greys to be black should be a matter of changing the brightness contrast settings for the capture device.
As for removing the noise, the first thing to do is work out where the noise is eminating from.
Sorting out the brightness first will probably help to lessen the obviousness of the noise. Following that, check how the noise level compares with the picture going direct to TV. If TV picture is OK, then all that is left to do (other than changing your capture device) is trying to use a different video codec. A lot of that noise looks like it's coming from too much compression. Trying something like huffyuv or DV might be an idea, although takes a lot of space and needs conversion to MPEG2 afterwards if that is your desired output.

Hope this helps
Nick

[lordsmurf]

It might be your settings -- that looks to be low res, low quality presets in whatever you're using.

[harmeetmatta]

well...i tried changing the resolution and other settings...worked to some extent...changed over to christv software...and observed major changes...way better quality...but still white and black dots noticable and greyness still there to some extent.....

i would like to know my tv card has its own sound output...should i turn off and can that be the cause for this noie...?
if yes...pls lemme knw how do u do that

i have woofer speakers and wireless mouse nd keyboard ...can they be a cause in some way for the noise ??

is there a way i can figure out through some software or something whether its the capture card of the cable wire that is the culprit....

there is tv in my living room and that is probably connected to d same cable wire but on the tv i see better quality.....

pls lemee knw the way forward....i want good quality on my recorded shows thnx in advance

[nick1977]

Check the settings in the hardware and adjust brightness / contrast until the black areas really are black rather than grey.
Then you need to look at the resolution you are using and the codec you are using for capturing.
Not sure what India use, but if it's NTSC you should capture at 720x480 (max) or if it's PAL 720x576 (max)

Good luck

[nick1977]

Also I doubt the onboard sound has anything to do with the noise you are getting

[harmeetmatta]

well i m using Pal B and the resolution i have kept is 720 by 576 with 25 fps and the recorded files are .mpeg2..
i hv no idea abt the codecs...can u give me some info on the codec...which one should i install nd whats the best ...
i would also like u to note that my recorded files are big...they are hell huge... a recorded video of 8 mins occupies 600mb of disk space...pls temme a good codec which has good quality nd the file size is reduced...although file size is not a big priority...i want the quality to be the best possible...
pls leme knw ...thnx

[hech54]

Why does your screenshot clearly say DIVX in the lower right corner?

[harmeetmatta]

^
This was recorded in .avi extension....i think
but the bottom line is whether i use avi or mpeg2 the video quality is exactlty the same...no improvement at all

[nick1977]

The best quality codecs are ones that use losless compression, such as huffyuv, but they take up a lot of space
I tend to use dv nowadays, as it's a good compromise between size and quality and easy for editing.
I say again though, check the settings on your capture device such as brightness/contrast.
What I see at the top of this page looks badly configured, and is probably playing a major part in your perception of quality.

Nick

[hech54]

^
This was recorded in .avi extension....i think
but the bottom line is whether i use avi or mpeg2 the video quality is exactlty the same...no improvement at all

Well when you are certain what you are recording in(mpeg1, mpeg2, uncompressed avi or something in an .avi container) then come back and tell us.....and I can find no information on the capture device you are using.

[harmeetmatta]

ok here we go....some more info on my problem...hope this information makes things clear

first of all heres the link for information on my capture card
http://reviews.cnet.com/tv-tuner-adapters/pctv-110i/1707-9332_7-31390080.html

below are some images i hv printscreen...all with the extension of .mpeg2 with the settings of 25fps...

the problem is not only in the recording but while just watching also the quality is the same

i have uploaded image of the codec options under .avi settings and in .mpeg recording there are no options for codecs...the only thing i can change is the video frame rate...sound ....and window size...which i hv kept the same as .avi

i have also uploaded image of video improvement settings...pls temm which option to choose here...i hv 9600gt graphic card

[harmeetmatta]

the first 2 images are the ones which are possibly the best brightness and contrast i hv seen.....and the next 2 are the settings ...pls temme the way forward now...i would also like 2 knw if i use my tvtuner nd graphic card 2gether will it help in imprvoin the video quality...nd what is advanced video rendering....and does deinterlacin help in some way ...if so which option should i choose

all the help so far is appreciated....really thankful for the information nd concerend shown by the Videohelp members

Thanx again

[harmeetmatta]

people...pls temme what to do now

should i change some settings....or make some changes in the software etc

should i change the tv tuner...?

or should i change the anolgue cable....pls temme...this poor video quality is disturbin me alot

the images i hv uploaded still look ok...but i use 22inch lcd and when u watch it on full screen the images get worse and worse...

[harmeetmatta]

ppl pls reply

[lordsmurf]

Why are you deinterlacing?
Why are you using Windows Media format to capture?

MPEG-2 is a format, not a codec or wrapper. AVI is a wrapper, and codecs hold the video formats.
MPEG-2 is not the same as a AVI or even close. MPEG is the wrapper, the codec and the format all at once.

[cd090580]

Does you incoming signal is clean ???
It seems to be a lot of analog noise....

[harmeetmatta]

Why are you deinterlacing?

because it helps in reducin the blurness in movin objects......correct me if i m wrong ??

Why are you using Windows Media format to capture?

what is windows media format....??...i donno...temme which format to chose ?

MPEG-2 is a format, not a codec or wrapper. AVI is a wrapper, and codecs hold the video formats.
MPEG-2 is not the same as a AVI or even close. MPEG is the wrapper, the codec and the format all at once.

what should i do then ...?
stick to mpeg2 or .avi....what do yu suggest ??

[harmeetmatta]

Does you incoming signal is clean ???
It seems to be a lot of analog noise....

How do yu check if its the noise from cable ??

i use the same cable which goes to the tv in the living room...but there i can see better picture quality....is it js because its tv and i can process the images better ??

should i switch to satellite tv...wil that hlp ??

for me the priority is recording with high quality of picture nd audio nd writin them on discs..pen drive etc...

i don mind goin for a new setup....probably a better tv tuner card for recordin nd satellite tv box for better quality ..

what do u suggest ??