Scripts and filters for an Opera (sample videos included)

[jairovital]

Hi folks

I am trying to improve visual quality of one video captured from old VHS. This is about an opera at Le Theatre Français De La Musique, in Paris.

I am not an expert in video restoration and I tryed to learn some Avisynth scripts and Virtualdub filters. After some days sleeping late and getting no acceptable results I am asking some help from you guru guys, far experient in such things like scripts, filters, tricks and magic handles with videos.

I ripped the video from DVD using DVDDecrypt. After that I used Womble Mpeg to cut some parts and saved it as Mpeg-2 stream. Now, it's show time! How to get a better look of this 3 parts of the video?

http://www.4shared.com/video/ljWcaKt7/forum01.html
http://www.4shared.com/video/4AWcXNJ3/forum02.html
http://www.4shared.com/video/FD8yMg5K/forum03.html

Increase sharpness? Deinterlace? Denoise? Too many commands... too many parameters... I admit I am lost.

I followed some threads here looking for something similar, but got nothing I was needing.

Then, if someone has ideas or some directions I must go, I'll appreciate 'em. My goal is to author it using DVD-Lab Pro.

Thank you for your attention

jairo

[davexnet]

AS I mentioned in the PM, I did a quick and dirty on the clip posted in the first thread.
Basically, just removed some of the green cast, minimal noise reduction, and spread the audio over both channels.
(Did the whole thing in Adidemux except for the audio, for which I used Sound Forge )

Keep it interlaced if you plan to create a new DVD from it.

[davexnet]

Here's the file I did earlier. I kept it in the original format using AVIdemux.
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?g5muwnlnmg2

[pirej]

Hi, i did some editing on "forum01.avi" , see the comparison.
I used tdeint, ColorYUV, Tweak(sat), Sharpen, MDegrain3, and in virtualdub camcorder color denoise with msu-smartsharpen.

[jairovital]

Thank you pirej. Your suggestions gave me new ideas. I will apply by myself your commands and parameters on other parts of the movie to see if it suits.

Davexnet, your valious advices were tremendous. I've never tryed Avidemux. Great tool. Its output is Mpeg-2? I didn't understand why you split fields before apply noise temporal reduction. Is it because source video is interlaced? And you want to get more control over the process?

Please, may you say the profits of two-pass mode. I am not sure if this was the reason because I got two different outputs using TMpegenc and CCE receiving Virtualdub frameserve. Using default parameters CCE gave me almost double sized output files comparing with TMpegenc. Do you know why?

About the audio, I converted it to WAV and opened it with SoundForge 8. I think because of that mishandle with my codecs I couldn't see or hear nothing on sound graphic, either right nor left channel... It is very, very annoying and frustrating thing is happening with my system...

Resuming my remaining doubts:
1 - AVIdemux's output can be Mpeg-2?
2 - Why you split fields before apply noise temporal reduction?
3 - Pro's and Contras of one and two pass modes
4 - TMpegenc or CinemaCraftEncoder? Which you prefer?

Sorry if I post too many questions, but I think it can be useful for other newbie users like me.

Thank you

[sanlyn]

Hi folks

I am trying to improve visual quality of one video captured from old VHS. This is about an opera at Le Theatre Français De La Musique, in Paris.

I am not an expert in video restoration and I tryed to learn some Avisynth scripts and Virtualdub filters. After some days sleeping late and getting no acceptable results I am asking some help from you guru guys, far experient in such things like scripts, filters, tricks and magic handles with videos..

Gee, jairo, not much magic. Mostly, just a lotta work. To get a starting handle on some non-magic, the best place I know to begin is here http://www.digitalfaq.com . Take your time. Start at topic 1 and just follow the sequence of links in the left-hand index on each page. Many in this forum started at digitalfaq. The only magic we know is patience and perspiration.

I ripped the video from DVD using DVDDecrypt. After that I used Womble Mpeg to cut some parts and saved it as Mpeg-2 stream. Now, it's show time! How to get a better look of this 3 parts of the video?

Umm, wait a minute. Did you say this was a capture from VHS? We need a little more detail about the hardware/software you used to capture, and to what video format and size you made your original capture, for example, did you originally capture from VHS to DVD (MPEG2)?. The link you provided leads to 352x480 AVI files using DivX compression. Is this the frame size you intend for your final DVD?

If you're trying to clean and edit your original capture using DivX-compressed files, stop what you're doing immediately and go back to your original capture files. DivX is a very lossy compressor: you started with a lossy compression to begin with (DVD/MPEG2), then lost more data with the ripping process to DivX, then lose even more quality and get new color and noise problems every time you open and and process your clips.

You should record VHS directly to a computer in uncompressed AVI or huffyuv-AVI. If your original VHS plays at 640x480 (4:3) image ratio, your capture size should be 640x480. Keep working with that image size until you get to the final render of your output DVD (the rendering software will convert from 640x480 to 740x480 or 704x480. The latter frame size would be more ideal for a 4:3 original, but both sizes are DVD standards). As much as possible, always work with the image size that you intend to display as your final product.

If your original capture is standard DVD, its frame size will be 720x480. When you convert to AVI, do not resize. Resizing isn't that simple. The AVI you work with will be 720x480. If your original capture was 352x480, you'll be stuck with that size. Do not attempt to enlarge it. If you need to see that image in 640x480, capture a frame and resize it in a photo editor so you can see what you're doing.

If you made your original capture directly to DVD, there was no need to "rip" using other software. VirtualDub can open DVD, .VOB, etc., and convert it directly to uncompressed or huffyuv AVI. There are other ways to do it, each has its own advantages, but simpler is almost always better. Do not attempt to make any corrections when going from DVD to AVI. Trying to clean up MPEG is futile. The rip-and-convert and recompress process you went thru was unnecessary and inflicted a lot of damage onto your original capture (which I hope you saved. NEVER work on the original. Make a copy).

If you can make a new capture, play your VHS directly to AVI at 640x480. You can make the capture via VirtualDub using huffyuv lossless compression. The capture will take about 30-GB. You don't really have to capture to raw uncompressed AVI, but if you do you'll need about 100-GB. There are other ways to do it and all depends on your capture hardware. But working with 352x480 will be tough going.

Increase sharpness? Deinterlace? Denoise? Too many commands... too many parameters... I admit I am lost.

If you're not familiar with those terms, just stay with the digitalfaq link for a few pages and you'll catch on. Most of us, however, use a few rules referring to this specific question:

(a) Never sharpen without removing noise first. Why would you want to sharpen the noise with the rest of the image? It just makes noise more difficult to clean, if not impossible.

(b) Clean the noise first, then correct color. Do not attempt to do both at the same time.

(c) Sharpen last. Be very careful, as many sharpening filters can make your video look worse.

(d) If your intended output is standard DVD, NEVER deinterlace.

Then, if someone has ideas or some directions I must go, I'll appreciate 'em. My goal is to author it using DVD-Lab Pro.

Thank you for your attention

jairo

You'll be doing your cleanup work in AVI format. You'll have to render AVI into MPEG before authoring. The best (and IMHO, the only) way to go from AVI to MPEG is with TMPGenc Encoder 2.5. Yeah, I know, it's soooo 2002! I've used others, and I was really sorry I did. Don't let anyone tell you something ain't cool because it has some age on it. TMPGenc 2.5 works. Period. Hell, it only costs $37 (http://tmpgenc.pegasys-inc.com/en/download/tp.html. It has a so-so noise filter that you should avoid, but you'll love its built-in color tweaks.

The files you furnished have noise and other problems that won't look suitable on today's HDTV's. If you're playing on a CRT it might seem OK, but an LCD will choke on this video.

[jairovital]

Great sanlyn!

Man, everybody here got a lecture from you! Those valious advices how to capture, to handle, to use filters (after or before one and another), resolutions and so on... Excelente! I won my day. To join this forum was the best thing I did these days. Also, you are very right: go to FAQ pages and read and read and think how the things work.

Explaining:
The Opera Mignon we are talking about came to my hands from a friend who is an opera collector. He lives in Rio de Janeiro and loves this kind of stuff he calls "pieces of fine art". In the past he owned tons of VHS tapes. He told me, few years ago he began to transfer those VHS to DVD. Opera Mignon wasn't among them. He said it is rare and it came from another friend of him as DVD format and nobody knows how they capture that. The result is what we seen: 352x480 res.

Then he asked me to clean and improve that DVD video. So, my challenger is to make another DVD with a new look video. My first disapoitment was the audio. Something very weird, maybe planned by that guy who lives in hell, put an audio codec in that source stream my system cannot decode, no matter what I do. I created a thread here and if you have time, take a look at:

https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/322414-That-audio-track-is-hiding-itself-somewhere
(I don't know what happened with some screenshots I put there...)

If you want to see a part of movie with audio, go
http://www.4shared.com/video/BKC07Ri6/test.html

I know about the loss thing. I put samples for you, encoded with ffdshow codecs, to reduce file size. I am working on mpeg source files and I kept original in safe place.

sanlyn, despite resolution is 352x480 it looks 4:3 when loaded in PowerDVD. But when I load in Virtualdub or other software it looks squeezed horizontally. Do you know why? Is that think called anamorphic?

Thank you once again. Everybody wins when gurus join the speech.

[jairovital]

Davexnet, thanks your tips on audio, finnaly I could hear it! But it remains a misterious secret for me.

As you could see, only one channel seems to have sound. Nothing on the other. I opened original wav audio with SoundForge but no sound at all. Graphics displays was saying me that there was an audio track there, but no sound could be heard. Then, following your steps I converted it to mono. BINGO, that audio had come! Why couldn't I hear sound when it was stereo? I checked windows output wav balance. Pushed slider to left and to right. If that wav file was stereo, I hear nothing.

Here you have original audio track and the mono one. Only the mono version play some sound here.
http://www.4shared.com/file/NkkHhYjD/corte_or.html
http://www.4shared.com/file/PDZJOCAf/corte_mono.html

Both are wav PCM files... This is guiding me to conclude that the problem was not with my codecs anymore, as I was thinking.

Any clues?

[sanlyn]

Great sanlyn!

Man, everybody here got a lecture from you!

oops! Hope it didn't sound so much like a "lecture", jairo, but more like notes on how many people approach these conversions. Don't forget, I started at digitalfaq, too. Maybe it sounded a little dry because I was typing at 2-AM.

sanlyn, despite resolution is 352x480 it looks 4:3 when loaded in PowerDVD. But when I load in Virtualdub or other software it looks squeezed horizontally. Do you know why? Is that think called anamorphic?

VirtualDub is an editor, not a media player. If your image size is 352x480, that's what it looks like in most editors. You can resize the VDub viewing windows: they would be 480 pixels high, so widen them to 640. Place your mouse pointer squarely on the right-hand border of the frame, then hold the left mouse button down and drag the border toward the right. You can't really measure the input/output frames in pixels, but you can estimate it. Find an image with a circle in it and size the viewing frame until the circle is round instead of egg-shaped. You can open .jpg, .bmp, or .gif images in VDub my clicking on File...Open...Image Sequence...(Make sure you use an image sized to your video's size). What I usually did, though, was just widen the frame until it looked approximately correct.

Thank you once again. Everybody wins when gurus join the speech.

Gosh, I don't know about guru, jairo. Thank you very much, but I think it's more a matter of me just having been around the block a few times.

[davexnet]

jairovital, if your unable to hear the stereo wav, I don't know what else to suggest except
you possibly have a problem with your sound card, driver or system setting. It's uncompressed PCM, no codec involved.
The level is low and it's only on the right channel but it plays just fine.

Look in the Windows control panel at the "sounds and audio devices" (XP - not sure what it is in Vista or Win 7)
Check the Audio tab for anything amiss.

Avidemux's output can be almost anything. Instead of video set to "copy" change it to one of the items,
and set the corresponding format. For example, video=mpeg-2 (mpeg2enc), format =mpeg ps (a+v)

Splitting fields is just a precaution in case the noise reduction damages the interlacing.

2-pass gives you a predictable file size - which may or may not be important.

Tmpgenc is well liked, but it's generally recognized that CCE gives a superior output quality. For a high quality free alternative, look at HCenc / HCenc GUI.

[sanlyn]

Tmpgenc is well liked, but it's generally recognized that CCE gives a superior output quality.

Disagree, davexnet (very respectfully, though, I must add). There's mucho debate about TMPGEnc/CCE, but I look at noise and motion handling and TMPGEnc wins, not to mention having color controls and a dandy histogram in its interface. I figure TMPGenc is an easier interface for beginners. Its viewer uses your graphics card's calibrated monitor profile, and you can see what you're doing when you modify the image with its filters. CCE has none of that. But it's jairo's move.

[davexnet]

Ha, Ha, I thought you might defend Tmpg! I own 2.5 myself and it's a great program. You make some good points,
but my opinion was based on the quality of the output only, not taking into consideration it's many
options, ease of use, flexibility, or other factors. However, saying that, it's somewhat subjective.
In fact, in 2010, I wouldn't recommend either.. Why pay $$$ when HCenc is free?
Many of the all-in-one dvd creation programs (such as AVStoDVD) use it. It's excellent for a free product.

[jairovital]

davexnet, I bill some ghost or phantoms living on my computer to forbid me to hear left channel of that stereo file. Just that one, because other stereo files I hear well both channels. Never mind...

yes, sanlyn. Now it is my move and I go to TMPGenc. CCE is giving me big file sizes, using default options, and the looks seems the same, comparing to TMPGenc.

I think I have a final question: the result files, M2V + WAV, are a little bigger than DVD 4.7 capacity. I was thinking to decrease audio bitrate, but the encoder doesn't allow it. The field for audio bitrate is always gray and impossible to change. Then I am forced to decrease video bitrate from 2000 to 1800 kbits/sec. Is it correct? If I leave 2000, encoder warn me the final output exceeds DVD capacity. If I change video bitrate to 1800, no warning shows up.

Then, resuming:
1 - Is it possible to change audio bitrate? Even source file is uncompressed wav file?
2 - Decreasing video bitrate from 2000 to 1800 will bring noticeable loss of quality?
3 - Are there a clever workaround for this?

Thx guys

[sanlyn]

I think I have a final question: the result files, M2V + WAV, are a little bigger than DVD 4.7 capacity. I was thinking to decrease audio bitrate, but the encoder doesn't allow it. The field for audio bitrate is always gray and impossible to change. Then I am forced to decrease video bitrate from 2000 to 1800 kbits/sec. Is it correct? If I leave 2000, encoder warn me the final output exceeds DVD capacity. If I change video bitrate to 1800, no warning shows up.

Then, resuming:
1 - Is it possible to change audio bitrate? Even source file is uncompressed wav file?
2 - Decreasing video bitrate from 2000 to 1800 will bring noticeable loss of quality?
3 - Are there a clever workaround for this?

Thx guys

The ability to alter audio bitrates at this stage of the process depends on the local machine and its software and audio drivers, but at this point you want to maintain the highest audio rates and avoid compression. Converting to Dolby AC3 compression would be done at one of the last steps. Likely you are outputting PCM or MPEG-1 Layer 2, which are fine for editing.

If you are making a DVD (MPEG-2) whose final output size is a 352x480 interlaced frame, a bitrate of 2000 to 1800 VBR would be more than 4 hours of video on one disk. How long is your video? Try looking here before you go on:
http://www.digitalfaq.com/guides/video/convert-tmpg.htm

[jairovital]

sanlyn, my video is 3 hours long. I could unlock audio settings on TMPGenc loading unlock.mcf template. I didn't know about that.

I will try two ways:
a) converting wav to ac3 and
b) lowering audio bitrate just a minimum amount to see if it fits on DVD space. I'll post my results later.

When I could finish this job and fulfill my deadline I will read all that digitalfaq. I promise.

[pirej]

Jairovital, maybe you should do some noise reduction and other restoring on the sound too.. it sounds noisy when played.
I tryed some editing on you're test video, and i hope you like the result.
For the sound.. i just copy the good channel over the "empty one", so i get dual mono.
If you like the result i could give you the script(s), i'm not good at scripting and some tweaking and correcting to the script its needed, but it works(i guess).
Its almost the same filtering like my last post, but since its interlaced and mpeg(i dont like mpeg editing).. i did "deinterlace-unfold side by side" in virtualdub, and i saved the file as avi(mjepg), filter in avisynth, "deinterlace-fold.. " in virtualdub to get interlaced again, and frameserve to TMPGEnc .

[jairovital]

pirej, thank you for your effort working on my video. I liked your results. Please post here exact lines of your script because I want to compare your results with the ones I am working using NeatVideo plugin, to remove noise. How could you split screen with original and filtered results?

Do you know if there is some difference (profits) between dual mono and single channel wav? Is final file size much bigger?

Thx dude

[sanlyn]

sanlyn, my video is 3 hours long. I could unlock audio settings on TMPGenc loading unlock.mcf template. I didn't know about that.

I will try two ways:
a) converting wav to ac3 and
b) lowering audio bitrate just a minimum amount to see if it fits on DVD space. I'll post my results later.

When I could finish this job and fulfill my deadline I will read all that digitalfaq. I promise.

A bitrate of 2000 is low quality, not even as good as slow-speed VHS. 352x480 is optimum at about 4000 VBR (4000 max, 2500 miniimum. Don't worry: TMPGenc is pretty good at making economical use of variable bitrates). Going higher won't do much, but 2000 will look soft, with motion artifacts. Take a quick look at the bitrate charts at the bottom of this page:
http://www.digitalfaq.com/guides/video/introduction-record-capture.htm

I've done many long videos, but always compromised by going to a 2-disk or double-sided project to maintain image quality. Usually with long videos I have to make a test encoding to see just how large the final production will be; that'll tell me when I need to make a disc break. Operas have end-of-act fades, intermissions, etc., and those are usually good spots for a break. It's usually MPEG editors and authoring software that work the AC3 conversion. For an opera, I wouldn't go below an audio bitrate of 256K.

Many encoders including TMPGenc can't work with AC3 audio very well. I'd wait for the final steps to go there, especially if you intend to do some audio cleanup. Like video compression, AC3 is lossy. Each time you re-process you lose a lot, until the final version sounds really grungy. To get a more accurate idea of what's going on with your audio track, try it out with good hifi headphones.

Take a look further into digitalfaq, but don't spend time on parts you obviously aren't going to use. For example, the pages on interlacing likely won't apply, since you won't de-interlace for DVD. For the time being, VHS capture isn't likely to be too useful, either. There's much color correction and stuff to be done; it takes a while to get a handle on that, and will consume most of your time. Compared to image cleanup work, encoding will be a breeze. Let us know when you're ready to tackle color and image density. Digitalfaq doesn't deal much with that. It'll be the toughest part, by far.

[pirej]

1. open test.mpeg with virtualdub, deinterlace with "unfold side by side", use filter "camcorder color denoise" at max setings, and save as mjepg (test unfold.avi) at highest quality, and select without two fields for resolutions hight over 288.
2. write short script named "source":

AVISource("C:\test mpeg\test unfold.avi")
ColorYUV(levels="tv->pc",autowhite=true, autogain=false)
tweak(sat=1.6)

.
3. last script named "whatever":

film="C:\test mpeg\source.avs"
import("C:\SeeSaw v0.3e.avs")
LoadPlugin("C:\mvtools2.dll")

SetMemoryMax(1024)  #set this to 1/3 of the available memory

block_size= 16  
block_size_v= 16
block_over= 8  

source2= Avisource(film)

super = source2.MSuper(pel=2)
bvec1 = MAnalyse(super, isb = true,  delta = 1, blksize=block_size, overlap=block_over)
fvec1 = MAnalyse(super, isb = false, delta = 1, blksize=block_size, overlap=block_over)
bvec2 = MAnalyse(super, isb = true,  delta = 2, blksize=block_size, overlap=block_over)
fvec2 = MAnalyse(super, isb = false, delta = 2, blksize=block_size, overlap=block_over)
bvec3 = MAnalyse(super, isb = true,  delta = 3, blksize=block_size, overlap=block_over)
fvec3 = MAnalyse(super, isb = false, delta = 3, blksize=block_size, overlap=block_over)

denoised=source2.MDegrain3(super, bvec1,fvec1,bvec2,fvec2,bvec3,fvec3,thSAD=800)

sharpened=denoised.Seesaw()#you could have beter sharpening if you tweak Seesaw parametars.

return sharpened

4. open this "whatever" script in virtualdub, add filter "colormill" to reduce the green-gama to -10, and if you want tweak other setings like saturation and etc.
Then add msu-smartSharpen filter, and set it to "overall and borders".
Add deinterlace "fold side by side" to interlace the video again.

5. Frameserve to a mpeg2 encoder of choise.
I know that the workflow isn't great, and that some changes are nessesary, but that's what i did to get the result i got.

p.s. im not into audio editing.. and for the split-screen

a=avisource(aaaa)
b=avisource(aaaa2)
StackHorizontal(a,b)

[jairovital]

pirej,
my god, I didn't know how many steps you run using scripts and filters to archive those results! It looks like a labyrinth. I had to search camcorder color denoise, colormill and msu-smartSharpen filters and SeeSaw.avs script, all of them I never seen before. I got 'em, asking a little help from my friend google, and run your steps. Humm... Interesting...

But there is a little problem at starting: I have a 3 hours long video. If I save "test unfold" using MJPEG codec I am afraid I'll need a lot of space here... Working on a 3 Mb file is easy. Hard is to handle 3 Gb source file, create an intermediate AVI and, after that, frameserve it to another M2V file. I am thinking and considering these.

sanlyn,
reading that page about bitrate at digitalfaq I could see that webmaster does not like too much DVD-Lab team... Maybe because his mention about plagiarism of his pages and went ahead about the software itself... But it was good for me because of that, now I will try Tsunami DVD Author, DVDit PE and Ulead, just tryout.

See ya

[Gavino]

film="C:\test mpeg\source.avs"
...
source2= Avisource(film)

It's better (more efficient) to use Import() instead of AviSource() to open an external script.
Otherwise you are loading the whole of Avisynth a second time.

[pirej]

Thanks Gavino, im still learning how to use avisynth and most of it i do it by testing and errors, so im thanks-full for every advise i get, thanks again.
What would be an alternative for not making an intermediate avi file???
Using ffmpegsource2( i dont edit mpeg often), separate fields....filtering.. and then weave??

[jairovital]

Gavino, good to know that. I'll use Import() in my tests. Thx.

Guys, I think I'll go with this version of filters. I used NeatVideo and levels only. First could do a good job cleanning and the second one could bring more light.

Listening opinions...

[jairovital]

I am not expert in filters and scripts. Is there any filter to remove VHS dirt around some borders, mainly top one on that sample?

[pirej]

The way you set Neatvideo.. you kill the details more than necessary , its all blured up, but that's you're choice.
And for the chroma( i guess) noise, try the camcorder color denoise, and there are other filters too, ask uncle google

[poisondeathray]

Is there any filter to remove VHS dirt around some borders, mainly top one

For the colored stripe at the top, you can use masks and overlays to limit the damage of the filter to only that top section

If you apply the filter to the entire image, it will degrade and desaturate the colors of the rest of the "good picture"

e.g.

mpeg2source("test.d2v")
assumetff
separatefields
a=last
 
a
chubbyrain2()
smoothuv(radius=7)
crop(0,0,0,-208,true)
b=last
 
overlay(a,b)
weave()

Do this BEFORE any other filters , denoisers, sharpeners, color adjustments.

[sanlyn]

sanlyn,
reading that page about bitrate at digitalfaq I could see that webmaster does not like too much DVD-Lab team... Maybe because his mention about plagiarism of his pages and went ahead about the software itself... But it was good for me because of that, now I will try Tsunami DVD Author, DVDit PE and Ulead, just tryout.

See ya

Actually, DVD-Lab really did steal the idea of that bitrate chart, but changed the presentation. I firtst saw the DVD-Lab version some years earlier at AfterDawn. The digitalfaq version is easier to read.

The authoring software you mention is all good, though ULead can be buggy.

[sanlyn]

The way you set Neatvideo.. you kill the details more than necessary , its all blured up, but that's you're choice.
And for the chroma( i guess) noise, try the camcorder color denoise, and there are other filters too, ask uncle google

The camcorder denoise is partially a blurring filter. It also replaces original noise with new noise. It's a shame, as playback would be the ideal time to use such features, but they really won't help that type of VHS noise.

[jairovital]

pirej
You are right. The way I set NeatVideo is killing too many details and becoming the video too much blurry.

poisondeathray
right, I plan to apply filters using masks and overlays to limit the range of the filter, not entire image. I'll test your suggestion.

sanlyn

The digitalfaq version is easier to read.

I agree. I became a fan of http://www.digitalfaq.com. It's actually a treasure for whom wishing to learn about digital media revolution and video. Nice place to spend hours reading and astonishing with new tricks we never heard before.

Once again, you're correct: to avoid NeatVideo's default settings. As you've already said, I have small room (352x480) to find a good profile (noise sample) for plugins calculations. It's always saying "area not uniform in Y, Cr, Cb channels", or "area too small". But my biggest mistake was to use its default settings. Your tips on how to find a good place to elect "my noise" were great. Fades and lead-in/out, etc. But a question: that noise sample is good for the whole movie?

I would thanks god a lot if he gave me a 30 hours day, or even more... I have to learn digitalfaq, I have to read NeatVideo's manual deeply, I want to test all your nice suggestions I get everyday here, I need to finish that Mignon Opera definitively! It's a hard time.

But wait. I am not complaining myself, or even yourself. Here is being a very good place to listen nice people, who spend their time to give me some hand. Thanksgiven to find VideoHelp.

Now, back to work.

sanlyn, I am not sure you say when talking about grain. Grain I want to remove is that one that is behind the caracters, someway flickering the background. I am not trying to give a digital look to the video, but I'd love to stop that little flickering at background, at curtain of stage. To archive that I put to much blur on filters, killing details, as pirej already said.

Also, I found a interesting script, maybe some of you already know. I'm talking about a smart guy called Fred. Take a look here:
http://www.vimeo.com/2823934
and here:
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=144271

Here you find his script. But as he said at the introduction, his script do not apply very well to low res and VHS footages...

sanlyn, do you think there are something among his script I may use to advantage? If I apply it "as it", result is useless.

So, hoping not had tired you, it enough for now.

Thx folks

jairo

[pirej]

Videofred's script its for progresive video with no duplicates or blended fields, so if you want to use that script and test it for youre (inappropriate)video, you should do some preparations on the video before you use that (modified by you)script.
You can try lowering the sharpening x5 times, disabling the stabilization(set maxstabv/h to 0), disable croping, increase denoising strenght and frames, disable frame-interpolation... etc etc good luck