Tweaking VHS captures

[sanlyn]

@sanlyn,
Yes, windows does support calibration, however the application has to support managed color. Firefox and Windows Photo Gallery do it. As far as media players, they just need to be able to be set to use the MadVR render, which does all the hard work transparently.
You can use these players: MPC-HC, Zoom Player, J.River Media Center 16, PotPlayer and KMPlayer
As far as setting up MadVR, as far as I can tell you need a ti3 and an icc file. And yes it works with the output of a professional calibrator. So in the end, yes you can have AvsPmod bring up a calibrated player automatically. MadVR bypasses everything in the videocard.

jmac, if I spent as much time and effort as you do in assembling and configuring all this stuff, my video output would be nil. What I have works fine. I'm into cleaning my tapes and archiving a huge collection of over 5,000 movies and programs. What I use now, works. I'd rather spend time mastering a few tools than collecting more. But thanks for all that info, I'll look into it.

After KM Player crashed a 4th time, I removed it from my computer. Too much hassle. Standing on my head and watching two monitors sideways isn't something I'm psychologically prepared for right now. When you come across a way to set media players to use MadVR, you should post a guide for the rest of us.

[jmac698]

When you come across an easier way to set media players to use MadVR, you should post a guide for the rest of us.

Really? In MPC-HC, it's just Options->Playback->Output and click MadVR (once you install it). There's further steps to calibrate it, however if you send me your calibration files I can convert them, and you just click install and there you have calibrated playback. I believe there's converts to work with EyeOne.

Anyhow, if you don't need it that's fine, I probably tinker too much and should be more like you
However I should say, if you delve deep into things you're able to do things that no one else can do, because they would never spend the time to do it. And I have done things very few have done

Hmm, I should make an installer for madvr+mpc-hc+automatically set up calibration from your calibration files. I don't think it's been done and would be very useful.

[sanlyn]

MPC-HC? Try it with your ATI All In Wonder installed. Follow MPC-HC instructions when you first open it. Then throw your capture card away, or reinstall your OS.

[Cherbette]

@jmac698 i downloaded avs2dvd gonna try it out. I'm guessing it must encode avi to DVD? Or does it need to be encoded to MPG first using something else. That's my issue...if I encode to mpg with lossless audio I'm going to have m2v+wav and they will be separate.

[poisondeathray]

Yep, avs2dvd supports pcm audio. Go to preferences, audio, choose wav. And it inputs your script directly, so you need to add audio to your script. It does not support adding a separate wav file.

I think it does , although I haven't made a DVD with it. Just select *.* all types of files in the drop down box when importing, it seems to import fine on a mini test

[Cherbette]

I really like Tmpgenc for encoding so I don't know about letting avs2dvd encode to MPG but I'll test it out and see what it can do...I've downloaded several DVD author programs over the last day now it's time to test and compare

[jmac698]

@Cherbette,
Good job for the effort you're going through to work it out for yourself. And thanks to poisondeathray we can force it into accepting wav. I had thought you would open the script directly as your input file. You can have a script return sound on it's own without any conversion to wav. The sound is just copied from your source file through the avs. Anyhow now you can use tmpenc and a separate wav.

@sanlyn
I have an all-in-wonder, but it's not installed at the moment. I don't think I have an AGP based mainboard around anymore Too bad, I have an Asus/Nvidia 3d shutter glasses card which would be quite useful 10 years later when 3d got popular again (how ironic!).

[Gavino]

You can have a script return sound on it's own without any conversion to wav. The sound is just copied from your source file through the avs.

Not sure what you mean by this.
Avisynth always delivers raw uncompressed LPCM audio.
Of course, if your source is LPCM (as for Cherbette), there's no conversion, but that's not true in general.
For example, an AC3 source is not "just copied from your source file through the avs".

[jmac698]

@Gavino,
Yes I agree, I was speaking in context as we had understood that the project used uncompressed audio at capture. In that case, there is no need to extract a wav from the original avi (huffyuv/pcm) and you can pass the audio through the avs without loss.

@cherbette
So were you interested in my offer to play with your commerical if I had 3 copies of it?

[Cherbette]

Oh yeah I meant to get back to you on that...being that jagabo confirmed my copy is 3rd generation would it still benefit from the treatment?

[jmac698]

It depends on which generation the garbage was inserted. It's still possible that some amount could be eliminated. Do you know that it's not on Youtube already in a better quality?

[jagabo]

It depends on whether the noise is occurring at playback or embedded in the recording. A third generation copy is going to have some of each.

[Cherbette]

It's worth a shot...any improvement is some improvement. What did you think of that last MPG sample I posted, jagabo (the half breed clip)

[sanlyn]

... What did you think of that last MPG sample I posted...

More importantly, what do you think? The idea is to make a video you like -- within reason, of course. My MPG was too red in this shot. Easy to correct, but I didn't have time. Your skin tones are closer to the utube video.

IMHO the upper midtones are a tad too bright. IMHO, that is; that's just a personal preference. It's rather noisy. Look at the "bristle" on the shadows on Cher's arms. Likely it won't be visible on TV, but in the next sofa shot you'd see it in the fabric and background. Near the end of the clip in the lower right corner there are green speckles that aren't on any previous version.

[Cherbette]

I saw the green speckles you mentioned as well...I'm assuming this is from the ColourLike function. I'm going to try and use a better frame from the DVD and try ColourLike again. Thanks for the feedback

[themaster1]

You have to adjust the levels of your "colouredlike" video (vhs) first so it's as close to the source as it can be, that's the experience i have with colourlike at least. Not to mention,indeed, that each frame from both sources must match in size and content otherwise expect funky effects.