What am i doing wrong (VHS Restoration)

[sanlyn]

You can try starting here. Will post some of the results later. This uses yadif, but QTGMC might clean up better. If you don't have all the plugins, I'll be back in a while to post some. This script is about as slow as Neat Video. This is just a first effort, to see what we have to deal with without DirectShowSource problems. No work on color yet (that comes last).

LoadCPlugin("K:\AviSynth 2.5\plugins\yadif.dll")
LoadPlugin("K:\AviSynth 2.5\plugins\CheckMate.dll")
LoadPlugin("K:\AviSynth 2.5\plugins\Sangnom.dll")

MPEG2Source("J:\forum\Asesinato\ts123\ts1.d2v")
Checkmate(24)
AssumeTFF()
yadif(order=1,mode=1)
a=last

a
MCTemporalDenoise(settings="low",edgeclean=true,sigma=6,enhance=true)
SangNom(aa=16)
LSFMod()
AssumeFrameBased()
AssumeTFF().SeparateFields().SelectEvery(4, 0, 3).Weave()
ConvertToRGB24(matrix="Rec601",interlaced=true)
Crop(2,0,0,-12)
AddBorders(0,6,2,6)
return last

[sanlyn]

Aside from repairing some torn and garbled frames, there's littke you can do with this capture of "1.ts". You need of a better VCR and a tbc device of some kind. From what I see here, the tape is being played (or was played in the past) on a VCR with bad video heads. The color in the original .ts file (more remarks below) is not far from the natural look of the light under which it was photographed. But an autogain feature, either in the camnera or the capture gear, has done plenty of damage to gamma.

This m2v (PAL, 45MB) of "1.ts" is the result of the script posted earlier.
ts1_openY2_crop_VD.m2v

If you care to run the script and the VirtualDub filters I used, I've attached two .zip files below. The first zip has all the Avisynth plugins used by the script. Inside the zip are two folders. One contains the fftw3.dll that should be copied into your Windows System32 folder (it is a Windows utility that doesn't work in the Avisynth plugins folder). The other folder has all the plugins that should be copied to your avisynth plugins folder. There's also a folder of Avisynth documents, if you're interested.
Avisynth_Plugins_and_Docs.zip

The second zip contains 4 VirtualDub files. Two of those files are vdf plugins to be copied to your VirtualDub plugins. You can also copy the "html" as well (it's the "Help" file for one of the filters). The 4th file is a .vcf of saved VirtualDub settings. To load the filters and their settings, in VirtualDub click "File . . .load processing settings...", then navigate to the location where you saved the .vcf file.
VirtualDub_Plugins_and_vcf.zip

This video was photographed under very warm-colored early morning sun, but the lighting is mixed. Early light is reddish, and shadow in early morn is overly blue. The auto exposure features in the camera have overcompensated, seriously affecting color. I suspect there might be an AGC in your capture device as well, which affects contrast. The tape has been improperly stored and has bad discoloration drifiting in and out in cycles. In any case, I kept most of the natural morning light. The video has no detail -- running more filters and adding more blue makes it look like anime. In the beginning the older man (dad?) walks with the groom, who wears an off-white yellow suit (not white. Make it white by adding blue, and skin turns purple and the shrubs are slate blue, some of it even turns dark gray). They walk in bright warm sun, then enter a shaded area; at that point the auto-gain takes over and ruins the scene.

There are ways to manipulate color and levels even more, but it would take forever -- and you still gain no detail to work with. You need better playback and capture gear. Either that, or let a pro shop at least make a decent DVD you can work with.

[Asesinato]

This thread is on standby alot im making better caps with new gear So maybe it will be better next time, im capturing in lagarith avi now.. so hopefully its going to be alot easyere to clean

[sanlyn]

Good work, asesinato, getting directly to AVI should help. Give us some info on your new gear, if you want. Members always have useful tips about using almost everything.

[mammo1789]

This thread is on standby alot im making better caps with new gear So maybe it will be better next time, im capturing in lagarith avi now.. so hopefully its going to be alot easyere to clean

good for you did you manage to capture with your current setup ( tv card ) or did you buy new one you could buy tv cards ( used good ones for less than 4$ you dont need those fancy new pcie tv cards that are meant for pvr only ) and dvd recorder that you can use as passtrough to stabilize the signal now for only 15$-20$ ( i get one yesterday for less than 8$)
Looking forward to hear from you

[sanlyn]

You might want to keep the zips of Avisynth and VirtualDub plugins. They are very popular and used everywhere, but some of the components are difficult to find. Even with a better capture, you'll still need some of those plugins (at different settings than were used in the script).

[Asesinato]

mammo > Those 3 filters you added, what setting dig you add them under?

[sanlyn]

mammo > Those 3 filters you added, what setting dig you add them under?

Same mistake made earlier, asesinato. You can't fix the interlace and levels problems of this video in VirtualDub. The autogain and special effects filters made it worse than you started with. Your choice.

[themaster1]

Can't you upload a sample Asesinato ?

[Asesinato]

themaster it is the one i uploaded clips of in the start of the thread.. I tried to cap it in virtualvcr but that failed, so this is what i have to work with

[themaster1]

at the start of the thread hmm i only see .ts files

[sanlyn]

So be it, then. But you have some repairs to do in Avisynth before going to VirtualDub. The worst problems are not addressed. There are bad interlace/line timing artifacts that only avisynth can fix. The script I used earlier cleans up some of that, but the special effects and auto filters aren't helping. And it still seems to me that your player has bad video heads. The only way around that is a better player. The line timing problems (wrinkles, ripples, skipped frames, ripped frames, other bad frames, jitter) will look pretty bad on TV. Only a tbc of some kind can fix that. Once those problems get encoded to digital video, they're permanent.

If you do the same things you did earlier, you'll get the same results. Don't discard the tapes. You'll wish you hadn't.

[Asesinato]

Master thats the one. Thats the raw capture

[Asesinato]

Hello guys.. Im thinking off buying Panasonic NV-HS930 i got a good deal for a second hand... But will it make any differens at all?

[Asesinato]

Give me some advice

[sanlyn]

Get the Panasonic

[Asesinato]

Is it hard to get a hang off that TBC thats in it?

[manono]

No, not at all. There's a button you push on the outside. When it's lit, it's on.

[Asesinato]

Nice well ill get that on then al capture a new version of this movie... Thx for all your help guys, hopefully it will be easyere to clean up futher caps...

[sanlyn]

There will still be problems, but the results are going to be a big improvement. I think it's a great idea, making the effort to preserve those taped memories.

[Asesinato]

Allready bourght so i just need to go pickup it up.... Cant wait to see the improvenment