Im working with heavily pixilated video ....need advice on sharpening them

[Towersopenfire]

Im working with heavily pixilated video by opening up files from commercially scrambled (think that's the right word) Commercial DVDs for a video project.Im also using a screen capturing device the footage which i plan to dump into Adobe and taeach myself how to edit.First i was wondering if anyone out there could recomend the best free or otherwise live screen capturing device to use?Next Question is can anyone recommend a decent editing or effects package that will in effect sharpen up some of the pixilated footage i have to use.I like the blur too but need to sharpen up some areas for my video to add a bit off variety to the screen visuals in my finished edited work.AnY One out there?

[Cornucopia]

It is a very bad idea to sharpen already overly-pixellated footage, because the sharpening enhances the square edges of the pixel block borders. In effect, making them more noticeably pixellated.
To, reverse the pixellation, probably the best you can do is a couple of "add noise + blur/smooth" iterations.
Which isn't saying much.

However, the great majority of H'wood footage is NOT overly pixellated, even at DVD bitrates. Perhaps you didn't extract the video correctly.
What's your process?

Scott

[Noahtuck]

Perhaps you didn't extract the video correctly.
What's your process?

Scott

Well, as he stated, and if this is the way in which he is obtaining the footage from commercial dvd's,

Im also using a screen capturing device

And

First i was wondering if anyone out there could recomend the best free or otherwise live screen capturing device to use?

That alone would explain it.....

[sanlyn]

And using a Mac, and a laptop..... I'm having trouble trying to imagine ways that would place more severe limitations on available choices or to make the project more difficult, but I'm afraid you're ahead of me. Not that it can't be done, but what is meant by "heavy editing"? Do you mean a lot of cutting/joining, timeline work, removing commercials, correcting color, noise reduction? Neither do we really know what "pixelation" means. You say you already like the "blur" but you want to sharpen it, which.....really doesn't make much sense. Perhaps you could provide a sample of what you're dealing with.