Capturing via DV passthrough or with S-video capture card?

[Alwyn]

Fingers crossed!

[JN-]

[Attachment 82487 - Click to enlarge]

Works aok. Used VHS tape, output RCA/Phono connectors VHS --> GS400 --> PC via firewire. Didn't test S-Video instead of phono but I'm sure it would also work.

Set GS400 to playback without DV tape.

[Alwyn]

Excellent news.

[JN-]

I’d nearly forgotten about testing using via usb, see post #32. I’ll post findings when I do do that.

One oddity re: Mediainfo. I assumed that the 16:9 Pro Cinema file was progressive vs interlaced for DV standard and DV 16:9 modes. Mediainfo reports all three files as interlaced. I spent some time trying to figure which setting I had overlooked if any, for the 16:9 Pro Cinema output.

However, when I loaded the Pro Cinema file into Vegas Pro it identified it as Progressive.

[Alwyn]

I wouldn't have read "progressive" capture into the manual explanation of "Pro-cinema".

[JN-]

I probably got that from inet. i.e. that Pro Cinema takes two of the interlaced frames close together in time and puts them together to make a single frame.

https://www.dvinfo.net/forum/archive/index.php/t-61265.html
“Frame mode creates a progressive frame. Both fields are taken simultaneously and combined in the DSP to create a full frame. The combining process does create a 480 line (NTSC) or 576 line (PAL) frame but the resolution is not the same as if the frame was truly progressive. It looks really good, however, and in some regards is better than if you deinterlaced the video using software.”

I used this ffmpeg syntax to try and nail it down further.

SET _INPUT_FILE="%~n1%~x1"
SET _INPUT_FILENAME="%~n1"
ffmpeg -y -an -sn -dn -i %_INPUT_FILE% -filter:v 'idet' 2>%_INPUT_FILENAME%.txt -f null -

I have output (using NV-GS400) from tape 3 DV.avi test files. 1st. is standard DV, 2nd. is 16-9 DV and 3rd. is 16-9 Pro Cinema pro.

In that order they are 243, 254 and 309 frames in duration.

1st.
[Parsed_idet_0 @ 000002880afe6440] Repeated Fields: Neither: 243 Top: 0 Bottom: 0
[Parsed_idet_0 @ 000002880afe6440] Single frame detection: TFF: 0 BFF: 24 Progressive: 0 Undetermined: 219
[Parsed_idet_0 @ 000002880afe6440] Multi frame detection: TFF: 0 BFF: 44 Progressive: 0 Undetermined: 199

2nd.
[Parsed_idet_0 @ 0000016dc0f36440] Repeated Fields: Neither: 254 Top: 0 Bottom: 0
[Parsed_idet_0 @ 0000016dc0f36440] Single frame detection: TFF: 0 BFF: 0 Progressive: 0 Undetermined: 254
[Parsed_idet_0 @ 0000016dc0f36440] Multi frame detection: TFF: 0 BFF: 0 Progressive: 0 Undetermined: 254

3rd.
[Parsed_idet_0 @ 0000023083f05440] Repeated Fields: Neither: 309 Top: 0 Bottom: 0
[Parsed_idet_0 @ 0000023083f05440] Single frame detection: TFF: 0 BFF: 0 Progressive: 33 Undetermined: 276
[Parsed_idet_0 @ 0000023083f05440] Multi frame detection: TFF: 0 BFF: 0 Progressive: 294 Undetermined: 15

I can make available the test files if u know of a way to check out for Interlaced/Progressive.

The above results do appear to show progressive, probably. i.e. multi frame detection ...
Progressive 294. Undetermined 15 out of a total of 309 frames.

[Alwyn]

I can make available the test files if u know of a way to check out for Interlaced/Progressive.

Easily done in AVISynth (SeparateFields() ), or Vdub (Deinterlace, Double-Rate BFF) and step through the fields. After you've done that, if you get duplicated frames, it's Progressive. If each frame is different, it's Interlaced.

Chuck one up, we'll have a play.

[JN-]

Thanks. I'm not familiar with those programs and there are only so many hours in the day.

The Panasonic pdf info on “Frame mode” was located here but no longer AFAIK. By Steve Mullen.
ftp://ftp.panasonic.com/pub/Panasonic/Drivers/PBTS/papers/Progressive-WP.pdf

[Alwyn]

Hours in the day... how true.

[jagabo]

There's not enough motion in those clips for a definitive analysis. But they all appear to be progressive (encoded interlaced).

[JN-]

Thanks Jagabo. When I did the 3 test clips I was only curious if there was a perceived quality difference between the “Frame mode/Pro Cinema mode and the 16:9 mode. AFAIKSee theres not much in it, the frame mode looks pretty good though.

I was also curious to see if there was any loss going from 4:3 to 16:9 widescreen, but I couldn't see any. So I can see why users would have used one of the widescreen modes mainly.

I wasn't thinking at that time of confirming if it was progressive. If it's any help I can do another Pro Cinema frame mode with movement?

Will do one shortly and upload.

Some users opinions on what frame mode is … https://www.dvinfo.net/forum/archive/index.php/t-45344.html

[JN-]

This is a 2nd. set of 3 files with motion. I used ffmpeg to output a text file for each one.

It shows BFF progressive? for the 1st. 2 files and just progressive for the 3rd. Pro Cinema file.

Am interested if you can analyse these 3 better, thanks.