Is Something Wrong with This Video?

[koberulz]

I just threw it in VDub and bobbed it to test field order, but it seemed to be blurring the fields or something. Not sure if it's an inherent issue with the video, or something that's fixable, or just a quirk of quickly bobbing like that.

[koberulz]

Firefox doesn't like uploading for some reason, here's the file.

[jagabo]

It was frame rate converted from 29.97i to 25i with field blending. There's no way to restore it back to the original 29.97i with no blending artifacts.

[koberulz]

What tells you that's what happened?

It actually aired in 720p at 50fps, but my cable box converts everything to 1080i.

[jagabo]

I took a closer look at the video and checked ESPN's specs. Judging from the lack of sharpness, and knowing that ESPN broadcasts in 720p, I suspect the original broadcast was 720p60. So, one way or another, there is a frame rate conversion going on. The video was converted from 720p60 to 720p50, then your cable box converted to 1080i25. Broadcasters almost always use field/frame blending when converting NTSC to PAL (or vice versa), and your video shows blending.

But counting the unique motion positions there are 21 different positions over the 24 fields of the video (I used the left edge of the three point line). That implies an original frame rate around 44 fps -- which doesn't make any sense. So something else is going on.

[koberulz]

I dug into the settings on my cable box and changed it to output whatever the signal was, rather than scaling/interlacing, so I could grab the original 720p50 feed. I've attached two samples.

Sample one is from a highlights package at half time. Clearly shows one good frame, one bad frame, one good frame, one bad frame, etc.

Sample two is from live play. Seems like every fifth or sixth frame is good?

This is from ESPN Australia, filmed in Australia. Although it apparently still goes through Connecticut before airing, because reasons.

[jagabo]

Sample1 is a 25p source with a blended frame between each frame to make it 50p. Sample2 is a 60 fps to 50 fps conversion with blending.

[koberulz]

It's the same broadcast. WTF are they doing?

[jagabo]

I don't know. But it's a huge disaster!