Which Encoder/Converter

[SkyBlues2021]

Hi, I've captured a number of video8 tapes to AVI files with virtualdub. Before I go too far I would like to view one on my tv via a hard drive before I do any restoration. I would be grateful for any advice on how to go about this.
When I've eventually completed my restoration I would like my final output onto hard drives for tv viewing.

Any advice regarding which encoder/converters are the most popular amongst the forum members would be grateful. I've read a bit about Avidemux but my knowledge is very limited. Thanks.

[steptoe]

If you want to view the file and your TV has a USB, just copy the .AVI file to the USB and plug it into your TV. If its fairly recent Smart TV it should play directly from the USB


If it doesn't, try playing it by any of the free players. I personally use PotPlayer or MPC. Both 100% free and play almost everything without any problems




FFMPEG Batch is also free and will very quickly convert to almost any format you wish. MKV or MP4 are the most supported by almost everything unless very old. I use VidCoder, again free, to convert files to x265 HEVC to play on my mediastreamer via EMBY. probably getting above your head by now



https://ffmpeg-batch.sourceforge.io/




For restoration, personally, nothing beats AviSynth. Its free ... again, but takes time to understand and can do a lot. Here quality is better than time. Some people spend literally days on one conversion but the results are stunning when compared to very very poor sources.



https://www.videohelp.com/software/AviSynth-Plus


The installer does everything for you and puts everything where it should be




VirtualDub can do a lot, I still use it occasionally and may be quicker to work with if you have already used it to capture your source

[SkyBlues2021]

Thanks Steptoe. I thought that a AVI file would be to big for the smart tv, but obviously I was wrong. I will try that first as I'm really looking to view it on a smart tv.
Which encoders do most people use? I know I'm a few steps away from that. I've found it difficult to research, any detailed links would be welcome. Thanks.

[rgr]

Use:

ffmpeg -i your_file.avi -aspect 4:3 output.mp4

The quality won't be the best, but it's enough to watch.

Edit:

ffmpeg -i your_file.avi -vf "yadif=1" -aspect 4:3 output.mp4

(to deinterlace)

[jagabo]

Your TV is unlikely to play uncompressed, losslessly compressed, or near losslessly compressed AVI files. And if by some miracle it does it will not detinterlace them.

Convert to AVC video and AAC audio in MP4 for maximum compatibility. Encode interlaced or use a good deinterlacer before encoding. You can use VirtualDub2 or AviDemux.

[SkyBlues2021]

Thanks rgr & jagabo. Yes I looked up my Samsung tv and it doesn't play AVI format. Thinking about it I need to learn how to encode for when I'm finally at that stage.
Is AVC the same as x264? I've read about encoder's the last few evenings and struggled to understand what the differences are between x264 x265 AViDemux virtualdub2 and which one I should choose for my videos. I liked the sound of AViDemux but then read it was buggy, I'm guessing only on some versions? Sorry for all the questions.

[jagabo]

Is AVC the same as x264?

h.264 (also known as MPEG 4 part 10 or AVC) is a specification for compressing video. x264 is a particular AVC encoder. It's free and open source. And it is used by many free and open source editors and encoding programs. AVC is one of the codecs used on Blu-ray discs.

I've read about encoder's the last few evenings and struggled to understand what the differences are between x264 x265

x265 is another free, open source encoder. It is based on the h.265 specification (AKA HEVC). The h.265 spec is a generation newer than h.264. It can compress even more than h.264 while delivering the same quality (or conversely, deliver better quality with the same amount of compression). It is one of the codecs used on Blu-ray Ultra discs. Exactly how much better h.265 is than h.264 depends on the particular encoder used, the nature of the video, how picky you are about particular defects, etc. The intention was to get the same quality at half the size of h.264. The reality is more like 2/3 the size of h.264 in my opinion. But it takes longer to compress and more power to decompress. It also has less compatibility with older devices.

AViDemux virtualdub2 and which one I should choose for my videos. I liked the sound of AViDemux but then read it was buggy, I'm guessing only on some versions?

For many years AviDemux was very buggy -- it would often crash while processing/encoding. I hardly ever recommended using it. But about 3 (?) years ago something was fixed and it became much more reliable. I have no problem recommending it now. VirtualDub2 is more powerful and flexible. You can easily add new filters to it by copying a file into its plugins folder). It also has better editing abilities.

[SkyBlues2021]

Thanks jagabo. Your explanation has made things much clearer. I'm guessing AviDemux and VirtualDub2 are both AVC? I will try both over the weekend, should I use Avidemux 2.8.1 64 bit (the latest version) or are there better earlier versions? Thanks.

[jagabo]

Both AviDemux and VirtualDub2 allow you to pick from a number of different encoders. Including x264 and x265. Recent versions of either program should be fine.

[SkyBlues2021]

Thanks jagabo, I will try both.

[SkyBlues2021]

I've had my first attempt at encoding with Avidemux and I will attempt Virtualdub2 next. I would be grateful for any advice.
I haven't restored, deinterlaced or cropped anything I really just wanted to look at a capture I've done on my smart tv.
I'm hoping I've followed jagabo's advice correctly, I chose MPEG 4 AVC.
In custom configuration I chose Constant Rate Factor (single pass) (not sure if it should have been Constant Quantizer) and I set the quality slider to 18 or should this be 0 highest quality? All the other configure tabs everything was greyed out except for the frame tab which would allow you to change the GOB size, I didn't change this.
I set the audio to AAC (Lav) I'm unsure if the (lav) part is correct, (FDK) was the other option. I didn't change any other settings in audio.
For the output format I chose MP4 muxer. On configure I ticked the Force aspect ratio box and set it to 4:3.
I then saved the new video which is 9.64MB the original being 91.8MB

[davexnet]

The avidemux video encodes the interlaced frames as progressive @ 25fps which causes the two fields to be
mashed together. This is not the way to proceed. If you want progressive, use some kind of double rate de-interlacing
and create video at 50fps

[jagabo]

I've had my first attempt at encoding with Avidemux and I will attempt Virtualdub2 next. I would be grateful for any advice.
I haven't restored, deinterlaced or cropped anything I really just wanted to look at a capture I've done on my smart tv.
I'm hoping I've followed jagabo's advice correctly, I chose MPEG 4 AVC.
In custom configuration I chose Constant Rate Factor (single pass) (not sure if it should have been Constant Quantizer)

Constant quantizer is a mathematically constant quality type of encoding. Constant Rate Factor is also a constant quality encoding but it takes into account what the human eye is more sensitive to. You usually want to use CRF as it gives better quality per bitrate.

and I set the quality slider to 18 or should this be 0 highest quality?

Around CRF=18 is pretty good quality (you won't see much difference between the original and encoded videos at normal playback speed) for video you will be watching -- a good compromise between visual quality and file size. CRF=12 is very high quality (you will barely see any difference when A/B switching between individual frames with a magnifier) but will deliver 2x or 3x larger files. CRF=0 is lossless encoding. Quality will be the same as the source (if nothing else has changed the video) but the file size will be very large, almost as large as your huffyuv source. Higher CRF values will give lower quality and smaller files.

All the other configure tabs everything was greyed out except for the frame tab which would allow you to change the GOB size, I didn't change this.

They are greyed out because you didn't enable the "Use advanced configuration" option on the General tab. Unfortunately, once you enable that you must adjust all the other settings yourself. I don't really use AviDemux. The version I have is a few years old. I don't consider any of the x264 Configuration presets in that version adequate. Maybe there's some more in newer versions? Look for Slow or Slower options in yours.

I set the audio to AAC (Lav) I'm unsure if the (lav) part is correct, (FDK) was the other option. I didn't change any other settings in audio.

I recommend using FDK as it's the better AAC encoder.

For the output format I chose MP4 muxer. On configure I ticked the Force aspect ratio box and set it to 4:3.
I then saved the new video which is 9.64MB the original being 91.8MB

The biggest problem with your encoded video is that it contains interlaced frames but it's encoded progressive. You should either encode interlaced (it's on the Frame tab of the x264 configuration dialog, and should be set to Interlaced, Top Field First) or deinterlace and encode progressive. To deinterlace you add one of the deinterlace filters from the Filters -> Interlacing dialog. In the version I have Yadif (field : Temporal and spatial check, Top field first) is the best option. Look for BWDIF or QTGMC in newer versions of the program. BWDIF is better than Yadif, QTGMC is the best. It probably won't have QTGMC as that's a very complex AviSynth specific filter.

[SkyBlues2021]

Thank you davexnet & jagabo for the detailed advice. I will have another go with Avidemux and hopefully I will keep it interlaced. Then I will try to encode with Virtualdub2. Is the CRF=18 quality specific to Avidemux or all encoders?

[davexnet]

Thank you davexnet & jagabo for the detailed advice. I will have another go with Avidemux and hopefully I will keep it interlaced. Then I will try to encode with Virtualdub2. Is the CRF=18 quality specific to Avidemux or all encoders?

To all encoders that use x264 under the covers (most of them)
To be clear, if you want to keep it interlaced, follow jagabo's instructions about settings on the frame tab

[SkyBlues2021]

Thanks davexnet. Yes I will do. I will post the results in the next few days. Thanks.

[SkyBlues2021]

I've changed some settings using jagabo's instructions and the Avidemux h.264 tutorial hopefully my encoded clip is better. I've attached all the relevant tabs and the original and encoded clip.
I didn't configure the video decoder and left it unchecked.

General tab: I chose preset> slow I'm guessing this is what jagabo meant regarding slow or slower options? once I ticked "use advance configuration" preset> slow became greyed out and I wasn't sure if this setting then became redundant?

Advanced RC tab: I left it as default. I wasn't sure if I should increase the value on the frametype lookahead?

Motion tab: I left it as Hexagonal search. I wasn't sure if most people use the better quality "uneven Hexagonal search" also should I adjust the slider to 11(Best)
I disabled the "weighted prediction for P- frames as the guide said it could cause distorted video.

Partition tab: I checked both the 8x8, 8x16 and unchecked 4x4, 4x16 as per the Avidemux tutorial

Frame tab: I checked the interlaced and TFF.
Adaptive B-frame decision: I changed to optimal
B-frame as reference: I left at Non-strict (not blu-ray compatible)
GOP size: I left at default which I think is ok for PAL

Analysis tab: I only changed the Trellis Quantization to "Always On"

Output 1 tab: I left this at Pixel aspect ratio: custom 1:1 I wasn't sure if I should have changed this to Predefined Aspect Ration 16:15 (PAL 4:3)?

I'm using Avidemux 2.8.1

Sorry for all the questions any advice would be grateful. thanks.

[jagabo]

It's unfortunate that AviDemux force you to choose between x264 presets or full manual control. Some other programs that use x264 let you choose a preset and then add modify individual options as necessary (VirtualDub2 for example). This post has a list of individual settings for each preset:

https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/406282-X264-encoding-Comprehensive-questions-about...ty#post2661941

I suggest that you try to replicate the settings that correspond to the slow preset. Except when you're encoding interlaced you need to add the interlace/tff option.

[SkyBlues2021]

Thanks jagabo. I downloaded virtualdub2 today. Could you suggest any external encoders as I couldn't find any built into virtualdub2.
I will take your advice and try that encoder instead. Thanks.

[jagabo]

Vidoeo -> Compression... should give you a list of encoders from which to choose:


[Attachment 67354 - Click to enlarge]

You won't have all of those because I installed a few VFW encoders. But the x264 8 bit encoder should be there.

[Sharc]

Menu Video->Compression..... (or Ctrl P) opens a menu with a list of internal encoders. Select for example x264 8-bit and press the Configure button.

Edit: jagabo was faster

[jagabo]

By the way, with the x264 dialog in VirtualDub2 you only have a few GUI controls. The rest you have to enter as command line options:


[Attachment 67355 - Click to enlarge]

some helpful x264 references:

https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/MeGUI/x264_Settings
http://www.chaneru.com/Roku/HLS/X264_Settings.htm

[Santiago]

I use Shutter Encoder. It is free.

[SkyBlues2021]

Thank you jagabo, Sharc & Santiago. Thank you for all the information. I will have a look at it tonight and also research how other people use it.
I looked everywhere yesterday for internal encoders, I've have mastered looking in the wrong place down to a fine art!

[ridibunda]

It is not a "VirtualDub2/AVIDemux/Shutter Encoder" thing, it is not a GUI thing, it is an encoder thing.

If you use x265 HEVC video encoder, you will end up with the same quality at a lower bitrate compared to x264 AVC video encoder. Those are ".exe" files (around 20 MB each) executed by command lines (or by third-party GUI's like Megui).

The final quality depends on encoding settings, not the GUI (Megui, VirtualDub, AVIDemux, etc...) being used.

Many GUIs offer you only a few encoding options. Those options are not very effective.

You can't catch up the best quality unless you use Avisynth scripts. The easiest way is like that: First, let MeGUI prepare your AVS file. Then add special scripts to your original AVS file. You'll add extra lines (calling extra filters/scripts) to that AVS ans save it. Then load the new AVS and start the encoding process. That's it.

You have to search which script would be the best for you. There are scripts for denoising, sharping, etc... You will choose the best for you and add it to your original AVS... Each AVS script has its own dependencies (some DLL files) - You will download and keep them in Avisynth folder.

For old video tapes (with lots of grain), TemporalDegrain2 is a very good Avisynth script. If you have a powerful processor, use it.

Focus on such scripts, not on GUIs. Study Avisynth and scripts, if you are obsessed with highest quality.

[lollo]

It is not a "VirtualDub2/AVIDemux/Shutter Encoder" thing, it is not a GUI thing, it is an encoder thing.

Focus on such scripts, not on GUIs. Study Avisynth and scripts, if you are obsessed with highest quality.

Yes. OP had already an indication on how to start with AviSynth and then encode with a simple command line. https://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/video-capture/12805-first-video-capture.html#post85085

[SkyBlues2021]

Thanks ridibunda & lollo. I'm a long way off encoding my video's as I'm still at the capture stage. I want to watch my captures on a tv, just to make sure I'm on the right track before I go too far and I understand that they will need to be restored. However, as my tv won't play AVI files I might as well encode them and try to learn something I will need in the future.

[lollo]

then just encode your captured file with the command line:

ffmpeg.exe -i capture.avi -c:v libx264 -crf 17 -preset slow -aspect 4:3 -c:a aac -b:a 128k output.mp4

The head switching noise will probably be still there, but you have time to later replace "capture.avi" with "input.avs" and restore your capture

[SkyBlues2021]

Thanks lollo. I will try that.

[jagabo]

Your caps are interlaced, top field first. So you need to add that to your command line: "-flags +ilme+ildct -x264opts tff" after specifying libx264. Put this in a batch file, change the path to where ffmpeg.exe is located on your computer, then drag/drop one of your source videos onto it:

"G:\program files\ffmpeg64\bin\ffmpeg.exe" -i %1 -c:v libx264 -crf 17 -preset slow -aspect 4:3 -flags +ilme+ildct -x264opts tff -c:a aac -b:a 128k "%~dpn1_tff.mp4"
pause

Or deinterlace and encode progressive by using "-vf bwdif=mode=1arity=0" between the input and the libx264 specs.

"G:\program files\ffmpeg64\bin\ffmpeg.exe" -i %1 -vf bwdif=mode=1:parity=0 -c:v libx264 -crf 17 -preset slow -aspect 4:3 -c:a aac -b:a 128k "%~dpn1_bwdif.mp4"
pause