alternates to virtualdub/virtualdub2 that actually work right?

[armyofquad]

Virtualdub and virtualdub2 seem to have some glaring huge bug that has gone ignored and unfixed forever. Absolutely baffling for how much it makes it a nightmare to deal with.

I capture VHS tapes using virtualdub - most of my capture files have no index.

I use scripts to deinterlace and open them and export using virtualdub - more files with no index.

Makes it impossible to use the files, everything barks at me about the indexing issues.

I've brought this topic to this forum multiple times, no one has a damn clue about it.

No one can even come up with a workable method to fix the broken files. It's as if no one around here actually knows anything about dealing with video files.

I eventually find easeus fixo will repair the problematic files, and that's been working fine up until now, although it adds significant time to my workflow, and is absolutely ridiculous I've had to add so much wasted time to my workflow just because some ******* that doesn't know how to program or fix anything has continued to allow this hot mess of a dumpster fire that is virtualdub work it's magic on making completely broken files out of everything it does.

But now I'm capturing full size VHS tapes which are 2 hours, and now with bigger files easeus is running into problems. Creating undeletable files at times requiring me to reboot into safe mode to clean up it's mess. Creating failed saves of repairs, that end in a state where it continues growing the file with garbage data even after it failed to save the repair forcing me to force closed the process and delete the files, and regroup and try again.

It's so much wasted time.

So - is there any alternate to virtualdub that actually works?

[armyofquad]

virtualdub just made another undeletable corrupt file.

This app is just a hot mess of garbage! There's no excuse for this level of incompetence!



Does anyone around here know anything about video conversions with software that actually works? Doesn't seem like it from all my experience here.

[Sharc]

Go for a bike ride

[armyofquad]

I hardly see how that will fix the dumpster fire of an application that virtualdub is.

[armyofquad]

Now every time I try to deinterlace, virtualdub gives me this bullshit error.


[Attachment 84574 - Click to enlarge]

Getting sick and tired of my time being wasted by idiots that can't recommend working apps, and programmers that can't fix long standing problems with their apps.

[Barrythecrab]

I use VirtualDub 1.9.11 near every day, never an issue. Perhaps you have a corrupt OS, or something else, but lashing out at “idiots” and the like is not helpful.
Maybe a dxdiag may reveal an issue, or try another PC and see what happens.

[armyofquad]

On 3rd thought - thank you for your overdue response.

VirtualDub is still a very problematic software for me, across multiple versions, installations, machines, and OS's. It regularly produces vidoes with no time index that I've had to rely on EaseUS Fixo to repair. A behavior that has such a consistency that it appears to me as a glaring bug, but somehow no one else seems to have ever encountered. I do not understand how this can be, but here we are.

Thanks again for your response.

[videoAI]

Top VirtualDub Alternatives

| Software | Key Features | Platform Availability |
|----------|--------------|----------------------|
| Shotcut | Open-source, free, cross-platform, flexible editing | Windows, Mac, Linux |
| DaVinci Resolve | Powerful professional-grade editing, free version available | Windows, Mac, Linux |
| Kdenlive | Open-source, stable, multi-track editing | Windows, Mac, Linux |
| VSDC | Windows-specific, lightweight video processing | Windows |
| Filmora | AI-powered, user-friendly, modern interface | Windows, Mac |

Why Look for a VirtualDub Alternative?

VirtualDub has become outdated and lacks modern features such as:
- Drag-and-drop editing
- Support for 4K video
- Real-time previews
- Modern video format compatibility
- User-friendly interface

Recommendations

1. For Lightweight Processing: Try Shotcut or VSDC
2. For Professional Editing: DaVinci Resolve
3. For Beginner-Friendly: Filmora
4. For Open-Source Solution: Kdenlive

[Barrythecrab]

I had a suggestion but upon re-reading the thread, screw it.

[rgr]

On 3rd thought - thank you for your overdue response.

VirtualDub is still a very problematic software for me, across multiple versions, installations, machines, and OS's. It regularly produces vidoes with no time index that I've had to rely on EaseUS Fixo to repair. A behavior that has such a consistency that it appears to me as a glaring bug, but somehow no one else seems to have ever encountered. I do not understand how this can be, but here we are.

Thanks again for your response.

Reconsider your workflow, and it's definitely better not to use VirtualDub's deinterlacing. You haven't really written anything specific.

[The 14th Doctor]

Seems like the main issue the OP is having is about time indexes, but AVIs created in VirtualDub do not have time indexes to begin with from my understanding..

You mean like a digital time code basically? I think only DV AVI files ripped using something like WinDV have them.

[armyofquad]

I think what it comes down to is my unorthodox way of stumbling through diy tools that, while powerful and can accomplish great things, are unintuitive and designed without thought of ease of use.

It was a challenge figuring out deinterlacing and how to do it. It seems much of these strong diy tools are also very user unfriendly, being text based, which I find a bit ironic when we're working in a visual medium. But here we are.

So, being that VirtualDub has been a tool I've used for years to do my capturing, somehow I learned or figured out that these .avs scripts I need to create, can be opened with VirtualDub, giving me a method to use my scripts to turn my raw captures into files formatted as desired to then move on to editing in Vegas.

I've been doing it this way so long, I don't know if someone suggested this, or if I stumbled on it.

But it seems perhaps using VirtualDub to open my .avs script to convert my interlaced captured into a deinterlaced .avi might not be a best practice. As noted above "AVIs created in VirtualDub do not have time indexes to begin" And it seems that is the problem.

So I do not understand why I have one program that intentionally creates files without time indexes, while I have other programs that demand them. Perhaps this wasn't the intended use - but this is a clear example of user unfriendly software - it allows you to do things that don't work.

Stumbling on fixo seems to have given me a method of creating this time index that VirtualDub won't create and everything else demands.

I suppose the real question is, how is one really meant to get a deinterlaced .avi with a time index using their .avs script? Because none of this .avs deinterlacing crap has ever been straightforward. And my many inquiries on this forum over the years has basically resulted in this half-assed workflow I currently have, because I can't seem to ever get a clear answer to anything.

[davexnet]

Can you provide a small sample avi that has these problems?

Usually when you use "stop capture" in vdub, the file should be properly indexed and closed

[armyofquad]

Can you provide a small sample avi that has these problems?

Usually when you use "stop capture" in vdub, the file should be properly indexed and closed

Sorry, it's hard for me to strike a balance between clearly explaining every detail and being too long of a post, or getting a shorter post to the point.

But I do think this brings up another point that I seem to observe - capturing and exporting have 2 different results.

My captures in VirtualDub are perfectly fine, and the only reason I mention capturing is because it's part of the workflow, and it's also the part of the process that introduced me to VirtualDub.

It's not capturing that's the problem. It's opening up an .avs file with a deinterlacing script that calls on the capture file in virtualdub, and exporting that to a new .avi file that results in an .avi file with no index that needs fixo to make a repaired version that has one.

Or at least that's my current understanding of the situation.


Ok - I think this post is mostly wrong. I haven't captured in a while and have been working mostly on the editing end. At some point, some AI chatter I had (which I use to try and get possible answers to further research) led me to a theory on this being an export issue and not a capture issue, and I simply forgot that I was experiencing this problem on both ends. The problem exists with captures of video, and exports of deinterlacing. But I know there once was a time I wasn't experiencing this - perhaps back when I was using lossless compression, which I was eventually steered away from due to color palette issues that people pointed out I need to be aware of, but no one could explain how or why adequately so that I could have actual tangible steps to follow to avoid issues, which led me to a simplified compromise of using cinemark, which isn't lossless, but I decided was "good enough". Maybe that change introduced these problems? I don't know - it's hard to get clear answers to anything around here. But I noticed that using this process introduced degraded color issues (ironic), which led me to an AI solution of doing command line ffmpeg commands to export to Ut. Which seemed to work for that case.

It sucks not getting any clarity on the numerous workflow changes that I have to make to work around inadequacies that exist in every aspect of video editing.

[davexnet]

Exporting in Vdub2? Using what codec?
Have you tried exporting to mkv instead?

I haven't tried the latest version of vdub2, but one version back, 944 works well:
https://www.videohelp.com/download/VirtualDub2_v2.4.3.944.7z

It may also be worth posting your deinterlace script and a sample of your source (as I mentioned earlier)

[_Al_]

Sorry, it's hard for me to strike a balance between clearly explaining every detail and being too long of a post

Following a Christmas spirit, not saying what just pop in my head, but instead just friendly reply:
Would you post an original video sample and avs script, as you were asked, and what only matters here and always will be, to avoid pages of general bs or nowadays also ai bs, please

[lollo]

Go for a bike ride

+1

OP is just a serial complainer with little understanding. All his posts are disconcerting.

[armyofquad]

It's hard to understand when no one answers my questions.

I can post samples, I need some time to prepare them, at the moment I'm dealing with combining 4 different sources of the Mr. Bean Christmas episode into an actual complete version without problems, since no one that authors DVDs can seem to do their job without cutting corners.

But the question is quite simple, yet no one seems to be able to answer it.

When creating an .avs script to deinterlace an interlaced source from 29.97i to 59.940p, what software are you using to run the script and create the 59.940p .avi file?

Or is that question too "disconcerting" for you, and shows too much of a lack of understanding to actually give a simple answer?

[davexnet]

The version of vdub2 I mentioned works well, but you have to set it correctly.
Are you processing the audio in the script also? You did not say. If you are try this:

Open your script.
audio / full processing
audio/conversion/precision/16bit
audio compression/ffmpeg aac

video/compression/x264 8-bit/configure/
load defaults (lower left)
Use the slider to set ratefactor to 20 (18-23 is the normal range, 23 is the poorest quality, 18 the best)

File/save video (choose mp4 or mkv @ "save as type")

[lollo]

Or is that question too "disconcerting" for you, and shows too much of a lack of understanding to actually give a simple answer?

The facts that you are ignorant and incompetent, does not justify your writing "Getting sick and tired of my time being wasted by idiots that can't recommend working apps", referred to VH member and "programmers that can't fix long standing problems with their apps", referred to free software developpers.

A "simple answer" will be cast pearls before swine anyhow!

[_Al_]

Have you actually tried Hybrid?
Do not recall you getting upset about it, or missed it.
So that is another choice you can try. Has lots of settings, it is advanced GUI, you download it and run it, it is portable, so you might succeed, using QTGMC deinterlacer in its settings to get your encoded video. I think you do not need to set up prior to Hybrid.

[armyofquad]

Hybrid looks like a useful tool, but it appears to be intended for delivery to a final product. Thanks for the suggestion, this will stay installed, I'm sure this will be a useful tool to keep around on my PC.

The part of my workflow I'm focusing on when deinterlacing is creating higher quality files (lossless or near lossless) to use for further editing. I'm not sure what the normal or recommended best practices are for using .avs scripts to create materials to be further edited in Vegas is.

[davexnet]

Hybrid looks like a useful tool, but it appears to be intended for delivery to a final product. Thanks for the suggestion, this will stay installed, I'm sure this will be a useful tool to keep around on my PC.

The part of my workflow I'm focusing on when deinterlacing is creating higher quality files (lossless or near lossless) to use for further editing. I'm not sure what the normal or recommended best practices are for using .avs scripts to create materials to be further edited in Vegas is.

You create a lossless intermediate file, something that works with your NLE.
For example, FFV1 is often used.

[armyofquad]

Hybrid looks like a useful tool, but it appears to be intended for delivery to a final product. Thanks for the suggestion, this will stay installed, I'm sure this will be a useful tool to keep around on my PC.

The part of my workflow I'm focusing on when deinterlacing is creating higher quality files (lossless or near lossless) to use for further editing. I'm not sure what the normal or recommended best practices are for using .avs scripts to create materials to be further edited in Vegas is.

You create a lossless intermediate file, something that works with your NLE.
For example, FFV1 is often used.

Ok, so you are using virtualdub to create files.

I've been using virtualdub to export to cineform compressed .avi files - something landed on for various reasons over many issues that keep coming up. But this consistently results in my files having to be fixed with fixo, something that no one seems to recognize, acknowledge, or have any explanation for.

I recently ran into a problem with this workflow that deinterlacing a British DVD rip to 50p resulted in a video that looked off in the aspect ratio and color when put side by side. AI guided me to use a command line ffmpeg command to call on the .avs file and export to ut avi, which worked adequately.

From that screenshot, it appears you have ffmpeg options built into virtualdub - perhaps I need to build out some things?

Will look into FFV1 codec. Previous lossless codecs I was using resulted in chatter about color issues that are outside of a range potentially causing issues in Vegas, and when no one could explain a clear process to follow to not have this issue, I grabbed onto the option to use cineform to avoid it. But now I'm wondering if that was the best option.

[_Al_]

Hybrid looks like a useful tool, but it appears to be intended for delivery to a final product.

I'm almost certain, you can export some lossless avi as well and selecting proper codec. Or even almost lossless like ProRes for easier handling.

[armyofquad]

Hybrid looks like a useful tool, but it appears to be intended for delivery to a final product.

I'm almost certain, you can export some lossless avi as well and selecting proper codec. Or even almost lossless like ProRes for easier handling.

Ok, will have to poke around some more there then, thanks.

[davexnet]

From that screenshot, it appears you have ffmpeg options built into virtualdub - perhaps I need to build out some things?

Will look into FFV1 codec. Previous lossless codecs I was using resulted in chatter about color issues that are outside of a range potentially causing issues in Vegas, and when no one could explain a clear process to follow to not have this issue, I grabbed onto the option to use cineform to avoid it. But now I'm wondering if that was the best option.

All these codecs are built into the version of vdub2 I mentioned earlier and are ready to use

[armyofquad]

Ok, very good. Looks like FFV1 isn't a good option for me, Vegas won't import it, and AI's claim is FFV1 is optimized for archival compression, not editing.

But, poking around, I realized that as I stumbled my way through these processes, opening up a script led me to the mindset that what I'm doing is an export, and I've been using the export option in virtualdub rather than save video. With some trial and error, it seems my exporting is resulting in the missing time index that needs fixo to repair, but if I simply select save video, that works. I think that addresses the primary issue I brought up and nearly gave up on when I opened this thread nearly a year ago.

Thanks to Barrythecrab for reviving this forgotten thread, thanks to _Al_ for suggesting Hybrid as a tool to investigate for further use, and thanks davexnet for answering my questions.

As far as the cineform/video/codec/color issues - these will likely be ongoing things that will come and go as I stumble more through this. Pretty sure the cineform color issue was unique to the current thing I was working on and not something I observed with my VHS captures, but I might get back to finding an adequate lossless options as I move forward with various projects.

[davexnet]

I forgot about Vegas being limited on it's video import.

You could try lossless x264, set video compression to FFmpeg x264
Configure, set quality to 0

Save as avi or mp4

[_Al_]

One of those weird things here on the forum is, that term lossless becomes a topic here all the time, and everyone recommends it etc. But professionals use ProRes, NLE software use it with ease, they are easy to edit, those gui's just are waiting to import those videos.

Prores is just fine as almost lossless. For editing in Vegs. Why to avoid it. Difference in quality will be noticed by no one, in a final delivery option.