In the era of LCD，capturing VHS、DV choose interlaced or progressive scan

[joyoung]

In the era of LCD televisions, when capturing tapes such as VHS and DV, should one choose interlaced or progressive scanning?

I recall that many old tutorials emphasize using interlaced scanning based on the video source type (VHS, DV PAL), prioritizing field-based capturing for DV or VHS.

“Always match your source when capturing. This means capture interlaced footage as interlaced. And capture progressive source as progressive.
Always match the output device when encoding. This means you should encode for viewing on the desired device. Encode interlaced for viewing on an interlaced viewing device (TV). Encode progressive for viewing on a progressive display (computer monitor). Most people should be capturing and encoding interlaced!”

However, we know that those tutorials might have been written quite some time ago, during the era of interlaced televisions. The "correct" methods back then were tailored to the TV equipment of that time.

In today’s era, where FHD and UHD LCD TVs are widely popular, if we want to capture old tapes like VHS and DV PAL, should we choose interlaced or progressive scanning?

If possible, I’d appreciate a recommended capture configuration for Vegas or any capture software you prefer.

Thank you.

[Sharc]

In the era of LCD televisions, when capturing tapes such as VHS and DV, should one choose interlaced or progressive scanning?

Capture as interlaced, always, if you don't want to screw up your VHS or DV video.
Recommended capture SW: AmarecTV (or Vdub perhaps). Plenty of posts about proper capturing in the forum. You may follow user @Alwyn's guide.
DV may be transferred (copied) directly in digital form rather than taking the analog route though - but either works well.
Deinterlace in post processing using a high quality (Avisynth-) deinterlacer (rather than what is included in the NLEs).

[joyoung]

In the era of LCD televisions, when capturing tapes such as VHS and DV, should one choose interlaced or progressive scanning?

Capture as interlaced, always, if you don't want to screw up your VHS or DV video.
Recommended capture SW: AmarecTV (or Vdub perhaps). Plenty of posts about proper capturing in the forum. You may follow user @Alwyn's guide.
DV may be transferred (copied) directly in digital form rather than taking the analog route though - but either works well.
Deinterlace in post processing using a high quality (Avisynth-) deinterlacer (rather than what is included in the NLEs).

Thank You.

"Capture as interlaced, always"--I see.

(1)When capturing VHS using a 1394 capture card like the ADVC110, should I choose upper field first (high field priority) or lower field first (low field priority)?
(In Vegas software, selecting DV PAL defaults to lower field first, though you can manually choose upper field first or progressive scanning.)

(2)If I save the captured videos on a NAS HardDisk mainly for playback on computers or set-top boxes (Kodi/Coreelec) via an HDTV, and after editing the videos, I should use interlaced or progressive to save the video？

[Sharc]

(1) DV is usually BFF (bottom field first)
(2) One would usually deinterlace (="make it progressive") the video before doing any editing.
Search the forum. This has all been discussed many times.

[joyoung]

(1) DV is usually BFF (bottom field first)
(2) One would usually deinterlace (="make it progressive") the video before doing any editing.
Search the forum. This has all been discussed many times.

Thanks

[ozymango]

For best results (well, close enough anyway), capture your video as interlaced, and if you want to edit it, deinterlace before you edit it, and then it'll export as progressive with no issues (or close enough).

As for how to deinterlace, here's a maybe helpful link on the subject: https://macilatthefront.blogspot.com/2021/01/deinterlacing-with-avisynth-and-qtgmc.html

P.S. If you look at the link above and are thinking, "Damn, that looks like a heck of lot of work, and lots of places where things can blow up in my face," you are absolutely right. But I post the link in the spirit of completeness -- personally I'm fine with just using the built-in deinterlacers on your average NLE, my eyes can't tell the difference. But if your goal is bragging points, you can't go wrong with working with complicated scripts!

That being said, there is an awesome YouTube video on installing Avisynth and QTGMC, and how to make a basic script, and how to make everything actually work, check it out here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4PyyQoz6eo&t=3307s

The video runs over an hour (!) and it is worth sitting down and watching the thing from start to finish, even if you never intend to install/use this stuff, just to see the incredible amount of work people have put into all this, and shared it freely. What can I say, people will amaze you, if you give them half a chance.

[Sharc]

That being said, there is an awesome YouTube video on installing Avisynth and QTGMC, and how to make a basic script, and how to make everything actually work, check it out here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4PyyQoz6eo&t=3307s

Sidenote:
Line 3 of the script of this video may mess up the chroma of interlaced sources already. It should be
ConvertToYV12(interlaced=true) - if required at all at this position where the video is still interlaced

[lollo]

In addition to that error (and the uselessness of ConvertToYV12 at that stage anyhow), the resize is also not needed.

[ozymango]

In addition to that error (and the uselessness of ConvertToYV12 at that stage anyhow), the resize is also not needed.

If anybody actually watches the video, the author talks rather a bit about both of those choices in *his* script, and why you may or may not need to change these settings according to your own needs.

[lollo]

If anybody actually watches the video, the author talks rather a bit about both of those choices in *his* script, and why you may or may not need to change these settings according to your own needs.

In a basic 2 lines script there are errors and bad choices (bad chroma handling, useless resize, QTGMC slower preset for DV material)

I realize that you are not sensitive to quality ("personally I'm fine with just using the built-in deinterlacers on your average NLE") but that is enough for me: I am not going to check *his* choices

[ozymango]

[QUOTE=lollo;2790319]

I realize that you are not sensitive to quality ("personally I'm fine with just using the built-in deinterlacers on your average NLE") but that is enough for me: I am not going to check *his* choices

Iollo, I mean no offense in suspecting that English is not your first language, but the intent of the video is to show how on installing Avisynth and QTGMC, for people who don't know how to install Avisynth and QTGMC. And if you want to share a link within videohelp as to how somebody here has guided a person on installing Avisynth and QTGMC, that would be great.

But you completely do not get that point -- you are criticizing the script of somebody who wrote a script for *his own purposes*, and you then go on to point out what the person did wrong (according to your own needs/experiences), but you cannot be bothered to actually share *your* own AVS script, to show us what needs to be "right."

But of course the needs for any AVS script will be according to the needs of the user, and for that, they'll have to be able to install Avisynth and QTGMC -- which you could also not be bothered to share how to do that with the audience.

So, so far, you have told us how not to do something, and you don't actually watch the video I'm talking about, and "that is enough for me, I'm not going to check out somebody else's choices," which nobody is asking you to do, and finally you dismiss anybody's opinion but your own ("I realize you're not sensitive to quality") -- and of course you offer this in the spirit of video help.

I'm trying to understand why you feel the need to be a condescending jerk.

[lollo]

But you completely do not get that point -- you are criticizing the script of somebody who wrote a script for *his own purposes*, and you then go on to point out what the person did wrong (according to your own needs/experiences), but you cannot be bothered to actually share *your* own AVS script, to show us what needs to be "right."

You must be joking. Across all these years I posted hundreds of scripts.

But of course the needs for any AVS script will be according to the needs of the user, and for that, they'll have to be able to install Avisynth and QTGMC -- which you could also not be bothered to share how to do that with the audience.

Really? Installing AviSynth requires 2 seconds and does not need a tutorial. In addition I posted in the past a complete guide and filters to run QTGMC for newbies, so you are worng here as well, just search the forum.

So, so far, you have told us how not to do something, and you don't actually watch the video I'm talking about, and "that is enough for me, I'm not going to check out somebody else's choices," which nobody is asking you to do, and finally you dismiss anybody's opinion but your own ("I realize you're not sensitive to quality") -- and of course you offer this in the spirit of video help.

So far, I just pointed out the errors in a video that you have exalted, that's all!

I'm trying to understand why you feel the need to be a condescending jerk.

Because I want to show how idiot you are about capturing (see our previous discussion) and restoration.

[ozymango]

Really? Installing AviSynth requires 2 seconds and does not need a tutorial. In addition I posted in the past a complete guide and filters to run QTGMC for newbies, so you are worng here as well, just search the forum.

Sigh. "Just search the forum"? You've posted a complete guide to QTGMC for newbies, but it's too much effort for you to take ten seconds to share a link with newbies?

I understand that you are an amazing talent, and you wish only to help other people. This is what brought you to the conversation, to show us how quickly you can spot somebody else's error.

Do as you please, and keep making videohelp the great website it is today. Me, I'm glad we have so many other sites today, like YouTube, where any random idiot can show us how they accomplished something, and they share it openly, just because they feel good about doing nice things for people.

You have a good day, sir. I'm off to YouTube.

[lollo]

You have a good day, sir. I'm off to YouTube.

Have a nice day you too, and enjoy YouTube!

[ozymango]

Have a nice day you too, and enjoy YouTube!

This is an interesting and helpful YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMsKcwn9Yh1MmNAs7I8nu4g



I sincerely appreciate that you share your stuff on YouTube, along with AVS scripts to demonstrate the amazing possibilities of Avisynth. You show your work, and it's great work, and again it demonstrates that you know what you are talking about, and giving us examples so we can see for ourselves, we don't have to just accept your claims, without evidence.

And in going through your demos on YouTube, one thing that I thought and you can tell me if I'm wrong here or not: You have been doing this stuff for a long time, you know Avisynth inside and out -- but (and I mean this in no offense) you're so close to it, it's so second-nature, that you kind of think that this stuff should not be too hard for anybody, because you figured it out, so other people can figure it out if they just keep at it. In a way, that's very generous -- but it might blind you a bit to your own competence, because, frankly, I don't find this stuff all that easy, and (I suspect) a lot of other people don't find this stuff all that easy, and it's nobody's fault that we have different ways and means of learning, and so you're moving at a certain speed and some of us are going, "Hey, you're moving kind of fast, could you slow down a bit?" And you just think people can keep up at your pace -- and a lot of people can't. I know it sucks when I'm really good at something and have to slow way the hell down to try and tell other people how to be as good as I am , but that's the challenge today -- how to be patient with slow learners!

So I apologize to you, and take back what I said about you being a condescending jerk, I think you're just way ahead of a lot of people and what I should have said was, "Man, some of us are really new at this and are having a heck of a time just trying to search for help, we don't even know what questions to ask! Can you give us some pointers for starting out, or give us actual direct links to guides and posts you personally find helpful? Thanks in advance!"

Again, hope you're having a great day, and nice work on your YouTube channel!

[lollo]

I did not mean to be rude with you, I was just commenting some errors in the video you linked as pointed out by Sharc.

Let's consider our last posts as a misunderstanding

[ozymango]

Let's consider our last posts as a misunderstanding

Thanks for this, I genuinely appreciate your consideration.

[rgr]

QTGMC slower preset for DV material)

What's wrong with a slower preset? Presets for the average user differ primarily in the degree of denoising.

[rgr]

You have a good day, sir. I'm off to YouTube.

I haven't seen a single good tutorial on YouTube. In fact, I haven't even seen a mediocre one (and I watched the last one yesterday).

[lollo]

What's wrong with a slower preset? Presets for the average user differ primarily in the degree of denoising.

A relatively "good" source like the one showed in the video does not need an aggressive setting. If needed, better to address a deep denoise with a dedicated filter.

[lollo]

I haven't seen a single good tutorial on YouTube. In fact, I haven't even seen a mediocre one (and I watched the last one yesterday).

It's not easy to describe a restoration flow in details, a lot depend on the source. You can just describe a generic and basic approach. But then you should avoid errors like what was showed in the linked video, and there is where the discussion between myself and ozymango started