Converting HDV DV-mini Tapes into High-Qualitly MP4 Files

[BrianFNZ]

These notes summarise the configuration and settings I used for the transfer and conversion of HDV 1440 x 1080i DV-mini tapes into good-quality (IMHO) MP4 HD video files. The method and settings were arrived at after extensive testing by comparing the same two-minute clip with a different setting each time.

Conversion Configuration

• HP EliteDesk 800 G2 Tower

• I5-6600
• 32GB RAM
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 9600
• Via VT6307 IEE-1394 capture card
• Windows 11 64-bit OS

• Drivers:

• NVIDA GeForce 581.80 WHQL driver
• Windows8 legacy IEEE1394 drivers (1394_ohci_legacydriver.msi)
• KLite codec pack (1935 Mega)

• Applications

• HDV Split for capture
• Handbrake for MP4 production
• Core Temp (check CPU temp - Tj(max) 81 degC with 25 Dec C ambient)
• Media Player Classic for PC viewing

Original Recordings

• Camera: Sony HDV-HC7E camcorder
• Media: Sony DV-mini tapes
• Format: HDV PAL - 1440x1080i 25 Frames Per Second

Viewing Configuration

• Samsung PS64F8000
• Xiaomi Mi TV Stick
• Plex media player

Transfer

DV-mini Tapes were transferred to the PC via IEEE-1394 (Firewire) using HDV Split as one contiguous file for each tape.

• Scenes split: un-checked
• Preview: off
• Output file: .m2t

Scene splitting on capture kept causing the transfer to stop when multiple frames were dropped. If scene splitting is needed process the video with HDV Split after capture.

The oldest tape was recorded 19 years ago and the most recent 11 years ago. The following helped minimise excessive frames drops (<30 per tape):

• Captures first thing in the morning when it was cooler (less than 20 Deg C) and allowing the camera and tape to cool between each capture was more successful (not sure if this is a camera or a tape problem, or both).
• Turning off Preview during capture helped.
• Windows 8 IEEE-1394 Legacy drivers seemed to work better than Windows 11 drivers.

Handbrake Settings

Dimensions Tab

• Res & Scaling

• Res Limit: 1080p HD
• Anamorphic: Auto
• Optimal Size: check
• Allow Upscaling: Un-check

• Final Dimensions: Storage 1440x1080, Display Size: 1920, Auto: Check, Aspect Ratio: 16:9

Filters Tab

• Interlace Detections: Default
• Deinterlace: Bwdif
• Preset: BoB

Video Tab

• Video:

• Vid Encoder: H.264 (x264)
• Framerate (FPS): 50, Constant: Selected
• Color range: limited
  

• Quality: Constant Quality - 20 RF

• Encoder options:

• Preset: Very Slow
• Tune: None
• Profile: High, Level: 4.2

Audio Tab

• Codec: AAC, Quality: Bitrate 160, Mixdown: Stereo, Samplerate: Auto, Gain: 0, DRC: 0

Subtitles Tab (blank)


Chapters Tab

• Create chapter markers: blank

Notes on Handbrake Settings

Original recordings were made on a Sony HDV-HC7E camcorder in 1440x1080i at 25 Frames Per Second PAL (50 1/2 fields per second interlaced at 25 frames pers second).

Scaling settings preserve the original resolution and Pixel Aspect Ratio (PAR). 1920 x 1080 has a PAR of 1:1. 1440 x 1080 has a PAR of 4:3. Upscaling provides no more detail but increases file size, bit rate and processing time. Testing shows the Xiaomi Mi TV Stick happily handles 1440 x 1080p.

The Bwdif filter in Bob mode provided the best deinterlacing result.

In conjunction with the Bwfid:Bob filter the target progressive video frame rate should be set to twice the source interlaced video frame rate and should be constant.

The Quality and Encoder Preset have a significant impact on file size and encoding time. With the settings above each full-length tape (63mins) resulted in a 4.5GB to 6.5GB file (55% to 65% size reduction) with a video bit rate of 9.5Mb/s to 11.5Mb/s, and took about 6-1/2 hours to encode.

The Encoder Profile and the Encoder Level settings should be set to the highest the target decoder can support. The target decoder is the device that will decode the H.264 media stream (i.e. Xiaomi Mi TV Stick) for display on a viewing device (i.e. Samsung PS64F8000 TV). For 1920x1080p (or 1440x1080p) at 50Hz, H.2641 requires the High Profile at Level 4.1 or higher. The Xiaomi Mi TV Stick supports the H.264 Main Profile up to Level 4.2. If the video is encoded in a profile or level that is higher than what the target decoder can support, a media server (i.e. Plex Media Server) will need to transcode the stream to a level that the target decoder can support. Unless the transcoder PC is very high performance, a transcoded HD stream will most likely be choppy.


Viewing

Configure the Xiaomi Mi TV Stick output for 1080p @ 50Hz.

If the format of the stream provided to the target decoder (i.e. Xiaomi My TV Stick) is not the same as the selected decoder output, the target decoder will attempt to convert the stream in real-time. Unless the target decoder is a high performance decoder the output may not be a smooth Full HD viewing experience, especially in panning and fast motion scenes. To avoid this, the output of the target decoder should be set to the same format and frequency as the encoded video (i.e. 1080p @50Hz).
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[Alwyn]

Good job.

A small nitpik... they aren't AVCHD files "on" the tapes, they're HDV files (MPEG 2 format).

[BrianFNZ]

Thanks - post updated