Contest: Can you fix this video?

[kpmedia]

We've been sitting on a project for several years now. The client is/was not in a rush, yet wanted the impossible. As some of you know, sometimes the impossible is possible with time. New video filters are created, new methods are discovered, and existing filters/methods improved.

So here's your challenge.

http://cdn4.digitalfaq.com/kpmedia/2..._10H46M_AM.VOB

The file is about 1.2gb in size.

The original MPEG2-based mini DVD-R video camera appears to have a CCD that was going out while it shot this ceremony. You'll know what I mean when you download the video.

This is only one of the VOBs. There are a few more, but this one of the worst ones.

We've tried multiple methods over the years -- none produced satisfactory results. (Though to be completely honest, our expertise is analog-source video -- not digital source video. Keep that in mind.) At this point, I made the decision to give up. The only alternative that I can see if to extract the audio, and few decent video stills, and add in some stills submitted on CD-R to create a slideshow.

But I wanted to give one last stab at it, this time with community input.

The recent "how can we make the site better" had a good suggestion -- contests.

You're allowed to fix this with whatever means possible. Restoring truly damaged video means that you sometimes have to get creative.

To make it worth your time, I'll give $50 to a useable result.

Ready, set, go!

[msgohan]

Wow. My idea for fixing it is... alter the mindset of the viewers. These stationary camera shots can get rather boring after a while, all the flickering colors and crazy artifacts liven things up!

A couple smaller samples might be a good idea, so people have an idea of what they're working with before committing to a 1GB download and eating up your bandwidth.

[sodality]

haha this is crazy somehow psychedelic in a few scenes

I'll try it because I'm always for a challenge though atm I don't have a clue where to start

and my hopes are not high

[kpmedia]

Note that B&W, decimated frames (15 fps, or even less), etc, are all acceptable restoration methods.

Again, sometimes you have to be creative.

We've done some near miracles on analog footage in the past, but this digital source is indeed tricky. Note to everybody out there -- test your gear before every shoot! And if you can, have a backup.

[premiumcapture]

I have a place to start, but I have no idea how to do it via software -

• The top 1/3 - 1/2 is more or less static for most of this clip, if you pull a few clear frames and loop, it will simulate the noise and blend in with the video
• There are a few spots where the issues are only in the interlacing - I would deinterlace some sections
• Do the technique for the first point selectively, like multilayering the identical duplicate images in photoshop and filtering only in selected areas

This should clear up much of the mess, as many parts of the video are static for several seconds. Not perfect, but it will reduce the effects by half I imagine.

[Winsordawson]

The impossible is possible with time, and this is no exception. It's quite simply, really.

Get a time machine.