VirtualDub capture filter options?

[Nick779]

Hello all,

I've taken a dive into barebones basic digitization of some 25+ year old personal VHS tapes. I have a limited budget and am currently using a JVC composite output VCR (I don't have a model number handy), a GV-USB2 capture dongle, and a Windows 10 PC with a 4570k/16GB ram.

I have some options in the VirtualDub capture menu that I have been struggling to understand even after watching multiple videos on captures and reading numerous threads and posts.

What exactly should I be choosing for the "VID CAPTURE METHOD"? The default was weave, so I had left it alone.

Attached is a screenshot of what my options are.

I am following This workflow minus deinterlacing in virtualdub to a 59.94fps file. I didn't see what the point of that was when handbrake has decombing filters and I am exporting to 29.94fps. Any advice on this as well would be appreciated.

[lordsmurf]

This attempted workflow will not work well, if at all.

- low end VCR
- no TBC of any kind
- capture card with a recent cult following (it's the VC500 all over again, and we know how that turned out longer-term, ie not good)
- Win10, which gives capture cards grief

This is essentially a perfect hardware list for what NOT to do.

(For now, you get a pass on using the GV-USB, I've not tested it. But I have zero expectations.)

That guide from "The Oldskool PC" is bad, misinformation. If you follow it, video will look terrible. In fact, it's quite obvious that his captures have some pretty crummy quality, simply looking at the video. Wiggly, dropouts, too bright, etc.

You must add, at minimum, an ES10/15 for passthrough, to act as minimalist TBC(ish). Some form of TBC is required, don't even waste your time trying to capture sans-TBC unless you just don't care whatsoever how the video sounds or looks, and plan to never watch it (in which case, why convert it?).

VirtualDub 1.10.x has known issues with capture, using 1.9.x first, then FM (pre-2) version next if 1.9.x has issues.

That dialog makes no sense for capture. Where did that come from, what are you doing? Again, never use any filter on capture.

[msgohan]

@Lordsmurf: It's the Video -> Capture Filter menu, i.e. one of the pages of the DirectShow drivers. "Filter" is Microsoft terminology here.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nick779

Attached is a screenshot of what my options are.

The settings look correct to me. Weave is the same thing as not-deinterlaced.

Interesting that it offers I2C access. Could be fun to toy with, for power users.

Quote:

I am following This workflow minus deinterlacing in virtualdub to a 59.94fps file. I didn't see what the point of that was when handbrake has decombing filters and I am exporting to 29.94fps.

So you followed that video but missed one of the most important points. By deinterlacing to 29.97 you are throwing away half of the motion information in your original tape.

[Nick779]

That dialog menu is within Virtualdub's capture mode. Video menu-> Capture filter.

I've been testing captures using the UTVideo YUV422.BT601VCM "compression" at 29.97fps. Captures come out roughly to 30GB/hr.

I understand your passion and recognize your experience in this area, but I have a finite budget at this time and need to stick with it. If at some point in the future I have the opportunity to, I will invest in some form of a TBC and a better VCR to re-digitize. I need to make what I have work even if it's barely watchable. Something is always better than nothing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by msgohan

@Lordsmurf: It's the Video -> Capture Filter menu, i.e. one of the pages of the DirectShow drivers. "Filter" is Microsoft terminology here.

The settings look correct to me. Weave is the same thing as not-deinterlaced.

Interesting that it offers I2C access. Could be fun to toy with, for power users.


So you followed that video but missed one of the most important points. By deinterlacing to 29.97 you are throwing away half of the motion information in your original tape.

So I capture at 29.97 as the video states, but I skipped the part where he uses the VirtualDub yadif filter to deinterlace into a 59.94fps file. From what I can tell, he is deinterlacing in a separate step instead of letting handbrake run the same filter. The main difference is that his final output is 59.94fps, where as I prefer mine at 29.97 predominantly for size. Handbrake can in theory deinterlace and make a 59.94fps file, but for my purposes it is more than I need.

[lordsmurf]

It's not about passion, but required minimum tools. ES10/15 is only $125 or so. That's a tiny amount of money for any hobby. If you can't afford it at this moment, then hold off on the conversions for now. Save up some dollars, get it, then resume. Something nothing is also better than something super-duper crappy.

Deinterlace is such a can of worms. Sometimes extracting to 59.94 has vertical motion artifacts, including QTGMC. And it's not necessarily half of the motion data, because many fields have repeated motion data. So it's a decision to weigh based on the content, and even the output device/spec requirements. I won't fault anybody for using 29.97, but I would encourage attempting 59.94 00 again, noting to watch for defects.

"The Oldskool PC" guide could have been good, but it just made too many mistakes. Everything from Easycap to deinterlacing. Just no.

The Capture Filter for this device looks like it allows you to filter/deinterlace. Don't do that.

[Nick779]

Noted and I do appreciate the advice.

I'll start poking around and looking for a ES10/15 to use as a passthrough TBC. I had it stuck in my head that a semi-proper setup was going to cost $500+ which while reasonable to someone doing 50+ of tapes, I have maybe 10-15.

[lordsmurf]

If you get a good ES10/15 with remote, it'll resell for the same $100 (+/-$25) price range.

Lots of quality video gear resells for parity.
In recent past years, some gear even resells at a premium, so you profit from the resell. A member at this forum bought a TBC from me years ago, for about $600 at the time, and the price was making him queasy. Lots of PMs about it, too many. He wrote me last year, having finally finished his projects, and was ecstatic that he resold it for more than double ($1200+), actually apologizing that he was such a "nervous Nellie" all those years ago, and he should have trusted me all along. I forget what he said he planned to spend the money on, but I do remember him saying he'd enjoy giving his wife BS about his "expensive hobby" having paid off.

I was doing buy/use/resell long before I got involved in video, with photo. I'd get a used lens, use if for a few years, then resell it for about the same as I bought it. Upgrade to a better lens, repeat. I take care of my stuff, so it held value.

So even a $500+ item can be reasonable, a wise option.