MiniDV transfer enhancing, recommended tools?
 

I’ve now transferred my MiniDV tapes to PC using Scenalyser in Type 2 DV, managing to keep errors below 5 per tape, I’m guessing they won’t affect the viewing result?

I now want to get the files into a lossless format as I understand this will be best for any restoration/enhancement tasks, so seeking advice on the following.

Is Virtualdub still the recommended tool for this, is the LS version still the one to use and does it work under Windows 10 64 bit? Or is Hybrid now the software to use?

What is the ideal format to convert the files to? Is Huffyuv the best codec? What is a recommended container? I’m thinking of using Resolve or perhaps Final Cut Express as a NLE.

Before loading into a NLE are there any standard “treatments” or filters that are routinely applied to MiniDV?

Any comments, suggestions or advice appreciated.

It depends on the exact restoration need. Either VirtualDub, Avisynth, or a combination of both.

I've not used DV sources lately, so I don't recall all of it from memory (and I'm not on my processing computer right now). But there are "un-DV" type filters, to convert the compressed colorspaces to 4:2:2. With VirtualDub especially, you'll additionally want to set the import/decompress Color Depth to your DV files (4:1:1 NTSC, or 4:2:0 PAL), and then output to YUY2 4:2:2. Avisynth scripting can address this too.

Final Cut Express is Mac. So you'll editing on a Mac? In that case, ProRes422 will be needed. For your own sanity, that should be a final post-restoration file/format conversion in VirtualDub2, from the final Huffyuv/Lagarith restoration file.

NLEs are all universally horrible at restoring, so the files need to be pre-restored for editing. Some NLEs even need special treatment on source files. ProRes422 for Mac, and sometimes uncompressed in more recent versions of Windows and Premiere. The codecs are fine, the new systems just don't care about the SD formats anymore.

Thanks, I think I might be getting ahead of myself and my questions are too vague. If I take a step wise approach what should my next course of action be? The more I read the more I get confused, there seems to be so much contradictory and misinformation out there.....

From gleaning forums I understand that converting my transferred PAL MiniDV files to a lossless format should be the next step, these will be master copies to keep as an original source for downstream processes?

To create these am I correct in thinking that after importing into Virtualdub to "Save as Avi..." setting Compression to Huffyuv, Colour Depth decompression to autoselect or 4:2:0 planar YCbCr (YV12) and the Output format 4:2:2 YCbCr (YUY2)?

These "master" files should then be opened again in Virtualdub to apply restoration filters (if required and according to need), saving in the same way again for editing?

Every NLE seems to have different format they can read, if I wanted to just load the "master" files into one what would the best tool to create compatible lossless formats? i.e. Virtualdub (1.9.11) doesn't seem to be able export Prores in a .MOV container. My plan is to hand over the editing side to things to a family member who has some expertise to using Resolve so suppose I want to get it into a format it can see.

I've been playing about a bit with Hybrid, advice being that it's ideal for creating streaming media on USB sticks for large screen "smart" TV viewing. It opens the files as created above ok but it doesn't seem to correctly recognise the format correctly. What is the ideal format for Hybrid to ingest? To my "newbie" eyes to have a number of options to deinterlace and restore.

As always any opinions or advice much appreciated.

A DV transfer via FireWire is already effectively "lossless" in that it is an exact 1:1 copy of what was recorded on the tape. There is nothing to "restore" because no information was lost in the process.

You certainly can de-interlace and upscale and apply various filters and effects to try to make it look better, but you can just as easily do that from the original DV footage as you can from a copy of it that has been transcoded into a lossless codec like HuffyUV or Lagarith.

As vwestlife explained.

+You can use WinDV software, it is free.
You need to transfer your DV with all information (data-time stamps, particular scene indexing etc) tape contains not only transfer it like Digital 8.
Then later you can edit them.
You need IEEE 1394 port.

http://windv.mourek.cz/

I never messed with DV conversion to something else, except H.264 MPEG4 and keep original for archive.
Not sure it works on something higher than XP but I believe it is not a big problem.

Edit: In accordance with this info it works even up to Windows 11 (perhaps with changes):
https://github.com/hfiggs/WinDV
However not sure how good. I always used it under XP.

But I am sure it worth a try:
https://github.com/hfiggs/WinDV/rele...load/WinDV.exe