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-   -   Hardware for video restoration? (https://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/video-restore/7755-hardware-video-restoration.html)

Jaydog1976 01-19-2017 02:07 PM

Hardware for video restoration?
 
I'm sure that a post has been made in this so if anyone can direct me to it that would be great. I was wanting to see if there was a list somewhere of the required hardware necessary for the restoration work. Thanks.

sanlyn 01-19-2017 02:53 PM

Welcome! :salute:

If you're just starting, you have work ahead. But many are in the same boat and making progress, so join the club.

You need:
- high quality upscale consumer or prosumer VCR
- line-level time base corrector (TBC, built-in with VCR or use pass-thru device)
- frame-level time base corrector (TBC)
- Capture device (AGP, PCIe, PCI, or USB)
- Capture software
- Cleanup, restoration, and encoding software

General guide for capture, restoration, and encoding (somewhat dated but still relevant, basic principles):
http://www.digitalfaq.com/guides/video.htm

Basic Guides: VCRs and TBC's
http://www.digitalfaq.com/guides/vid...k-hardware.htm

List of recommended VCRs, and discussion
http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/vide...ing-guide.html

Recommended legacy ATI All In Wonder capture cards
http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/vide...html#post13441

Recommended alternatives to ATI All In Wonders for capture
http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/vide...ti-wonder.html

Drivers for ATI All In Wonder, hacks, MMC, and workarounds:
http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/vide...der-hacks.html

Recommended alternatives for line-tbc and external frame sync time base correctors (TBC):
Panasonic DMR-ES10, DMR-ES15
http://forum.videohelp.com/threads/3...hat-do-you-use

Recommended capture software for high quality lossless capture:
VirtuaLDub v 1.9.11, 32-bit
VirtualVCR

Recommended software for cleanup and restoration:
VirtualDub v1.9.11, 32-bit
Avisynth v.2.6, 32-bit, highly recommended

Lossless capture\encoding\decoding\post-processing codecs:
HuffYUV, 32-bit
Lagarith lossless video compressor/decoder, 32-bit

Jaydog1976 01-19-2017 04:17 PM

Thanks so much for the response. I have been kind of looking getting into the field as something to do on the side. Currently I work with media, slide shows, short films, media design, etc. I was searching the internet for something and came across this particular field. It interests me greatly.

Not sure how viable it is our if it is something to really get involved with. But again thanks for the quick response and I have lots of homework to do..

sanlyn 01-19-2017 04:50 PM

Like any undertaking, there's a learning curve at the outset but it looks at first more intimidating than it turns out to be. Slide shows are a pet project of mine, artsy stuff that bores the heck out of most people (except for our photo club), but there are some great tricks and great software for the work. Home videos are a hassle, no thanks to acrobatic camera work from most users, but they're fun to clean up and edit.

Good luck. You'll find plenty of archived threads here to learn with.

deter 01-22-2017 01:16 PM

Sanlyn,

I get everything you posted.

What I don't get is the, Panasonic DMR-ES10, DMR-ES15, since I have never had one, don't know what they do. Watched your video on this.

Have witness picture tearing on a few tapes on the top part of the screen. It is very rare, and if I switch VCR's the problem is normally fix.

My definition of picture tearing is different. To me it is video sync errors were you get a random picture tear or pulse that runs about 4 to 12 frames ripping the picture in a random location in the video. A destroyed tape can have hundreds of these and not even watchable. It is really bad when you get more than 1 or 2 tears at the same time.

Picture tearing is the single biggest problem that I find on old video tapes. SLP tapes are the worst. If the tape is really bad, you have tons of rips.

These picture tears are grained in to the video, they happen at the same points once the damage is done. The VCR doesn't matter on this. Very rare have been able to iron these out. Tried tape cleaning, tape baking, playing the tape backwards, transferring the tape to a new case, and ect.

I found in the later years late 1990's to early to mid 2000's the tapes were made cheaper, the cases are lighter and have more issue with damaged video.

The old Kodak tapes from the 80ties to early 90ties are very heavy tape shells vs the newer Maxell cassettes which are cheap. The older tapes play better and have less errors.

Betamax is different cause you can get a different playback and the errors are not always the same, usually do at least two captures of Betamax. Usually do them weeks apart. Than blends the recording in to one. However they suffer more from oxide dropouts than do VHS tapes. For Betamax use an external TBC.

sanlyn 01-22-2017 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deter (Post 47340)
What I don't get is the, Panasonic DMR-ES10, DMR-ES15, since I have never had one, don't know what they do. Watched your video on this.

They're used as pass-thru tbc's for those who either don't like the smearing and other problems associated with the primitive dnr in VCR's, or who don 't have VCRs with built-in tbc's (of which here are a great many very good VCR's).

Quote:

Originally Posted by deter (Post 47340)
Have witness picture tearing on a few tapes on the top part of the screen. It is very rare, and if I switch VCR's the problem is normally fix.

I find it to be common, with many forum posts showing examples. Also common with Macrovision, for those who have the audacity to actually buy retail Hollywood tapes.

Quote:

Originally Posted by deter (Post 47340)
My definition of picture tearing is different. To me it is video sync errors were you get a random picture tear or pulse that runs about 4 to 12 frames ripping the picture in a random location in the video. A destroyed tape can have hundreds of these and not even watchable. It is really bad when you get more than 1 or 2 tears at the same time.

Top border tearing is also more formally referred to as "flagging". What you describe is called dropouts, which can often look like "ripples", and include flashes, spots, and comets. Spots themselves are often characterized as fruits by shape and/or color": lemons, oranges, cherries, etc. I once saw a serious rash of these disturbances referred to as fireworks.

Serious dropout sample plus other pre-processing problems:
http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/atta...-vhs-studioavi

from this post: http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/vide...html#post45867

lordsmurf 02-03-2017 09:12 PM

Video is one of those areas where you VERY quickly get in over your head. Simply knowing your own collection and methods translate very badly to professional video work. And restoration has a pretty steep learning curve, when dealing with videos from others. This is something that takes years to learn, and requires continuous learning to keep up with new technologies. Having a media degree is very helpful, as well as experience in any video-related job setting (studio, broadcast, archiving).

First thing to understand: There is ZERO software with a restore button. Most restoration requires complex chains of filters, and often in scripted-language interfaces like AvsPmod using Avisynth.

As much as we share online, it's rare that you can simply take a script and apply it to other situations.

Hardware is mostly to prepare video for conversion, or remove some errors. It's not just about TBCs, but proc amps, detailers, audio mixers, etc.

I started an article on what it takes to be a pro some years ago, but never finished. It's something I'd like to do in 2017, mid-year maybe.


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