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-   -   How can you tell when your VCR needs to be cleaned? (https://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/video-workflows/5678-how-vcr-cleaned.html)

DeeSeven 01-31-2014 05:11 PM

How can you tell when your VCR needs to be cleaned?
 
Hello

I'm currently on a huge project with a buddy of mine and we're converting some 1600+ vhs tapes and countless other hi8/8mm/digi8 tapes. Anyways when I purchased my panasonic ag-1980 back in september it was cleaned prior to me getting it. Not a cleaner tape thankfully :) the seller actually left the invoice for having it cleaned at a vcr shop.

I assume after throwing some 1600+ tapes through the vcr sometimes the same tape more then once a good cleaning is needed. I have one vhs tape that looks to be in pretty rough shape and my panasonic doesn't really play it well. As you can see below

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHBncrUuals

that is the tape being played without any settings

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_JVKdGxX8A

this is after I cleaned it up a little bit. My main concern is the noise on the left side is that my vcr? the tape? If it is just the tape how would I clean that up just crop it out? I hate cropping out concert footage but it looks really ugly lol.

kpmedia 02-01-2014 08:45 AM

Upload a "before" clip as AVI and attach to the forum (32mb max). I want to show you some image cleaning tips.

Or request FTP access here: http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/news...mbers-how.html

DeeSeven 02-01-2014 05:44 PM

waiting on admin to access my ftp request then i'll upload :)

lordsmurf 02-02-2014 05:56 AM

You clean it when you notice something wrong. You can also clean it periodically, based on use. Or number of tapes. Or if you feel the tapes being put into it are for some reason excessively dirty, then I'd even do it after every few tapes. You even clean a VCR based on lack of use, because it can get dust build-up on heads.

In other words, it just depends. :)

I know, not the answer you'd hoped for.

A VCR shop isn't needed. And as you seem to know, a clearing tape isn't suggested. Al you need is 70% or better (or denatured) alcohol, and some chamois/shammy "Q-tips". We actually use sensor swabs made for DSLR cameras, as they're far more delicate.

Your current cleaning method is mostly making it blurry. When you get FTP access, upload a clip.

DeeSeven 02-02-2014 12:15 PM

http://cdn4.digitalfaq.com/deeseven/test.avi (right click, save as!)

*thanks to admin for the help :)

lordsmurf 02-02-2014 10:29 PM

1 Attachment(s)
Come on ... that was an easy one! :D

See/listen to my restored output: http://cdn4.digitalfaq.com/lordsmurf...tput+audio.avi (right click, save as!)

The source had:
- fuzz and tape flutter in audio
- harsh chroma offset, which is typical for nth generation VHS copies of copies
- chroma noise
- analog "pixel" noise (for lack of a better term)
- some noise issues that need NR

The video was just Avisynth + VirtualDub...

Avisynth script:
Code:

AVISource("E:\test.avi")
ChromaShift(C=6, L=-8)
ConvertToYV12
Deen() # remove edge noise
ConvertToYUY2

^ ChromaShift() fixed the chroma offset, and Deen() was the first NR filter that was run.

VirtualDub filters (VCF attached):
Code:

VirtualDub.audio.SetSource("E:\\deeseven-test.wav", "");
VirtualDub.audio.SetMode(0);
VirtualDub.audio.SetInterleave(1,500,1,0,0);
VirtualDub.audio.SetClipMode(1,1);
VirtualDub.audio.SetConversion(0,0,0,0,0);
VirtualDub.audio.SetVolume();
VirtualDub.audio.SetCompression();
VirtualDub.audio.EnableFilterGraph(0);
VirtualDub.video.SetInputFormat(11);
VirtualDub.video.SetOutputFormat(11);
VirtualDub.video.SetMode(0);
VirtualDub.video.SetSmartRendering(0);
VirtualDub.video.SetPreserveEmptyFrames(0);
VirtualDub.video.SetFrameRate2(0,0,1);
VirtualDub.video.SetIVTC(0, 0, 0, 0);
VirtualDub.video.SetCompression(0x75796668,0,10000,0);
VirtualDub.video.filters.Clear();
VirtualDub.video.filters.Add("Median filter");
VirtualDub.video.filters.instance[0].Config(100);
VirtualDub.video.filters.Add("Camcorder color denoise 1.6 MT");
VirtualDub.video.filters.instance[1].Config(100,1);
VirtualDub.video.filters.Add("resize");
VirtualDub.video.filters.instance[2].SetClipping(26,4,8,22);
VirtualDub.video.filters.instance[2].Config(100,100,1,4,3,0,720,480,4,3,1,4,1,0x000000);
VirtualDub.video.filters.Add("dynamic noise reduction (MMX)");
VirtualDub.video.filters.instance[3].Config (12);
VirtualDub.audio.filters.Clear();

^ "Median" was run to remove the pixel-like noise. "Camcorder Color Denoise" remove the chroma noise, and further cleaned up some of the chroma offset that couldn't be fixed. It was set to max, which isn't often ideal, but it was here. Crop. Then run the "Dynamic Noise Reduction (MMX)" to finish up the NR pass. The default 12 looked fine.

The output needed some cropping work, to adjust for the now-moved chroma channels. And to cover that terrible overscan mess. Also notice that my files compresses down to 272mb vs your 326mb source. Although I did crop a few frames of crap in the beginning, the bulk of that was from better compression from simply having less noise.

The audio was just a series of the custom digitalFAQ.com Sound Forge filters.
- digitalFAQ Normalize @50%
- digitalFAQ Post-Audacity Fuzz 4 - Mild + 20 anti-click = Audio Restoration filter
- digitalFAQ Hiss cut 02 - Aggressive [muffles] = Paragraphic EQ
- digitalFAQ Enrich Mono VHS 4 / Not Re-Add High Fuzz = Graphic EQ

This is to:
- Reduce levels (normalize to 50%) so filters don't distort
- Remove most noise
- Remove more hiss
- Restore some muffled/mono values to the audio

I could have run another hiss cut filter, but I'm afraid to muffle the audio too much. The hiss is mostly present when audio isn't playing. I would leave it alone, and so I did. If this was something super-important of mine, I might spend lots of time writing a new filter that balances noise (hiss) and audio fidelity. But I can already tell such a time investment may be fruitless, as the noise invades to same audio spectrum as the audio I want to keep.

Yes, the audio and video filters can all be tweaked (or nitpicked by perfectionists), but it's a good start if nothing else.

Personally, I'd call it a win, and move on to the next project.

There's some further deinterlace work that can be done, which in turn allows some advanced stabilization work. But I'm not sure if it really matters. The video is pretty erratic and false movements may make it worse. It's a bootleg anyway. It has the "bootleg concert" appeal.

So how'd I do? :tiphat:

lordsmurf 02-02-2014 10:45 PM

2 Attachment(s)
Here's a before/after slider that shows chroma offset. (Deen also applied here; took a screenshot of AvsPmod.)

Admin refused to unhide hidden content
nothing will help to see hidden content

Understand that chroma often blooms on VHS, so it's going to bleed over the edges. You want to center it as best you can, to align it. Then you have to filter out bleeding. There's several methods for that, but the VirtualDub "camcorder" filter worked fine this time.

kpmedia 02-02-2014 11:37 PM

Quote:

My main concern is the noise on the left side is that my vcr? the tape? If it is just the tape how would I clean that up just crop it out? I hate cropping out concert footage but it looks really ugly lol.
Can a dirty VCR cause some of the noise shown here? Maybe. The "pixel" noise referred to above is one way a dirty VCR will present itself. Another is the bleeding and overall degradation of detail. Then again, it may just be the tape, not the VCR.

This is a higher-end Panasonic VCR being used here? Is that correct? Watch the picture slider carefully. It oversharpens video, even on the 0 setting. You can often see ringing halos. A bit "soft" is actually normal. But it does sometimes help to be left at 0 (or boosted even more). Just watch it, and test before capturing. Sometimes you'll want it artificially sharpened, and sometimes not.

lordsmurf 02-06-2014 03:40 AM

All this work and no comment? :depressed:

DeeSeven 02-06-2014 08:03 AM

sorry ls was swamped with work. but I did do the settings you did and you are right :) it looks much better then my blurry mess lol.

thanks to kp as well for the tips..turns out it was probably just the tape as I've played various other tapes with no signs of a dirty vcr.


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