Help with Hi8 Footage

wwaag wrote on 2/3/2014, 7:41 PM

I need some help with footage recorded on an old Canon Hi8 camcorder (actually, it was pretty new then). Here is a short 4 sec clip.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/qxajztrguadrkwv/Hi8%20Footage.avi

You can see the objectionable horizontal line pattern most clearly in the sky/cloud part of the scene. All footage was captured to DV using a Sony GV-D200 digital VCR. Capture from the original camcorder through an ADVC-100 produces the same pattern. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

wwaag

Comments

Steve Grisetti wrote on 2/3/2014, 8:33 PM

If you're capturing through an ADVC, you're capturing as DV-AVI, right? If so, this will be perfectly acceptable footage. In fact, it's going to be as good as you can get from Hi8.

Don't worry about the interlacing you're seeing in this video. This is because it's DV-AVI footage, which is designed to be seen on an interlaced medium, like a television set. It's going to look odd on a computer.

But load it into a Vegas project that is set up to match the media and then output, say, an MP4 (a non-interlaced format). It should look awesome. Or as awesome as standard definition video can look.

wwaag wrote on 2/3/2014, 8:54 PM

Don't worry about the interlacing you're seeing in this video.

Don't think these are interlacing effects. Previously, I have deinterlaced using "very slow" settings of QTGMC to produce progressive footage. The horizontal lines remain.

Any Avisynth filters, perhaps?

IN1ACCORD Productions wrote on 2/3/2014, 8:58 PM

wwaag

I downloaded and looked at your clip in Vegas and the light interlace lines are definitely there.

It might be an upper vs. lower field issue causing it to show interlaced lines: the VCR or ADVC-100 are for some reason sending upper field but you have it capturing with lower field (should be lower field for both).

But more than likely it's a partial head clog on your Sony VCR. You might try a cleaning tape. Plus with old tapes it is a good idea to forward and rewind the whole tape before playing.

You might also want to open the tape cassette lid and see if the tape has physical damage (hopefully not). The exposed tape surface should look light brown (no splotches) and reflect with no signs of marks or creases on the middle or the edges.

I use a Sony Digital8 camera to transfer my old 8's (8mm, Hi8, Digital8). You might see if you can beg, borrow or buy one. It plays the Hi8 tape and internally converts to DV for it 's Firewire connection (IEEE1394, 4 pin, or S400).

Hope one of these is useful.
Brian

ushere wrote on 2/3/2014, 9:00 PM

that looks jolly good for hi8 ;-)

i certainly wouldn't be wracking my brain or keyboard trying to get what isn't there in the first place.

wwaag wrote on 2/3/2014, 9:21 PM

It might be an upper vs. lower field issue causing it to show interlaced lines: the VCR or ADVC-100 are for some reason sending upper field but you have it capturing with lower field (should be lower field for both).

That was the problem. I reversed field order in Vegas and the lines disappeared. This is indeed very strange. I've used the same device for capture with two different Sony camcorders and there was never a problem--always BFF and never those horizontal lines. It was only with the Canon. In any case, the "why" is unimportant now the solution is at hand.

Thanks so much for the suggestion.

johnmeyer wrote on 2/3/2014, 10:45 PM

I don't think it is a field issue. I separated the fields and looked at upper fields separately from the lower fields. The lines were still there. However, it is possible that you had some setting in the capture hardware set up incorrectly.

You can use a very small amount of vertical Gaussian blur, or a convolution kernel blur setting and filter out some of the lines.