Hi8 Footage effect to make less noticable

Cooldraft wrote on 11/24/2003, 7:02 PM
I have a few clips that are taken from a HI8 1ccd camera that are going to be put in a video with a 3-ccd Cony trv.950. I know that the hi8 has at least two things against it: Analog tape, 1 ccd. Buy I have to use this footage, is there some filter that anyone hat used that would make it less noticable (eg, film grain, effects, make is a duotone effect)

Comments

craftech wrote on 11/24/2003, 7:24 PM
Some people on this forum use Virtual Dub on analog material first. I don't so maybe one of them can give you more specific information.

John
wobblyboy wrote on 11/24/2003, 8:41 PM
Just add a little blur to it and pretend that it was a desired effect.
johnmeyer wrote on 11/24/2003, 8:53 PM
I'm one of those VirtualDub types, but I don't think that is the way to go. You'll never make it look as crisp and sharp as the digital no matter how many noise reduction filters you use.

However, I shot a wedding this summer, and used my SVHS gear, locked down at the back of the church, for cover shots. Sure enough, I had enough goofs on the other two cameras that I had to use some of this SVHS footage. I found that the color was the most noticeable thing that jumped out at me when I cut between the two sources. The Color Corrector really helped a lot to reduce this. You can also tweak using the Color Curves control, and you can use the gamma, gain, and offset controls in the Color Corrector to match the blacks and highlights. Obviously the video will not be as sharp, but that may not be as noticeable if you get the colors and contrast looking similar.
CrazyRussian wrote on 11/24/2003, 9:24 PM
When i have to work with Hi8, i simply catpure it through Canopus ADVC-100 and almost never have to correct anythihg, but then again, I was never mixing 2 different sources, so there was nothing to compare to on the same time line.
farss wrote on 11/25/2003, 1:05 AM
One thing you could try with the Hi8 tapes is capturing it from a D8 camera.
They have a TBC and DNR. The VHS footage I capture via my D8 camera looks vastly better after capture than it does straight from the VCR.

I only just noticed it, clients kept saying the DVDs somehow looked better than the tapes they'd given me and I just dismissed that as their worn out VCRs but the tape I just did has the opening few minutes with the curtain down (i.e. almost full frame black) and the rainbow noise in the blacks on the monitor off the VCR is terrible yet none of that ended up in the captured footage. Thing I'm going to buy a 2nd hand D8 camera, for the money they must be the best A/D converter there is.
Cooldraft wrote on 11/25/2003, 3:39 PM
What D8 Camere do you have that allows analog input
wobblyboy wrote on 11/25/2003, 6:51 PM
My consumer Sony lets me input analog and converts to digital to send to computer. Works fine.
Cooldraft wrote on 11/25/2003, 6:52 PM
which model?
farss wrote on 11/25/2003, 7:24 PM
i have a Sony DCR-TRV320E.

The 'E' on th end denotes it is the PAL version. It's not a current model but there is a few new ones to chose from. Be aware, MiniDV cameras although capable of passthrough are unlikely to include a TBC or DNR as they don't need it to play back DV tapes.

With a bit of luck you might be able to find an old one on eBay, even if the transport, lens and CCD is stuffed you can still play the tapes in the Hi8 camera through the D8! Some of the bottom end models from Sony and some of the Europena models didn't have this capability so check in the VCR menu or read the Sony specs very carefully before put down your cash.

Of course yo can also wait for the Canopus ADVC-300 which seems to be going to include all the stuff in the D8 cameras and more. Big plus for me is it will let me PTT NTSC.