Speed up/slow down video and split screen questions.

I have been doing some basic research lately on the different Pan & Scan choices made on the original 1982 Laser Disc and VHS retail releases of Star Wars. The most famous choice is the "squeezed" macrobinocular bantha shot on the Laser Disc version but not the VHS version.

I have recently resorted to playing the two versions on screen at the same time to compare them running but the Laser Disc version is time compressed to under two hours and the VHS is at normal time. Consequently my questions are.....

Question 1

I have done some crude time calculations based on the first time we see the Fox logo to the last credit leaving the screen at the end. Therefore I now know very roughly what percent  faster or slower the LD is to the VHS to a couple of decimal places. Is there any Windows freeware software that will easily allow me to speed up or slow down video by such percentages and save the file. Alternatively, is there another way of doing this that I am missing?

Question 2

If I can get the two versions running at the same speed, is there any Windows freeware software that will easily let me do a WookieGroomer style side by side split screen so that I can save the project as a single file - with or without sound? The "fantasy" final version of this would be to have one of the widescreen versions playing in the background with the two 1982 LD and VHS versions playing side by side in the foreground. I have done a quick mock up to show what I mean.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/russdawson/gtf/dvd/images/mock%20up.jpg

Finally, if I get any where near making the above work, my ultimate ambition with video editing is to do THX-1138 v THX-1138 Directors Cut as another WookieGroomer split screen comparison. Again, I have done a few rough side by side comparisons many years ago and I believe that this could be a stunning project.

Back the the 1982 LD v VHS project, I have ripped the DVD files and have converted the files to various other formats such as avi and wav but I am now stuck on the "time compressed" issue.

Thanks and any help appreciated.

Fantastic. That works brilliantly. I have my video re-timed and the audio works with it too. Side by side in different programs, the two clips very roughly synchronise. StackHorizontal also works a treat and Trim makes them start at the same time. However.....

Question 3

Using StackHorizontal, clip1 runs at the correct length but clip2 now runs 6 minutes longer. I have tried various inputs to set it to the original 29fps for clip2 but with no luck. Here is the script. Any advice??

clip1=AVISource("LD.avi").Trim(310,0).AssumeFPS(28.2907, true)

clip2=AVISource("vhs.avi").Trim(200,0)

StackHorizontal(clip1, clip2)

Question 4

Is there a way to pause or add blank frames to either clip1 or clip2 throughout the film to allow the other clip to "catch up". With both files running side by side in different programs, the video syncs fairly well then drops out of sync at the end of certain scenes.

I assume I need to have the frame numbers for each file on screen and write some sort of pause or add script at certain frame numbers. I expect to need dozens of these and be able to do it to either clip.

Thanks again......

Couldn't you also determine speedup rate by doing pitch comparison on some of the music?

russs15 said:

Question 4

Is there a way to pause or add blank frames to either clip1 or clip2 throughout the film to allow the other clip to "catch up". With both files running side by side in different programs, the video syncs fairly well then drops out of sync at the end of certain scenes.

I assume I need to have the frame numbers for each file on screen and write some sort of pause or add script at certain frame numbers. I expect to need dozens of these and be able to do it to either clip.

Thanks again......

 

I have answered my own question 3 but am now stuck on Question 4.

The ANH 1982 LD v 1982 VHS v 1995 Faces VHS are now perfectly alligned at the beginning and end of the film and go out of synch by up to a second during the film. I have also added the SE which is perfect up to the new CGI shots. The 2004 DVD will be added when it arrives in the post next week.

Now I have come this far, I would love to find a way to pause frames or add blanks to either version to make a 100% perfectly synced 5 way comparison.

Also, I have THX-1138 ready and waiting in split screen format awaiting the same "How to" information.

Thanks

Recently when I did IVTC scripts for Dark/Sega SC, I inserted lots of black frames (and black fields too) at reel change points, to achieve GOUT sync.
Maybe have a look in the Dark/Sega thread (or Usenet) to find the script and see how I did it (right or wrong ;)

Or wait until tomorrow, then I'll post the similar script for d_j Standard Play (1130-84) preservation.
Are you planning to include that fullscreen release in your comparison also?

Thanks for the reply. I read your script but that was before I had ever looked at a script. It scared me to death!!!

However, I will have another look to see how you did it and how I can convert to clips a, b, c, d etc

My initial experiment is with the 1982 Ntsc LD and VHS but now I can do that, I intend to incorporate many other versions. The Faces VHS is already time synced as is the SE (up to the CGI). I am currently preparing the 85 Standard Play LD, the 92 time compressed pan and scan and the widescreen DC as a comparison shot. Also planned are one of my early PAL tapes (squeezed bantha shot), a PAL THX tape and my PAL SE just in case they are different. once I get my early 80's ITV copy back, that will be checked out as well.

Have I missed any out???

It all started with this page I did........  http://homepage.ntlworld.com/russdawson/gtf/swfull.html

......and I simply want to see the same thing but as a moving image

EDIT-   I have just compared the last scene of the NTSC THX Faces to the UK PAL equivalent. The NTSC version has the worst ever jump scan across the screen where the PAL suddenly changes to a widescreen version which it carries on right through the credits. All these little things that would not be seen unless shown side-by-side...........