How to capture PAL video with VirtualDub as interlaced...

After one year away from this forum - and after I lost all my previous test captures - I decided to work again on my project (more about it later, when this problem will be solved).

But I discovered that, apart the captures, maybe I lost also my memory... infact, I cannot remember how to capture PAL video from my laserdisc with VirtualDub, and store it as interlaced...

I mean, I tried every possible setting on VirtulDub, read any guide here and there, but still haven't found how to do it! Infact, if I capture PAL video, the resulting file is everytime 720x576 at 25fps; so VirtualDub make a deinterlace (seems blending to me, don't know for sure).

It's true that the result is not bad, at the contrary sometimes is really good... but I'd like to record interlaced, and then, if I WANT TO, deinterlace choosing from different deinterlacing method.

Maybe I have to capture with the filter chain enabled, and use a deinterlace filter... I tested simple bob, and obtained a 720x288 50fps file, but too many fields are lost. Then I thought to use weave, but haven't found a weave filter... I have a doubt that VirtualDub CAN'T capture interlaced video!

Please help me, I'm lost... for the last week, many hours any night, I tried to solve this problem, with no success... I need to find the solution before starting all the capture tasks!

Thanks to all in advance.

_,,,^..^,,,_ said:

... Infact, if I capture PAL video, the resulting file is everytime 720x576 at 25fps; so VirtualDub make a deinterlace (seems blending to me, don't know for sure).

...

This is correct, your capture should always be 720x576 25fps. If you don't see any combing, then it's because your source is progressive.

The problem is not the result - as I wrote, I think is quite good - but the method... I mean, what kind of deinterlacing method VirtualDub uses as default? And if I want to try another one, how could is possible to record interlaced captured video?

At the end if I decide to make DVDs or AVCHDs, as it is possible to make them interlaced, how could I'll make them interlaced if the captured video is deinterlaced?!?

What I'd like to know: is there any "stupid bob" deinterlacer to use with VirtualDub, that record the captured video as the original material - 720x288 at 50fps - so I could use whatever deinterlacing method - in VirtualDub itself or AviSynth? Or, if I use any kind of deinterlacing filter WHEN I capture the video, the result will be the same?

These are important questions, as I want to capture literally hundred hours of video (using different versions, discs, players) and I must start right... I can't think to redo everything at the end because I captured with wrong settings!

By the way, my capture card is an Asus BDA (based on the Philips SAA713x chipset) and VirtualDub uses it via DirectShow.

If you want the original fields - 720 x 288 @ 50fps - just use SeparateFields() in AviSynth.

Thanks, I get the point, you are both right. Now I try to explain what I thought.

The problem was: if the video is interlaced, composed by two fields for each frame, 50 fields per second, then I must obtain a 720x288 50fps file... instead, I obtain a 720x576 25fps, THEN VirtualDub MUST do some kind of deinterlace... infact, I scan the captured video frame by frame searching for some kind of interlace artifacts, and because I didn't find any, I thought I was right (VirtualDub do some deinterlace).

After reading your comments, I rethought about the film and video difference, so I wanted to make another test... this is the result I wanted to see before:

So VirtualDub just take the odd lines from a field, then the even lines from the other, and form a complete frame without any deinterlace! Here the interlace shows up because this is a video clip - shot interlaced, not progressive... I was wrong because I didn't find any frame like this in the Star Wars captured video, just because as film originating material, the capture results in perfect progressive video!!!

I solved the problem, and I'm starting to remember I've done the same more than one year before, just I forgot... I told you, I'm going TOO old! ;-)

Thanks you Moth3r, thank you OmegaMattman!