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Jaiman Tuckuh

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Join date
20-Oct-2005
Last activity
13-Apr-2015
Posts
409

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Post
#322557
Topic
Vdub and DVD Flickering
Time

You mean like the flickering on the shingles of that little gazebo thingy, and at the edges of white poles and lines?

That looks like "stepping", aka "stairstepping" and it needs some "anti-aliasing" aka "antialiasing".

That should be easy to search up a solution for.

 

That's not an issue of frame rates, or wrongfull interlacing. Although I could imagine how 60i and 24p could help disguize it (in two different ways).

 

It's a common problem with standard definition. The lines, in the patterns, are at angles to the tv's/monitor's scanlines. And the scanlines are "chopped up" into pixels. So the edges, of the pattern's lines look like stairsteps. As the camera moves around, the steps move around - hence flickering. It's still there, in HD, but because there are so many pixels, it isn't noticable.

 

Did you use the sharpen filter on downconversion for this clip? That'd make it worse.

 

It sounds counterintuitive, but, in a sense, you have to do something that almost un-sharpens the edges. Which would seem like the last thing you'd want to do for lower-resolution. You need the edges's pixels to be a blend of the two colors on each side of the edge... it's kinda hard to explain without a picture. I'll try to come back and edit in a link. Anyway, the human eye likes it, so it's ok.

 

I could swear I also see a stray blob of color on the shingles for a couple of frames, and maybe along that one tall, white vertical post. (The stepping might be overworking the encoder).

Unfortunately, the encoded clip is just too short for me to watch it on the dvd, it's slightly over a half-second.

Could you post a long, encoded clip, by itself? (If I haven't identified the problem, that is).

 

If I'm seeing the right problem...

 

I'll see if I can dig up a good solution for that. Avisynth might be your best bet, there, but I"m kinda green, on that subject. And there might be something simpler to learn.

Post
#322373
Topic
Vdub and DVD Flickering
Time

The a clip of the "after" would show me the problem. But do you also have a way to clip a piece of the original mpeg, before Vdub resizes it? You could post the clips to mediafire.

 

I have tools that could check the original HD mpeg clip for funkyness. For instance, I'm wondering if Premier is exporting it as 30p, or if it's trying to make it something interlaced. Or the tools may show something else strange. Does the problem show up before you resize? What's it look like when you step through it (unresized) frame by frame? Do you see signs of interlacing? Are you using an mpeg2 plugin for Virtual Dub? What resize method are you using?

 

Anyway, while you're waiting for me, you need to try substitutes for VDub 1.8. Maybe VirtualDubMod or VirtualDubMpeg or just an earlier version. Your's might have a bug that they didn't catch, because, for example, it specificly hits 30p at a certain resolutions.

 

And see if you can get some other way to capture from the camera (a free trial?). I know CapDvhs does some digital video cameras, if there's a "driver" for your camera. (I'd give you the links, but I gotta split).

 

We can figure out what's going on, sooner or later. The problem is, I suspect you're pulling your hair out, right now. You might be on a deadline. And I haven't had any experience with HD cameras, or their files, or Premier, or some the tools that people mention using for their HD cam files. You stand a much better chance of nailing down the problem, quickly, at Videohelp forums . When we blaze new trails in video editing, we go there to solve the numerous obstacles in our way. They are the best video techeads around. (Some of them write video tools). And they have a couple of forums about working with video from HD video cameras.

 

They are more cooperative if you search their forums, before asking. Of course, their search is broken, like most forums that tell you to search first. :) So when you don't get any real search results, repeat with their Google-search link (e.g. "Click here to search for 30p premier m2t using Google in our Forum."), and wade through Google's false hits, and end up with a lot more good hits than their own search engine found. :)

 

If you don't find anything by searching, you could post to a forum that seems to fit. Like "Advanced Video Conversion" or "DV / HDV".

They might ask for a sample clip, and you'll already be set. :)

 

Your familiarity with the videocam stuff would make it a lot easier to tell what's going on in their discussions. When I read one like this post, I can see they're talking about an m2v, which is a demuxed mpeg2 video file. But if they hadn't mentioned m2v, I wouldn't know if maybe they were talking about a .dv file. And I don't know if they're talking about editing or capturing.

 

Anyway, I'll try to help if you still need it. But it'll go quicker if we're both searching videohelp and stuff.

And I'd like to know how it turns out. Sometimes I never find out what happened, and it's unsettling, ya know?

Post
#322209
Topic
Waterworld ABC Cut? A ton of info - see McFly's posts for details (Released)
Time

[Professor Farnsworth voice]

Oh my, yes!

[/Professor Farnsworth voice]. I haven't seen The Postman yet, but yeah, it's substantially improved.

 

The extended version is a well-rounded movie, that's a lot easier to take seriously. It flows very well. And the calmer bits aren't boring. Obviously, there's T.B.S. (Tired Butt Syndrome), but it's worth it.

 

The theatrical was recut into just another standard action film. ThesePeopleAreGoingThroughThisShitNowIt'sDone. It made minor plot holes, and got rid of a lot of characterization, interaction, backstory (and vauge stuff about the past). It was a pro job, though, there are loads of small trims and segments removed; not just full scenes hacked out (lots more edits than I can keep track of).

 

Of course, the extended isn't fully polished. And there's stuff that was apparently thrown in as padding, for tv run-time. The director would've probably wanted some more tweaks and trims. So it does call for a fan edit.

An alternate scene-bit is carelessly tossed in --- The old professor suddenly figures out the direction of dry land --- twice. :)

 

Edit: But I don't want my enthusiasm to get your expectations too high.

McFly presents a more complete review, below. (And I agree with it).

Post
#322059
Topic
Is regular old DV a decent intermediate codec (Mac)
Time

I vaugely remember somebody was using MJPEG, on a Mac. Dunno if they used FCP. It can be set to lossless. I don't know the filesize. I don't know if Mac uses codec files that PCs do, like the Morgan Mjpeg Codecs. (Lossy Mjpeg looks horrible, but lossless is, well, lossless).

Googling "MJPEG Mac" turns up a smattering of stuff between the products.

 

 

Post
#322040
Topic
Vdub and DVD Flickering
Time

How about Filters-> field swap ?

 

If that screws things up, you could try Donald Graft's Reverse Field Dominance filter. (Put it in \VirtualDub\plugins).

 

And if that ain't it, a screenshot is worth at least 50 words... better yet, a screenshot with the downconvert filter, and the same frame without.

What's camera model, and what codec is it giving you? Maybe we could dig up something to parse the file. Have you used this HD camera for all your projects? If it's a different one, is the codec different? Maybe your resize filter, or sharpening filter hate the codec, or resolution, or somethng. Do you know if it's true 30p, or if the camera is playing some tricks, so that marketing can label it 30p? How did you decode the camera's codec into lagarith? Are you using Vdub or VdubMod, or...

Just spitballing, in case I catch your next post late, again. :)

Post
#321990
Topic
Waterworld ABC Cut? A ton of info - see McFly's posts for details (Released)
Time

Wow! I love it when we have a difficult time choosing which sweet cover to print!

Those are both spectacular, guys.

 

Here's another humble possibility for the description...


"Uncensored, uncut. With 45 minutes of additional footage (excised from the theatrical print), this has every deleted moment ever shown on TV, as well as language, violence, and brief nudity from the theatrical version. The result is a more complete story - characters are fleshed out, questions are answered, backstory is given, and plot holes are filled. 'The Mariner' even gets a name."

"Open-matte - a lot more vertical picture, than the theatrical presentation, with very little cropped from the sides, so it's much nicer than the typical 4:3."

 

Of course, the 2nd block is unnessecary, because of the new special feature comparing open-matte to theatrical.

 

And I can't think of a better way to say this part:

 

McFly89 said:

Before owning this, you should have already purchased the Theatrical Cut from Universal. This extended version should be freely distributed and shared until such time as Universal decides to fund and release a proper Director's Cut. If such a thing ever comes to be, this disc should be recycled in the pit.

 

 

Post
#321529
Topic
Guide: Capture Digital Cable's original digital stream - no recompression
Time

Version 0.0.2 Sept. 3rd, 2009
 

Requirements

Computer with a firewire port.

6-pin to 6-pin firewire cable.

Cable DVR (Motorola, if at all possible. Scientific Atlantas suck for this).

Free software. See below for the software requirements. (One piece of inexpensive software is highly recommended for PC).

 

***Help me upgrade this guide! This version is mostly about Cable-DVR in the USA. (I need info wherever you see the ***). And it's PC-centric. (Mac and Linux work fine, though). And it's out of date.


Satellite in Europe, Canada, (Australia?), (and?), requires modified, or special-order boxes, with decoder cards from your Satellite Service Provider. So that could run into a few hundred. I haven't heard of Satellite capture in the US. *** Anybody help me out with info? Check your Satellite box for firewire ports...


They all stream their shows with ordinary video compression. Valid DVD resolutions, for the mpegs. (Standard Definition mpeg are often lower than 720x480, but still valid).

 

Note: Most Motorolas currently make it annoying or impossible to capture stuff that you play back from the DVR's hard drive. It's a firmware issue. There's an update available, but many local cable outlets haven't rolled it out. Here's a workaround. Doesn't always work.



Don't expect to cap top-premium channels, like HBO. (A few people, in a few places can. Emphasis on few). But you can probably snag every channel that has ads, and maybe others. My local cable gives me that, and guys like Encore and Independent Film Channel. (Like I said, it's cheap to find out).



If your computer doesn't have firewire, it's about $30 bucks more, for the card and cable. The necessary software is free. (And some optional software that's inexpensive).

The only noticable expense was a ground loop isolator. You can buy after you test things out.


You need an active firewire port on the Box/Dvr. US Cable companies are only required to have active ones on CableDVR's.






This guide is currently detailed for USA, Cable, and Windows XP. I haven't researched the rest much.


Required Operating System.

Windows XP SP2 (or SP3). And MCE (Media Center Edition) give some you extra capabilities, like channel-change.
Or
Linux may be a little better. (But Windows is pretty well caught up).
Or
Mac is probably 2nd-best?
Or
Windows Vista (Ewwww!) :) (Reportedly gives a lot of people problems, depending on the version, and whatever).

Linux and Mac users - please help me flesh out this guide! ***


Required Hardware
Digital Cable DVR (Leased from Cable Company). (No modifications allowed!)
Or
Satellite. Modified box only???????. All providers?
Or
(LOL) Computer with a card from the company. (These have to be certified, not home-built. Hard to find, pretty much ridiculous).

Might as well go for an HD DVR, while you're at it. You can watch HD on your computer monitor - live, or from recordings. (Probably not best to watch, while you're saving to the computer, but you could record to DVR, and cap later, if that works). Remind me to look up the VLC link for watching live, or from the DVR playback.


Note: a DTV tuner card & antenna might be better for local digital channels. Most of our local HD broadcast channels are "windowboxed" (bars on all 4 sides).


Firewire cable (I suspect all systems require 6-pin to 6-pin). (About $10, or so).

Firewire port on a computer (Firewire cards are fairly cheap). ($19-$50)
An old 400 is fine. Even HD programs will be many times lower-bitrate than a 400 can handle).
(But if you are planning to get an external firewire HDD, 800 would be speedier than USB-2).


Ground loop blocker (DC Isolator).

This is the most expensive part. It can wait until after you've tested your setup. (In case your cable company copy-protects the channels you want).

You get ground loops whenever there's any connection between a computer and Cable (Audio amplifier, cable modem, or capture). They cause audio buzzing (may not be very audible), and video interference (not all the static, various kinds of interference).

Jensen Transformers ISO-MAX VRD-1FF 2MHz to 1300MHz CATV Isolator - F/F (Digital Cable compatible) $59.95. It's the only one that works with Digital Cable. Cheaper ones will only work with analog. This won't disrupt your cable modem. Does not work for Satellite. (There are a lot of options for satellite, though ***).

I ordered mine Cable Solutions (they take Paypal, makes life simpler). They also have short high-quality coax cables that make installation easier, and won't damage the isolater. Specific link that might die: http://www.cs1.net/products/jensen_transformers/VRD-1FF.htm

Read this installation faq.There are some precautions, to keep from damaging it.


Required software

D-Vhs emulator driver. (Free).

ExDeus's install walkthrough(Windows) With Step-by-step Screencaps for every applicable Windows OS.

Tim M. Moore's original page (Windows)

Install & convert to DVD (Windows)


AvsForum guide (Windows)


Mac guide


Linux MythTv (Linux software, and with links to alternatives). I haven't researched Linux well enough.


Capture utilities (Free).

CapDvhs v0.3.0.6 (Windows) Recommended (Required for testing your new setup).
Also included in ExDeus's download.

There are others, but it's late, so next revision. A couple of free ones. A couple of shareware. A very few people can't get the free stuff to work, but have success with the capture stuff in expensive proggies.


Stream Repair Utilities

Mpeg2Repair (free, Windows). Must have! The log file will even tell you where those occasional video and audio glitches and dropouts were. Doesn't demux. (There are free demuxers, I'll try to link to those, later). http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=442446

That is for MPeg2 streams, as the name implies.

But Satellite and lots of European sources are turning to h264/Mpeg4 (essentially the same thing), because they are modern, and have much more efficient compression.

ProjectX also does Mpeg2, and should take care h264 and Mpeg4 repairs (I think). And it works on Linux, Mac, and Windows. Becaues it's Java (blah).

(I'll finish this part later).

Mpeg4 editing is... ouch...


Recommended Advanced Stream processing/edit/demux (Trialware) Apps.

VideoRedoPlus is pretty close to a requirement. But it's only about $50. (Highly recommended, great for demuxing, editing, and syncing video to audio when there's dropouts. Basic linear editing). "Enable Filters" will let you choose the resolution for the show. It will filter out any ads which have other resolutions. This is good, because mpegs can only be one resolution.

WombleDVD. (Non-linear editing of program stream. Demux, repair, and conversion of SD to DVD). If you have significant flaws in one cap, you can cap again, and splice the two caps together with this).

Remind me to put in the links. :)



Optional hardware: $$$

D-Vhs Machine (Digital VHS Recorders). These may or may not help you get more channels.
They may be the only way you can record the digital stream from OnDemand or PayPerView. (I have no experience here). It could be possible that they might allow you to transfer some otherwise-protected programs to your computer. You can occasionally find a used one for Standard Definition. HD versions are expensive as all bleep.



======================= Using CapDvhs ========================

This was developed for DV cameras, and D-Vhs recorders.

Works brilliantly for capturing over firewire (install the D-Vhs emulator first).

Very simple utility, virtually no freakin' information (until now).

It's from Japan, if I recall. I believe it hasn't had a English version update in a long time.


"Reserve" means "Timer".

"Settings" tab
I don't want it shutting off my DVR, so I check "Does not "Video Power On" at reserve" and "Does not "Video Power Off" at reserve"
At the bottom, use the "Save Folder" button, to tell it where the file goes.

I leave it at the default Filename - because, by including the date, and time, every filename is unique - no overwrites.

Ideally, you want your capture file to go to a defragged NTFS drive. (Although one guy said he had more glitches with NTFS, and preferred Fat 32). If you have to use Fat32, then any file over 2 Gigs will have to be split, before it can be moved (Max, on Fat32 is 4 Gigs).


Global (Works in all tabs).

"Rec" to start the capture. "Stop" to stop. (Duh)


The time remaining is displayed at the bottom of the CapDvhs window, when you are recording.

"Add 10 minutes" Button
If the remaining time isn't enough, to finish your show, keep punching this button to add more recording time.


"Data Info" Tab.
When you start recording, you'll be jumped over to this tab.
That's a good thing.

The top left fields must show picture information, or you aren't getting the signal (your recording will be blank). The right-hand fields will stay blank, always, unless you are getting mpeg2 audio. (From a DVR, camera, or something).

If those fields stay blank for more than a few seconds...
Stop, go to a local channel, record a blip of that. Sometimes something, somewhere, gets stubborn, so it might take a few tries.

If you simply can't record a channel, then that channel is encrypted (copy protected).
(Don't give up, it might only be protected for individual programs).

If you can't capture a local channel, check out your install. If that's ok, bitch out your Cable provider. I'll try to look up a link to the FCC rule.


"Reserve" Tab
This is the timer.

Easy enough to figure out, but I'll try to put explicit instructions in here.

One bug - it doesn't erase old timer programs, automatically. When you start a new one, delete it/them, or highlight a blank entry. Otherwise, it'll keep resetting what you just changed.

Post
#321105
Topic
Waterworld ABC Cut? A ton of info - see McFly's posts for details (Released)
Time
Sweet! I like the addition of the beautiful sunset clouds, and how some of the dark clouds wrap around to the front, where it looks like a storm is rolling in. The dark clouds behind him, makes a dramatic effect.

When it's done, there should be some text, on the back, along the lines of xxx minutes of every moment ever aired - uncut, and uncensored. Or something like that.
Post
#321087
Topic
Waterworld ABC Cut? A ton of info - see McFly's posts for details (Released)
Time
Cool! Here's something to get you guys started.

WwHD_snaps.zip (Rapidshare)

100 megs of stills from a 1080i HD, that I got from cable.

Any requests?

Here's some Ideas McFly had:

mcfly89 said:

I was thinking something along the lines of my menu designs, which have a "peering through a telescope" motif. Perhaps you could take the shot of the lookout spotting the smokers with his telescope, and in his telescope reflection you could toss a shot from a deleted scene (I have a few).

Other ideas I had were a collage of Hi-Res stills of The Mariner teaching Enola to swim, since there's some pretty shots in there. Or, a one-shot wraparound of one of the wide shots of the ocean floor with decimated buildings.

I also have a logo for my fake production company that can be added next to the Universal logo.


I got frames of all those subjects. A lot of it isn't as impressive when it isn't in motion, but it might work.

I tried to get images that'd be good for wraparound covers. I had to flip a lot of them, horizontally, to get the front cover part on the right side. But they're png, so you guys can just flip them back, if you just need pieces of images.



mcfly89 said:

Why do we use code names? Like "McFly89." I figure it's just because it's cool. So I've been putting my actual real name on the DVD credits, but it occured to me: do we have code names so that we won't be sued? I figure if anybody wanted to shut us down, it wouldn't be hard, nor would finding our real names... but is putting your name on the DVD just asking for trouble?


Just get a cease-and-desist, not a lawsuit... :)

But I think it's best to keep your real name out of it.


Super-unlikely, and you'd just have to stop talking about distribution. But why push it?

I could babble about it. And I did, but I edited it all out. :)
Post
#320389
Topic
30i to 24p to 25p to 24p?
Time
I spoke too soon - too small of a sampling.


It switches, from repeating every 4th frame, to normal pulldown (3 frames, 2 interlaced). And it often does so over fairly short sequences.

There's always enough movement, that pulldown should always be noticable.

I haven't worked out any sort of pattern, to the switchover, but that's partly because it gives me a headache. :) Weird...


What if the IVTC was set to decode the pulldown sections to extra frames? If that made the repeated frames consistant...


Edit: Wait a minute... I loaded an mpg into VideoDubMod, (which ignores the flags, right?) And now I'm seeing an irregular pattern of pulldown, but I don't notice repeated frames.

GSpot says the mpv is 23.976 pics/sec, and 29.970 frames per second.

So, if the duplicated frames are rid of, then IVTC probably would make it run faster?
Post
#317311
Topic
Waterworld ABC Cut? A ton of info - see McFly's posts for details (Released)
Time
Thanks for the encouragement, DJ!

I know you're a big fan of unique stuff that doesn't quite get released. I'm looking forward to seeing what McFly does, myself.

You've blazed a lot of trails with your caps and conversions.




Here's a couple of Huffy comparisons to tease you.

I resized these to be similar to your's, McFly, although I didn't have time to match the exact aspect ratio. And I didn't take the time set white & black points.

I'll leave it up to you to put them under the magnifying glass. But I think they're pretty similar to your averaged captures, at first glance.

Jaiman's Huffyuv
http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o57/JimTuckuh/Wworld%20Huffy/Hair-Huffy01.png

Mc Fly's
http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i82/thegreathunger/Hair.jpg


Jaiman's Huffyuv
http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o57/JimTuckuh/Wworld%20Huffy/Store-Huffy01.png


McFly's
http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i82/thegreathunger/Store.jpg


Jaiman's Huffyuv
http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o57/JimTuckuh/Wworld%20Huffy/SpyToolHuffy01.png

McFly's
http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i82/thegreathunger/SpyTool.jpg
Post
#316789
Topic
Waterworld ABC Cut? A ton of info - see McFly's posts for details (Released)
Time
mcfly89 said:

EPIC!

I noticed that most of the stills have no logos, yet some do. This raises an interesting question: is it possible to get a no-logo extended cut? Mine is DV quality, but has logos. How good of a capture can we get from the on-demand? The theatrical on-demand looks much better than the extended on-demand, yes?


Yeah, I was noticing that the Theatrical stills looked better. But that may be from me using VLC for the Extended stills, and PowerDvd for the Theatrical stills. But just as likely that they're compressing the Extended pretty hard.

Actually, the Extended, on OnDemand doesn't have any logos at all.

The Theatrical isn't on OnDemand, it's on the regular Encore channels. So I have to chase it down in the schedule. It might be possible to put together a Theatrical without logos, if they come & go at random.

That's the nice thing about Encore, they Encore the hell out of things, for weeks or months.


About the only way to get a better-looking Extended, would be to capture it to Huffyuv. I am going to try to do that, for myself, at least.
Post
#316757
Topic
Waterworld ABC Cut? A ton of info - see McFly's posts for details (Released)
Time





The Forehead Slap Heard 'Round the World




Chapter 1. "The Quest"

mcfly89 said:

One other "would be great" is if there exists a copy of the theatrical (uncut) at better than VHS quality, which is what I've used so far. Most of the added violence I got from a Telemundo capture (apparently Hispanic viewers are less sensitive!) but the nudity, and a few shots like the Deacon offering Enola a smoke came from VHS and it shows. I've considered taking the widescreen DVD and cropping it, but since the VHS is open-matte and has MORE picture, zooming in on the widescreen version leaves out 70% of the original image.

I can't think of a better source than the VHS though, which is ironic considering it's the THEATRICAL cut!





Chapter 2. "A Desperate Plan"
Jaiman Tuckuh said:

I have an suggestion, but you're not going to like it. (Unless you already used a Time Base Corrector, then never mind).

A VCR starts each line, of video, at a slightly random time (relative to when it should start). That means the picture is disjointed about 480 times. Gives it that gauzey effect.

A TBC collects the lines, and then spits them out all lined up at the edges.

I'll be getting a TBC, as soon as my budget allows, which might be in a couple of weeks. (I found a rare old tape that I'm anxious to capture). So... if you want to wait (and ship me your tape when I order the TBC. I'll ship it back).





Chapter 3. "Setback"

mcfly89 said:

You're right; I don't like it! No, seriously, I can't polish this stuff anymore. If a few shots need to be VHS w/o TBC, so be it...
unless that on-demand cap has uncut violence?


No, it's still censored. :-C

You'd think they'd have increased the dimensions of their scrotals, over the years.

OTOH, they're probably giving us exactly the same cut. So, I guess that's a good thing.





Chapter 4. "Realization".

ziim said:

If anyone is interested... Waterworld SE is on Encore on Demand for Comcast. The runtime is 171 minutes.


Jaiman Tuckuh said:

Wow! Thanks ziim.

I've been wasting my attention searching tvguide.com and ending up with Encore's 17 trillion showings of the Theatrical...


Oh frak me...








http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o57/JimTuckuh/Waterworld/01Peecup.png
Out and right back in.



http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o57/JimTuckuh/Waterworld/02Spear1.png



http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o57/JimTuckuh/Waterworld/03Spear2.png



http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o57/JimTuckuh/Waterworld/04Spear3.png



http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o57/JimTuckuh/Waterworld/05Bottom.png
Trying to avoid an NSFW. (Not Safe For Work/Wife)



http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o57/JimTuckuh/Waterworld/06Cigarette.png
"I take the name "Smoker" literally. Here, have one. Oh come on. They've been aging for centuries, that's good for them."



Update : I had done 3 staggered caps, of 3 discs each.

I picked out the 3 that overlapped... and the 3rd has a bad spot (those discs the DVR doesn't like). I'll have to replace it on Wednesday.

I assume you don't have Encore, Marty? Can I call you Marty? :-)




Freddy said:

Hi, I watched this thread for the past couple months and I thought it was just about time to appear. With some adequate pics I could compose design patterns in order to create a DVD cover. So let me know.


Cool! PM sent.
Post
#316638
Topic
Waterworld ABC Cut? A ton of info - see McFly's posts for details (Released)
Time
tweaker said:

Something I wanted to point out...

Jaiman, you're kinda bashing your own cap for its perceived lack of detail, but in reality, it has at least as much detail as the average cap, and probably more. When you look at the averagecap, see the black noise on the picture? That's a result of attempts at sharpening a blurry image. Introducing the black noise makes it appear as if the image is actually sharper, when in reality, no new information is actually introduced (obviously, as you can't replace what isn't there). In the image with the universal logo, look at the VHS cap. See how the letter "U" has a fairly pronounced outline? The image has had edge enhancement.

Now, I'm not knocking the job that Mcfly has done. He's done a damn good job at shining a turd. It's not easy, but he's done it. It looks pretty good. I just want you to realize that you've done all right. :)


Well, that's a good point. I should've thought of that.

The edge enhancement really makes a difference in the way the logo looks.

Just venting my dissapointment. On-the-fly hardware compression can't match software. I just didn't expect it to be that much difference. (The OnDemand was a lot clearer). Normal broadcast is snowy enough that it doesn't matter. And it was a frustrating morning overall. :)

As a side note, I realized I had the wrong frame. I'd hoped there was motion blur in my first cap - but no such luck.

A little over-analysis is in order:

Here's a cropped section of McFly's - there is lots of noise, and that could be impersonating detail.
http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o57/JimTuckuh/Waterworld/HydroAddict-1and2Averaged-c.png


Here's a crop of the _correct_ matching frame from my initial capture, on my DVR.
I'm conviced this is softer than the broadcast.
http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o57/JimTuckuh/Waterworld/OldGuy-rightframe-Polaroid-c.png


And this is from a friend's DVR.
At first glance, it looks more detailed. But whether it is or not, there are large scale compression artifacts. (Thick horizontal lines bounded within large rectangles of distortion).
http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o57/JimTuckuh/Waterworld/OldGuy-rightframe-Panasonic-c.png

It doesn't show up, very well, on the page. But but stepping through them, enlarged, in Irfanview made it obvious. Which kinda tells me I'm worrying too much.

So none are ideal, But I guess that's the breaks.

Overall, the frames, in motion, should be very comparable. No need to obsess over closeup crops.


Unfortunatly, my first cap was trashed. The DVR didn't like the +R's I used. So I'm going to get it again, with discs it likes. That'll have to be late at night, our OnDemand is glitchy during typical viewing hours.

mcfly89 said:

One other "would be great" is if there exists a copy of the theatrical (uncut) at better than VHS quality, which is what I've used so far. Most of the added violence I got from a Telemundo capture (apparently Hispanic viewers are less sensitive!) but the nudity, and a few shots like the Deacon offering Enola a smoke came from VHS and it shows. I've considered taking the widescreen DVD and cropping it, but since the VHS is open-matte and has MORE picture, zooming in on the widescreen version leaves out 70% of the original image.


IMDB only lists widescreen laserdiscs. Of course they may not be thorough. But who among us has a good LD Player, anyway?

I have an suggestion, but you're not going to like it. (Unless you already used a Time Base Corrector, then never mind).

A VCR starts each line, of video, at a slightly random time (relative to when it should start). That means the picture is disjointed about 480 times. Gives it that gauzey effect. It's like a wide group of marchers, with each row out of step (or is that "column" of marchers?).

A TBC collects the lines, and then spits them out all lined up at the edges.

I'll be getting a TBC, as soon as my budget allows, which might be in a couple of weeks. (I found a rare old tape that I'm anxious to capture). So... if you want to wait (and ship me your tape when I order the TBC. I'll ship it back).


A cropped theatrical would be missing original picture, of course. The most important question is - would you be able to see the actors together in the shot? It might be good enough, to get by, in small sections. Too bad we don't have an HD to crop from.
Post
#316522
Topic
Waterworld ABC Cut? A ton of info - see McFly's posts for details (Released)
Time
Jaiman Tuckuh said:

I've done one cap, so far. I'm not entirely satisfied with OnDemand's picture quality nor my DVR's, though.

ReverendBeastly said:

It certainly must be better than the copies currently floating around, though. I'd love to see what you got.


I'll shoot you and McFly a copy. I've been meaning to tell you that. (See avatar).

And, well, yeah, it's certainly better than a vhs cap. But I'd swear it's not as good as what was on the screen.

This first shot is a bad example of the quality, because there's motion blur (better ones at the bottom of post)

DVR here; the original vhs cap below.
http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o57/JimTuckuh/Waterworld/MarinerEncoreODDVR.jpg

Original vhs cap.
http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o57/JimTuckuh/Waterworld/Mariner-EncoreRB.jpg

mcfly89 said:


I'd love to see some screencaps of the On-Demand version and I can post some from my captures to determine the best image quality.


I suspect you'd like a comparison to one of those massive-bug examples. But this'll have to do for now. (Either my DVR decided to give me two bad burns in a row, it's first two bad burns, or the ol' burner has gone bye bye. I suspect the latter).

So how about this placid scene? :) Encore top, and one of your averages below.

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o57/JimTuckuh/Waterworld/UniversalEEODDVR.jpg

When you A/B is, it looks like Encore squished in a smidgen more of the original width. But dude, that DVR is a lot fuzzier than I'd like. I remember seeing a lot more detail in the On Demand. (Or did I say that already?)

http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o57/JimTuckuh/Waterworld/400-DVDVSatt.png

mcfly89 said:

I could see the On-Demand cap suffering from MPEG blockies, which my caps lack. The main artifacts in mine are those presented by coaxial cable signal degradation/noise, DV's loss of color information, and Station logos.


There is a little static. I plan to get three copies, but [lots of detailed bitching goes here], blasted machines. What's bizzare is that our OnDemand doesn't have as much static as the normal digital-effing-cable channels that shouldn't have any effing static @#$!!. And it seems to have pretty good detail.

The only weird thing, about On Demand, is that in broad areas of color, I see a faint moire, like those old kinescopes. Obviously, the DVR didn't pickup that particular oddity. (I think I've seen that moire on other OD, too).

I didn't see blockyness. But I haven't stepped through to see if there's momentary blockieness or blockyness (both spellings look wrong, heh) in action, or not.


There's about a month left before it expires. If things go well, I might have a shot a putting together a good capture setup, and grabbing it in Huffyuv. I hope I do, so I can do a solid preservation of this version.

You might not want to wait around, for it. Especially considering it's an iffy proposition.


I'm sure everyone is sick of looking at the same old shots, I'll try to get around to putting more up here.

Looks like mine has more saturation, is a little darker, maybe more contrast. Might be too "punchy", I dunno. I haven't calibrated my displays. Hopefully it can be matched with minor adjustment.

Mine'en
http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o57/JimTuckuh/Waterworld/CityWallODDVR.jpg

Your'un "The two frames on either side of this cut still show field blending."
http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i82/thegreathunger/Chroma4.jpg


My Cap. Less detail than your's. Compare the boat's roof.
http://i117.photobucket.com/albums/o57/JimTuckuh/Waterworld/OldguyshairODDVR.jpg

Your "Original averaged with Second Capture:"
http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i82/thegreathunger/HydroAddict-1and2Averaged.jpg
Post
#315496
Topic
Waterworld ABC Cut? A ton of info - see McFly's posts for details (Released)
Time
ziim said:

If anyone is interested... Waterworld SE is on Encore on Demand for Comcast. The runtime is 171 minutes. I have a DVR, any suggestion on getting a high quality recording?


What hell? Who has woken me from my thousand-week slumber?

Wow! Thanks ziim. I've been wasting my attention searching tvguide.com and ending up with Encore's 17 trillion showings of the Theatrical...

All I can suggest, for best quality, is to set the DVR to it's highest quality (1 hour per disc, usually), and rewind OnDemand, a bit, at the disc changes.

ReverendBeastly said:

Holy shit, I wish I was at home where I have Encore OD with Comcast. Someone please help!


I've done one cap, so far. I'm not entirely satisfied with OnDemand's picture quality nor my DVR's, though.
Post
#292583
Topic
'The Matrix Squared' Question
Time
Originally posted by: Kurgan
I don't know what to do with all these numbered files otherwise. It's not simply a matter of unraring them, because they're not rar files (rar, r00, r01, etc) but just numbered (001, 002, 003, etc). Somehow I'm supposed to combine them...

The files were split by QuickPar.

Ideally, the files would be fine and QuickPar's "Repair" button would turn into a "Rejoin" button.


Well the webmaster insists that all the files are fine and repeated back to me the "instructions" on the page. I guess all try downloading all 449 mb worth of rar files again. *sigh*
Test the rars, to see which one is bad.

That check-mark, in Winrar, tests them. In most rar sets, the test will stop at the corrupt rar (some rar sets behave differently, I haven't figured out why, but it should work with these).

The trouble is that one of the files within the rars is corrupt. The same file is present in all five of the rars that have the par files... and it's corrupt in every single one of them. Winrar reports an invalid CRC. So it can't extract, meaning quickpar will always says 2227 blocks are "missing" and can't build the iso file. It's hopeless...


Which file shows corrupt? You only need (any) one of the par files, and the small rar file.


Originally posted by: Moth3r
Normally you use PAR files to fix broken/corrupt RAR files. Putting PAR files inside the RAR archive - if that is indeed the case - is just silly.


It's silly for Usenet, and for downloaders with a Rapidshare account.

The idea was to reduce the number of 1-hour waits between files, for free-download users, by packing the pars into 100-meg rars.

So it makes sense for that.

On the other hand, a free-downloader would probably prefer to only download par files if he runs into trouble. The tiny one for checking, and as many large ones as he needs to repair with.
Post
#292453
Topic
Info: Jaiman's Newsgroup posting list - edits & preservations
Time
Rush - A Show of Hands, by ADigitalMan and Darth Enzo

Volume 3 of "Rush, the Perservation Edition"

(I am posting in reverse order - most rarities first).


A video-DVD preservation of the "A Show of Hands" Laserdisc, featuring the original mix in
gloriously uncompressed PCM audio. The Chronicles set omitted "Lock and Key", and only
offered a remixed, overly-compressed, 5.1 AC3 track.


I had to wait forever for this thing to finally get released. And then I took my own sweet
time getting it to you. So don't let the torture continue any longer. Dowload now, eh?


Stats: NTSC, Fullscreen. PCM audio only.
Covers: Yes (I'm going to try to get the disc labels, too, I managed to miss them)
Size: Dual-Layer dvd.

Extras (from DVD menu):
Bonus video - "Cottontail/The Rhythm Method"
Bonus video - "O Canada"
Bonus Audio-only track: "Limelight"
Bonus Audio-only track: "YYZ/The Rhythm Method/Red Lenses/The Spirit of Radio"
Bonus Audio-only track: Selections from original ASOH CD & Mystic Dreams Soundboard Recording.

Extra (besides the DVD):
"ASOH, Extended" CDs in FLAC (lossless) format (same rar, in a separate folder from the DVD).


10% Pars. The rars have a recovery record. If you need more pars, reply to this nfo (limited time offer).
Md5 & Sha1 verification files included (see below).


http://fanedits.com/fan-project-details.cfm/Preservations/title/Rush-The-Preservation-Edition/project/126/category/5/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ADigitalMan and Darth Enzo Present
Rush, The Preservation Edition
Exit ... Stage Left
Grace Under Pressure Tour 1984
Through The Camera Eye
A Show Of Hands
On June 13, 2006, Rush fans had a lot to be excited about. After years of being out of print on VHS and Laserdisc, Exit ... Stage Left, Grace Under Pressure Tour 1984, and A Show Of Hands finally came to DVD in the Replay x3 boxed set. Unfortunately, new mixes replaced the original ones (including the superb Terry Brown mix from the original ESL video), and suffered significant over-compression. To make matters worse, "Lock and Key" -- a song that was only available on the ASOH laserdisc and not VHS, was notably missing from the DVD release. Not to mention, nary an easter egg or bonus track was to be found. Finally, Rush's original video collection, Through The Camera Eye was nowhere to be found.

This preservation does several things:
1) First and foremost, it restores the original PCM stereo mixes of the three live concerts from Laserdisc and synchronizes them to the Replay x3 videos
2) Second, it restores "Lock and Key" to the ASOH concert in context.
3) It captures the TTCE Video Collection from Laserdisc, and even adds the rare full-length
video of "The Big Money" which was a bonus feature on the GUP Tour 1984 concert, preserving
four concept videos that have not appeared on any of Rush's DVD releases to date.
4) All discs are chock-full of rare audio-only tracks as well. Some are embedded in the DVD
experience, while still others are present in DVD-ROM folders for extraction and burning to CD-R.

Rush, The Preservation Edition is a nice compendium to your official Replay x3 set, preserving the original audio for posterity. The new stereo mixes are provided for educational comparative purposes, but the surround tracks have been purposefully left off to further encourage purchase of the official set. Do not support piracy. That is not the intent of this restoration. The intent is to supplement the official release so you can enjoy these legendary videos in all their original glory.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Snip]
Post
#292122
Topic
Info: Jaiman's Newsgroup posting list - edits & preservations
Time
Rush - Through the Camera Eye, by ADigitalMan and Darth Enzo

Volume 4 of "Rush, the Perservation Edition"

(I am posting in reverse order - the most rarities first).


A video-DVD preservation of the "Through the Camera Eye" Laserdisc, featuring the gloriously
uncompressed PCM audio. 4 of these songs made it to the Chronicles DVD set, but 5 more didn't.

I had to wait forever for this thing to finally get released. And then I took my own sweet
time getting it to you. So don't let the torture continue any longer. Dowload now, eh?


Stats: NTSC. PCM audio only.
Covers: Yes (no disc lables, though, I hope that isn't a deal-breaker. )
Size: Single-layer dvd.
Extras: (From the menu) The rare full-length video of "The Big Money" which was a
bonus feature on the GUP Tour 1984 concert

(DVD-Rom) Video: "Show Don't Tell" conceptual video
(DVD-Rom) Video: "Tears Are Not Enough"
(DVD-Rom) CD: "Diamonds in the Waste - The Lost Tracks" (Uncompressed WAV).


10% Pars. The rars have a recovery record. If you need more pars, reply to this nfo (limited time offer).
Md5 & Sha1 verification files included (see below).


http://fanedits.com/fan-project-details.cfm/Preservations/title/Rush-The-Preservation-Edition/project/126/category/5/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ADigitalMan and Darth Enzo Present
Rush, The Preservation Edition
Exit ... Stage Left
Grace Under Pressure Tour 1984
Through The Camera Eye
A Show Of Hands
On June 13, 2006, Rush fans had a lot to be excited about.
After years of being out of print on VHS and Laserdisc, Exit ... Stage Left,
Grace Under Pressure Tour 1984, and A Show Of Hands finally came to DVD in the Replay x3
boxed set. Unfortunately, new mixes replaced the original ones (including the superb
Terry Brown mix from the original ESL video), and suffered significant over-compression.
To make matters worse, "Lock and Key" -- a song that was only available on the ASOH laserdisc
and not VHS, was notably missing from the DVD release. Not to mention, nary an easter egg
or bonus track was to be found. Finally, Rush's original video collection,
Through The Camera Eye was nowhere to be found.


This preservation does several things:
1) First and foremost, it restores the original PCM stereo mixes of the three live concerts from Laserdisc and synchronizes them to the Replay x3 videos
2) Second, it restores "Lock and Key" to the ASOH concert in context.
3) It captures the TTCE Video Collection from Laserdisc, and even adds the rare full-length
video of "The Big Money" which was a bonus feature on the GUP Tour 1984 concert, preserving
four concept videos that have not appeared on any of Rush's DVD releases to date.
4) All discs are chock-full of rare audio-only tracks as well. Some are embedded in the DVD
experience, while still others are present in DVD-ROM folders for extraction and burning to
CD-R.

Rush, The Preservation Edition is a nice compendium to your official Replay x3 set,
preserving the original audio for posterity. The new stereo mixes are provided for educational
comparative purposes, but the surround tracks have been purposefully left off to further encourage
purchase of the official set. Do not support piracy. That is not the intent of this restoration.
The intent is to supplement the official release so you can enjoy these legendary videos
in all their original glory.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Snip]