[sabkisscrue]

Originally Posted by awolfoutwest

Nah, I never got that from your comments. However, I do feel a certain responsibility to transfer as best I can, hopefully improving the material from the source when possible. While it is not curing cancer, some of these transfers are archival until a better version comes along. If no better version surfaces, then what I put out had better be as good as I can get it.

As far as quality goes, I like to take my processed video and subtract it from the original video. Doing this shows flat grey when the video is unaltered, and shows clearly where noise has been reduced, edges sharpened, etc. For a while I was using a technique that required 3 captures of the source, then the AVIsynth script would take the 2 closest pixels of the 3 captures and pass on that information. It was an effective method of filtering out the noise generated in playback, but I have since found a more effective all-around filter for spatio-temporal noise reduction.

My cause celebre has been cascading compression. I have tried to impress on those that will listen how essential it is to avoid re-encoding previously encoded video. I have used MPEG2 video to patch a dropout in something I am working on, but that is on the order of a couple of seconds of video. There are those who don't think twice about re-encoding an entire video to employ color correction, noise reduction or even editing. When I suggest that they find an analog source instead, or employ a GOP-level editor if all frames are not being altered, they maintain that they have "improved" the MPEG2 source and it "looks better". I remain "skeptimistic"

My kind of guy using words like "improve" and "filter".

This is my setup when it comes to transfering NTSC VHS:

JVC HRS-9800U S-VHS Deck > AR Pro II Series S-Video Cable > Panasonic ES-10 (Pass through tbc/frame synchronizer, Line in NR turned ON,
both in and output black levels set to darker) > AR Pro II Series S-Video Cable > Audio wires from vcr > Sony TR-740 Digital8 Camera (TBC/DNR Turned ON, used for temporal filtering) > firewire > JVC DRM-100 DVD Recorder

The JVC is one of the best consumer model vcrs ever produced.
Does an excellent job of playing back most tapes.
The AR Pro II series is a heavy duty cable that delivers a a very vivid looking picture, rich with colors and full of detail. The ES10 works with the JVC to help correct some of the jitter that JVC doesnt, it also corrects the black level. Theres also a Line IN NR that helps to further clean up the image. The Sony tr740, that AAR doesnt like, doesnt believe this has pass through filters but based on my experience, it does. As evident by the hundreds of transfers ive done and many of which were upgrades to circulated versions. I use a firewire from that camera into a JVC DRM100. Now I dont suggest the JVC DRM100 encodes EVERYTHING the best. Certainly to record a tv broadcast, I wouldnt use this. But as far as vhs is concerned, based on the experience I have and my eye, this is the way to go and you can quote me on that as a very important tool in encoding vhs. Why is that? Because one it has noise reduction filters that help to clean up the noise on vhs sources, especially multi gen tapes. The result is something that is often cleaner and better than the source.

I also use an Aiwa MX1 in transferring PAL tapes.