MPEG1 upscale?

[feisty2]

Didn't run out of memory with SetMTMode(3), though. :)

Just for the heck of it, I removed all SetMTMode() calls. Surprisingly, it seems to make no discernable difference at all: about an equal amount of memory is being used, and CPU usage is at ca 100% too. The latter is actually what surprises me the most, as I don't get how AviSynth still uses all my cores in what is supposed to be a single-threaded process now.

because dither, eedi3, nnedi3, everything called in ediresize16 are INTERNAL multi threaded already, you don't need to use the mt feature of avisynth at all.

[asarian]

because dither, eedi3, nnedi3, everything called in ediresize16 are INTERNAL multi threaded already, you don't need to use the mt feature of avisynth at all.

Ah. :) Cool. Thx. That really *is* a step up from 2.5.8!

[asarian]

On my i7 980X (6 cores), at 0.55fps, this is going to take me ~72 hours! Ediresize16 really better be a lot better than Lanczos4Resize! :p (I'll soon find out, once I got a partial clip done).

At still 64 hours left to go, so far it would seem Ediresize16 really *is* a lot better! :)

There's still quite a bit of smudging left from the low-quality MPEG1 source, of course. But I think that's a lot harder to repair than noise.

[feisty2]

At still 64 hours left to go, so far it would seem Ediresize16 really *is* a lot better! :)

There's still quite a bit of smudging left from the low-quality MPEG1 source, of course. But I think that's a lot harder to repair than noise.

you might want an extra strong motion compensated denoise filter like mdegrainn (tr=12,thsad=2000) along with mmask to kill high motion mpeg blocks, and the strongly denoised clip can also be used as a mpeg ringing remover (mosquito noise) along with a special expanded mask near the very edge

[asarian]

you might want an extra strong motion compensated denoise filter like mdegrainn (tr=12,thsad=2000) along with mmask to kill high motion mpeg blocks, and the strongly denoised clip can also be used as a mpeg ringing remover (mosquito noise) along with a special expanded mask near the very edge

Thx. :) I'll be looking into those for the next pass.

[feisty2]

Thx. :) I'll be looking into those for the next pass.

nah, you can't denoise an upscaled clip, these approaches gotta be performed before upscale

[asarian]

you might want an extra strong motion compensated denoise filter like mdegrainn (tr=12,thsad=2000) along with mmask to kill high motion mpeg blocks, and the strongly denoised clip can also be used as a mpeg ringing remover (mosquito noise) along with a special expanded mask near the very edge

My, that's a pretty hefty thsad value. :)

Currently, I'm doing it after this:

QTGMC(InputType=1, Preset="Slow", EdiThreads=2, TR2=3)
MCTemporalDenoise(settings="low", stabilize=true)

SMDegrain (tr=12, thsad=2000)

Or should I now remove one of the other filters?

[feisty2]

My, that's a pretty hefty thsad value. :)

Currently, I'm doing it after this:

QTGMC(InputType=1, Preset="Slow", EdiThreads=2, TR2=3)
MCTemporalDenoise(settings="low", stabilize=true)

SMDegrain (tr=12, thsad=2000)

Or should I now remove one of the other filters?

uh, holy lord, you can't use mdegrainn (tr=12,thsad=2000) on the whole video, it will seriously blur the clip and make it look shitty, like I said, use it with mmask, only apply it on high motion parts, and keep using mctd or whatever sane denoise method for overall denoise
and thsad=2000 can give you tons of motion compensate artifacts with no sweat, so you should use mdegrainn (thsad=2000).repair (last,mode=13) to cleanse artifacts

[asarian]

uh, holy lord, you can't use mdegrainn (tr=12,thsad=2000) on the whole video, it will seriously blur the clip and make it look shitty, like I said, use it with mmask, only apply it on high motion parts, and keep using mctd or whatever sane denoise method for overall denoise


Haha! Shows how much I know, eh?! LOL.

I was still trying to figure out how to create an mmask syntax, with the vectors and all, which seems pretty complicated; so I hadn't used that yet.

[feisty2]

mvtools2 is not that hard to use like many people overrate it,
all mvtools2 filters follow the same following calling format

super=msuper (xxxx)
vectors=super.manalyse (xxxx)
last.mxx (super,vectors,xxxx) or last.mxx (vectors)

I'll try to write a simple script that shows you how to use mmask
blocky=last
deblock=last.smdegrain (tr=12,thsad=2000,blksize=4,search=3,prefilter=3,mode=-1).repair (blocky,mode=13)
super=blocky.msuper (pel=2)
vectors=super.manalyse (search=4,searchparam=2,pelsearch=4)
motionmask=blocky.mmask (vectors,kind=0,gamma=2,ml=5)
mt_merge (blocky,deblock,motionmask)
EDIT: I forgot repair, its important and necessary for such a high thsad value

[asarian]

mvtools2 is not that hard to use like many people overrate it,
all mvtools2 filters follow the same following calling format

super=msuper (xxxx)
vectors=super.manalyse (xxxx)
last.mxx (super,vectors,xxxx) or last.mxx (vectors)

I'll try to write a simple script that shows you how to use mmask
blocky=last
deblock=last.smdegrain (tr=12,thsad=2000,blksize=4,search=3,prefilter=3,mode=-1).repair (blocky,mode=13)
super=blocky.msuper (pel=2)
vectors=super.manalyse (search=4,searchparam=2,pelsearch=4)
motionmask=blocky.mmask (vectors,kind=0,gamma=2,ml=5)
mt_merge (blocky,deblock,motionmask)
EDIT: I forgot repair, its important and necessary for such a high thsad value

Thx a lot! :) Still looks a bit daunting, but I'm going to experiment with it rightaway!

Honestly, you've been a great help! :goodpost:

[feisty2]

Thx a lot! :) Still looks a bit daunting, but I'm going to experiment with it rightaway!

Honestly, you've been a great help! :goodpost:

you can tweak "ml" in mmask func, larger ml = stronger motion detection

[asarian]

mvtools2 is not that hard to use like many people overrate it,
all mvtools2 filters follow the same following calling format

super=msuper (xxxx)
vectors=super.manalyse (xxxx)
last.mxx (super,vectors,xxxx) or last.mxx (vectors)

I'll try to write a simple script that shows you how to use mmask
blocky=last
deblock=last.smdegrain (tr=12,thsad=2000,blksize=4,search=3,prefilter=3,mode=-1).repair (blocky,mode=13)
super=blocky.msuper (pel=2)
vectors=super.manalyse (search=4,searchparam=2,pelsearch=4)
motionmask=blocky.mmask (vectors,kind=0,gamma=2,ml=5)
mt_merge (blocky,deblock,motionmask)
EDIT: I forgot repair, its important and necessary for such a high thsad value


Still experiencing some pretty hefty macroblocking:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/2ark4uwkpfxutut/macro.jpg?dl=0

Despite all the deblocking already done on it. :) The blocks appear to be 8x8 pixels (I enlarged the image a bit, just for viewability).

Is there anything else I can do to get rid of that? I know, it's an awefully crappy VCD source, but still, I had expected the most severe blockiness to be gone by now.

[ChiDragon]

Having just looked at your screenshot, I have some fantastic news for you.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/tv-season/zenon-girl-of-the-21st-century/id873191357

All three of them are 16:9. They've also aired on Disney's HD channels in the US and Europe, but they are just upscaled from SD sources. And Disney USA's deinterlacing for their 720p feed sucks; I think they inherited the hardware bought for ABC in 1998 or something.

[asarian]

Having just looked at your screenshot, I have some fantastic news for you.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/tv-season/zenon-girl-of-the-21st-century/id873191357

All three of them are 16:9. They've also aired on Disney's HD channels in the US and Europe, but they are just upscaled from SD sources. And Disney USA's deinterlacing for their 720p feed sucks; I think they inherited the hardware bought for ABC in 1998 or something.

Thx. :) Yeah, I saw that, prior to starting this project.

The source I have came from a very low quality dual VCD I bought, way back when (only format available). Not a huge fan of iTunes, though: if I buy something, I'd like to keep it on my own computer (and not on an iPad cloud somewhere), so I can post-process it.

I may have to go the iTunes route, though, should this prove to be undoable.

[asarian]

Having just looked at your screenshot, I have some fantastic news for you.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/tv-season/zenon-girl-of-the-21st-century/id873191357

All three of them are 16:9. They've also aired on Disney's HD channels in the US and Europe, but they are just upscaled from SD sources. And Disney USA's deinterlacing for their 720p feed sucks; I think they inherited the hardware bought for ABC in 1998 or something.

Btw, how did you arrive at 16:9? All I'm seeing is "SD Version" on that page. Good chance I'd be buying the same version I already have. :P

[feisty2]

Still experiencing some pretty hefty macroblocking:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/2ark4uwkpfxutut/macro.jpg?dl=0

Despite all the deblocking already done on it. :) The blocks appear to be 8x8 pixels (I enlarged the image a bit, just for viewability).

Is there anything else I can do to get rid of that? I know, it's an awefully crappy VCD source, but still, I had expected the most severe blockiness to be gone by now.

you can use smdegrain (tr=6,thsad=650,thsadc=650,prefilter=3) for overall denoise after deblock
prefilter=3 (dfttest) is chill at deblocking

[ChiDragon]

Not a huge fan of iTunes, though: if I buy something, I'd like to keep it on my own computer (and not on an iPad cloud somewhere), so I can post-process it.
Duuude. Use Requiem to un-DRM the purchase. There's no reason to torture yourself with VCD for these movies.

Btw, how did you arrive at 16:9? All I'm seeing is "SD Version" on that page. Good chance I'd be buying the same version I already have. :P
See here (http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/80320). You should be able to view a 20-second preview in the iTunes application too.

The logo shot is cropped on the widescreen master for some reason, but the rest of the movie keeps the centre and adds side info.

[feisty2]

Duuude. Use Requiem to un-DRM the purchase. There's no reason to torture yourself with VCD for these movies.


See here (http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/80320). You should be able to view a 20-second preview in the iTunes application too.

The logo shot is cropped on the widescreen master for some reason, but the rest of the movie keeps the centre and adds side info.

not like tv episodes or music videos, movies are at least shot and mastered in 2k resolution, which is a little bit larger than 1080p (actually 2048x1080), so why put yourself in misery of sd upscaled stuff or shitty vcd crap, if it was me, I would just wait for a bluray release

[asarian]

Duuude. Use Requiem to un-DRM the purchase. There's no reason to torture yourself with VCD for these movies.


See here (http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/80320). You should be able to view a 20-second preview in the iTunes application too.

The logo shot is cropped on the widescreen master for some reason, but the rest of the movie keeps the centre and adds side info.


This is absolutely amazing! The best one seems to be this:

Best so far (http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/42868/picture:1) (and mousover on '720p-FiRE'). Definitely an order of magnitude better than what I have! It looks to be from the Disney-channel, and appears a true remastered version, as it adds border info, like you say, not seen on the 4:3 VCD version I have. Which, btw is, as crappy as this, even *after* post-processing and upscaling!

OMG! It can't be this bad, can it!? (https://www.dropbox.com/s/dnqu934guii8t8l/crapvcd.jpg?dl=0)

Unfortunely, they don't say where you can buy it. :( (I do get 2 "This webpage cannot be found" errors underneath, though).

I got word back from iTunes today too, but they said (translated by me from Dutch):

"I found 3 versions of Zenon in the American iTunes Store:

- Zenon, Girl of the 21st Century
- Zenon, Z3
- Zenon the Sequel

All 3 are in SD, and only available in the American iTunes Store."

Definitely, definitely want that Disney Channel version though!

P.S. And thanks for your life-saving help! :)

[asarian]

not like tv episodes or music videos, movies are at least shot and mastered in 2k resolution, which is a little bit larger than 1080p (actually 2048x1080), so why put yourself in misery of sd upscaled stuff or shitty vcd crap, if it was me, I would just wait for a bluray release

Obviously you're not that familiar with Disney. :P They have a habit of easily letting ppl wait 30+ years ere releasing some of their classics.

Would immediately buy the Blu-Ray, of course, should it ever be released!

[feisty2]

Obviously you're not that familiar with Disney. :P They have a habit of easily letting ppl wait 30+ years ere releasing some of their classics.

Would immediately buy the Blu-Ray, of course, should it ever be released!

2030 is not that far far away, right? :D
I never was a Disney fan, I dislike cheesy happy ending fairytales, guess what, I prefer to choose Once Upon a Time (ABC TV Show) if I gotta watch fairytale stories
back to the point, I took a peek at Canada and the states iTunes store, both only provide sd download, no hd version
Canadian iTunes Store
http://thumbnails109.imagebam.com/34823/ec102d348222529.jpg (http://www.imagebam.com/image/ec102d348222529)
US iTunes Store
http://thumbnails109.imagebam.com/34823/3efc74348222541.jpg (http://www.imagebam.com/image/3efc74348222541)
the movie doesn't seem popular tho, I was only 3 when this movie was premiered, so don't know much about it :o

[asarian]

2030 is not that far far away, right? :D
I never was a Disney fan, I dislike cheesy happy ending fairytales, guess what, I prefer to choose Once Upon a Time (ABC TV Show) if I gotta watch fairytale stories
back to the point, I took a peak at Canada and states iTunes store, both only provide sd download, no hd version
Canadian iTunes Store
http://thumbnails109.imagebam.com/34823/ec102d348222529.jpg (http://www.imagebam.com/image/ec102d348222529)
US iTunes Store
http://thumbnails109.imagebam.com/34823/3efc74348222541.jpg (http://www.imagebam.com/image/3efc74348222541)
the movie doesn't seem popular tho, I was only 3 when this movie was premiered, so don't know much about it :o


When Zenon first aired I was, realistically, probably a bit too old for it. :D But it's just one of those classic feel-good movies I just can't let go of. :)

Back to the topic at hand, thanks for the screenshots. I get to see the same thing: 'SD Only.'

[feisty2]

sd is 720x486 for NTSC broadcast system, that's already way better than vcd clips (352x288), well, only if iTunes version is not vcd upscaled crap, but the chance of that tragedy is so small, simply almost impossible, no director will shoot anything at a vcd resolution

[asarian]

sd is 720x486 for NTSC broadcast system, that's already way better than vcd clips (352x288), well, only if iTunes version is not vcd upscaled crap, but the chance of that tragedy is so small, simply almost impossible, no director will shoot anything at a vcd resolution

Yes, you're right! I assumed SD would just be the upscaled VCD, but I will ask them specifically about it.

Thanks!

[asarian]

you can use smdegrain (tr=6,thsad=650,thsadc=650,prefilter=3) for overall denoise after deblock
prefilter=3 (dfttest) is chill at deblocking

Before I forget, do I add that line directly after the deblock line?

blocky=last
deblock=last.smdegrain (tr=12,thsad=2000,blksize=4,search=3,prefilter=3,mode=-1).repair (blocky,mode=13)
smdegrain (tr=6,thsad=650,thsadc=650,prefilter=3)
super=blocky.msuper (pel=2)
vectors=super.manalyse (search=4,searchparam=2,pelsearch=4)
motionmask=blocky.mmask (vectors,kind=0,gamma=2,ml=5)
mt_merge (blocky,deblock,motionmask)

Or after mt_merge (when the entire initial deblock operation has finished).

[feisty2]

Before I forget, do I add that line directly after the deblock line?

blocky=last
deblock=last.smdegrain (tr=12,thsad=2000,blksize=4,search=3,prefilter=3,mode=-1).repair (blocky,mode=13)
smdegrain (tr=6,thsad=650,thsadc=650,prefilter=3)
super=blocky.msuper (pel=2)
vectors=super.manalyse (search=4,searchparam=2,pelsearch=4)
motionmask=blocky.mmask (vectors,kind=0,gamma=2,ml=5)
mt_merge (blocky,deblock,motionmask)

Or after mt_merge (when the entire initial deblock operation has finished).

I'd say, replace "blocky=last" to "blocky=smdegrain (tr=6,thsad=650,thsadc=650,prefilter=3)"

[asarian]

I'd say, replace "blocky=last" to "blocky=smdegrain (tr=6,thsad=650,thsadc=650,prefilter=3)"

Thanks. :) I know, lotsa noob questions on my end, but these processes take ages, so I figured I better ask, after all.

[feisty2]

Thanks. :) I know, lotsa noob questions on my end, but these processes take ages, so I figured I better ask, after all.

smdegrain can get you 16bpc output, which is better for the latter upscale process,
if you want 16bpc precision, here's the script

blocky=smdegrain (tr=6,thsad=650,thsadc=650,prefilter=3,lsb_out=true)
deblock=last.smdegrain (tr=12,thsad=2000,blksize=4,search=3,prefilter=3,mode=-1,lsb_out=true).dither_repair16 (blocky,mode=13)
super=blocky.ditherpost (mode=-1).msuper (pel=2)
vectors=super.manalyse (search=4,searchparam=2,pelsearch=4)
motionmask=blocky.ditherpost (mode=-1).mmask (vectors,kind=0,gamma=2,ml=5)
Dither_merge16_8 (blocky,deblock,motionmask)

the output will be double heighted, but don't worry, there's nothing wrong about it, when upscaling, remove "dither_convert_8_to_16 ()" cuz your clip is already in stacked 16bpc format

[asarian]

smdegrain can get you 16bpc output, which is better for the latter upscale process,
if you want 16bpc precision, here's the script

blocky=smdegrain (tr=6,thsad=650,thsadc=650,prefilter=3,lsb_out=true)
deblock=last.smdegrain (tr=12,thsad=2000,blksize=4,search=3,prefilter=3,mode=-1,lsb_out=true).dither_repair16 (blocky,mode=13)
super=blocky.ditherpost (mode=-1).msuper (pel=2)
vectors=super.manalyse (search=4,searchparam=2,pelsearch=4)
motionmask=blocky.ditherpost (mode=-1).mmask (vectors,kind=0,gamma=2,ml=5)
Dither_merge16_8 (blocky,deblock,motionmask)

the output will be double heighted, but don't worry, there's nothing wrong about it, when upscaling, remove "dither_convert_8_to_16 ()" cuz your clip is already in stacked 16bpc format


This is getting more brilliant by the minute! :) You're a true asset to the community, far as I'm concerned!

[asarian]

don't worry, there's nothing wrong about it, when upscaling, remove "dither_convert_8_to_16 ()" cuz your clip is already in stacked 16bpc format

I take it you can't do any post-processing on it, after it's in 'doubled' state, right? (like a second QTGMC pass or something). Guess that would horrible mess up the LSB field. :p

[feisty2]

This is getting more brilliant by the minute! :) You're a true asset to the community, far as I'm concerned!

no sweat, but, nah, I'm still a newbie, just happen to dig things about image retouch, so searched around Google and read some documents about digital videos ;)

[feisty2]

I take it you can't do any post-processing on it, after it's in 'doubled' state, right? (like a second QTGMC pass or something). Guess that would horrible mess up the LSB field. :p

if the filter is highbitdepth aware like gotta function name like "xxx16" or got "lsb_in,lsb,lsb_out" kinda stuff in its parameters, you can use it directly on your stacked 16 bpc clip, otherwise, you're gonna have to downconvert the bitdepth back to 8bpc then apply common 8bpc filters on it

[feisty2]

and there're several alternative approaches to apply 8bpc filters without losing the lsb part
you may read the document of "dither" for further details
I'll show you 2 common tricks to apply 8bpc filters while keeping the lsb part

#16bpc stacked input#
source=last
filtered=last.ditherpost (mode=-1).#8bpc filters here#.dither_convert_8_to_16 ()
source.Dither_limit_dif16 (filtered, thr=0.5, elast=3.0, y=3, u=3, v=3)

or this

#16bpc stacked input#
source=last
filtered=last.ditherpost (mode=-1).dither2pre (flt="8bpc filter")
source.Dither_limit_dif16 (filtered, thr=1.0, elast=2.0, y=3, u=3, v=3)

[asarian]

if the filter is highbitdepth aware like gotta function name like "xxx16" or got "lsb_in,lsb,lsb_out" kinda stuff in its parameters, you can use it directly on your stacked 16 bpc clip, otherwise, you're gonna have to downconvert the bitdepth back to 8bpc then apply common 8bpc filters on it

It doesn't look like QTGMC is 16-bit aware. No biggie, as it turns out I was doing it wrong anyway, as you can't make multiple calls to the same filter (which I actually knew, but had forgotten). Apparently the parameters of the last call override everything, and I needed to use PrevGlobals for that.

[feisty2]

It doesn't look like QTGMC is 16-bit aware. No biggie, as it turns out I was doing it wrong anyway, as you can't make multiple calls to the same filter (which I actually knew, but had forgotten). Apparently the parameters of the last call override everything, and I needed to use PrevGlobals for that.

why are you using qtgmc twice? I don't get it, what's that for?
and yes, you can make multiple calls for most filters like blur (1).blur (1).blur (1).blur (1).blur (1) which sometimes gives you better result than single call

[asarian]

why are you using qtgmc twice? I don't get it, what's that for?

It was just a quick experiment. :) I wanted to see whether a last QTGMC call, after all other filtering (but before dithering), would repair the result even more.

[feisty2]

It was just a quick experiment. :) I wanted to see whether a last QTGMC call, after all other filtering (but before dithering), would repair the result even more.

aah, you might wanna take a glance at this thread
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=171096

[asarian]

why are you using qtgmc twice? I don't get it, what's that for?
and yes, you can make multiple calls for most filters like blur (1).blur (1).blur (1).blur (1).blur (1) which sometimes gives you better result than single call

I was talking about something like this (just an example):

QTGMC( Preset="Slower", InputType=2)
QTGMC( Preset="Slower", InputType=3)

Apparently, AviSynth will then just use the parameters of the last call globally (and override it for previous calls). Instead, the wiki suggests:

t = QTGMC( Preset="Slower", InputType=2)
b = QTGMC( Preset="Slower", InputType=3, PrevGlobals="Reuse" )
Repair( t, b, 1 )

[asarian]

aah, you might wanna take a glance at this thread
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=171096

Already saw it. :) (Good thread!) Which is why I removed the second QTGMC call.

[feisty2]

I was talking about something like this (just an example):

QTGMC( Preset="Slower", InputType=2)
QTGMC( Preset="Slower", InputType=3)

Apparently, AviSynth will then just use the parameters of the last call globally (and override it for previous calls). Instead, the wiki suggests:

t = QTGMC( Preset="Slower", InputType=2)
b = QTGMC( Preset="Slower", InputType=3, PrevGlobals="Reuse" )
Repair( t, b, 1 )

QTGMC( Preset="Slower", InputType=2)
QTGMC( Preset="Slower", InputType=3)
This will do qtgmc filter twice on the original clip, similar to something like "blur (1).blur (1)" I mentioned before
t = QTGMC( Preset="Slower", InputType=2)
b = QTGMC( Preset="Slower", InputType=3, PrevGlobals="Reuse" )
Repair( t, b, 1 )
This is wicked different from the upper script
this script will separately apply qtgmc filter on the original clip with different parameters and return you 2 different clips
how you're gonna do with these 2 clips, that's another story, in this case, 2 clips are connected by "repair" function
as for "prevglobals" parameter, set it "reuse" or just leave it empty won't affect the output clip, set it "reuse", qtgmc will use the vectors already being generated from the previous qtgmc call, so qtgmc won't do the vector search this time, so will save your time, nothing else

[asarian]

Having just looked at your screenshot, I have some fantastic news for you.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/tv-season/zenon-girl-of-the-21st-century/id873191357

All three of them are 16:9. They've also aired on Disney's HD channels in the US and Europe, but they are just upscaled from SD sources. And Disney USA's deinterlacing for their 720p feed sucks; I think they inherited the hardware bought for ABC in 1998 or something.


Sigh. Just got word again from iTunes. Sales rep told me they have it at 720x486, but they're not selling it to me: only via the American iTunes store, and you need an American method of payment. Like an American iTunes Card or creditcard. :(

I'm inclined to pull a Godwin on iTunes now, but that would likely cause me to violate the forum rules. Needless to say, you can imagine how I feel about Apple right now.

[feisty2]

Sigh. Just got word again from iTunes. Sales rep told me they have it at 720x486, but they're not selling it to me: only via the American iTunes store, and you need an American method of payment. Like an American iTunes Card or creditcard. :(

I'm inclined to pull a Godwin on iTunes now, but that would likely cause me to violate the forum rules. Needless to say, you can imagine how I feel about Apple right now.

you can register an American account and purchase the iTunes store version, it's not hard anyway.
I did things like this for like a thousand times, I'm an American, but I registered a Japanese account so I can download exclusive bonus tracks from Japanese version of album releases. I don't know why, but it happens all the time, there're often some exclusive bonus tracks in Japanese releases of albums of American singers. so I have to register a Japanese account.

[asarian]

you can register an American account and purchase the iTunes store version, it's not hard anyway.
I did things like this for like a thousand times, I'm an American, but I registered a Japanese account so I can download exclusive bonus tracks from Japanese version of album releases. I don't know why, but it happens all the time, there're often some exclusive bonus tracks in Japanese releases of albums of American singers. so I have to register a Japanese account.

The sales rep said, literally:

"As a customer that is purchasing in the Dutch iTunes Store it is not possible to purchase American items. You can however change the country of your iTunes Store, but this is not recommendable because you would be unable to install updates or redownload older purchases you have done in the Dutch iTunes Store. Also you will need an American method of payment. Like an American iTunes Card or creditcard."

So, basically, he's telling me I can register an American account just fine, but buy nothing from the American store with it, as I don't have an American method of payment (I'm Dutch, and live in the Netherlands, so why would I?!) Maybe this requirement/restriction does not exist for the Japanese store?!

[feisty2]

that's bullcrap
when you're signing up a new account in US iTunes Store, after filling in basic information like email address and password, you'll go to this payment choosing page
http://thumbnails109.imagebam.com/34829/1e96a4348287578.jpg (http://www.imagebam.com/image/1e96a4348287578)
as you can see, there're various payment methods you can choose
VISA MasterCard PayPal, they are clearly international online banking systems.
you can get a visa credit card from any bank with the time of a blink
EDIT: when you're done getting everything you need in US iTunes Store, you can switch back to your old account in iTunes Store, there's no problem of messing your old stuff

[asarian]

that's bullcrap
when you're signing up a new account in US iTunes Store, after filling in basic information like email address and password, you'll go to this payment choosing page
http://thumbnails109.imagebam.com/34829/1e96a4348287578.jpg (http://www.imagebam.com/image/1e96a4348287578)
as you can see, there're various payment methods you can choose
VISA MasterCard PayPal, they are clearly international online banking systems.
you can get a visa credit card from any bank with the time of a blink
EDIT: when you're done getting everything you need in US iTunes Store, you can switch back to your old account in iTunes Store, there's no problem of messing your old stuff


Well, I have a Mastercard; but it's issued from a Dutch bank, or course. What with Mastercard being American and all, maybe using my Mastercard credit card constitutes as 'an American method of payment,' after all. :)

Back to writing the rep again!

And thx for all your trouble!

[feisty2]

This is the payment choosing page of Japanese iTunes Store
http://thumbnails110.imagebam.com/34830/b43f1b348294431.jpg (http://www.imagebam.com/image/b43f1b348294431)
VISA Amex MasterCard are still available, I gotta visa credit card, and a mastercard too, so I registered the American account with visa and Japanese account with mastercard

[ChiDragon]

It's adorable that you're talking to iTunes tech support about how to bypass their deliberate regional restrictions. :D

Usually people buy a code from a gift card online to buy from an iTunes store from outside their own country. There are entire websites dedicated to this (as well as for PSN, Xbox Marketplace, etc.) and they are sold on eBay too -- all of these services are paid for by a markup on the card's actual value of course.

BTW since the earlier links showed the Canadian store has it for $2 instead of $6, you should be buying it there instead IMO... Same file for cheaper. If you want I could buy a Canadian gift card from the store for you and you could PayPal me the money. I'm not sure the smallest one that can be bought though.

not like tv episodes or music videos, movies are at least shot and mastered in 2k resolution
It's a kids TV movie from 1999, shot on 16mm and mastered on digital tape with interlaced CGI. It's a miracle they were even protecting for 16:9 at the time.

[feisty2]

shot on 16mm film and mastered on digital tape? that's toxic, but will they ever rescan the movie someday? I guess 16 mm film is roughly at the detail level of 2k, while common 35mm at 4k

[asarian]

It's adorable that you're talking to iTunes tech support about how to bypass their deliberate regional restrictions. :D

Hey, it's the iTunes guy himself who suggested it. :p

BTW since the earlier links showed the Canadian store has it for $2 instead of $6, you should be buying it there instead IMO... Same file for cheaper. If you want I could buy a Canadian gift card from the store for you and you could PayPal me the money. I'm not sure the smallest one that can be bought though.

That's a very kind offer! Wouldn't mind taking you up on that! :) If you're still willing, PM me, please! And thank you!

It's a kids TV movie from 1999, shot on 16mm and mastered on digital tape with interlaced CGI. It's a miracle they were even protecting for 16:9 at the time.

The VCD I got is progressive PAL (no doubt just deinterlaced from the crappy source); but yeah, a widescreen version in higher res *does* exist somewhere! :)