any thoughts on what is going on with this encode?

[Lathe]

Vampire.1979.VHSripSnippet: unless you use something like CodeFormer or similar there you won't get any details, since there are none in the source. (too high compressed; look at it with Retinex applied to better see all the compression artifacts)
(maybe diffusion based machine learning stuff might work better,...)

All in all, you can't really do much to 'improve' such content.

Restoration and similar, starting from a highly compressed source, is usually a fool's errant. (or work that has to be done nearly frame-by-frames, which usually isn't worth the effort)

Cu Selur

Ps.: aside from Retinex another thing it to throw DetailSharpen or FineSharpen at it to see where you can get. (both will usually cause additional artifacts, but allow to see how much detail are potentially there,..)
PPs.: and 'No', there currently isn't and filter or similar that can 'undo' blend deinterlacing.

Wow, that is REALLY super helpful, thanks Selur! I appreciate you taking the time to process and show those results, very interesting!

I don't know what this Retinex is, I'll look it up... :) But, yeah, I realize that mostly these are pretty crappy, just trying to see if I can polish them (turds!) a bit... :D

So, as far as any frame fiddling then, I'm ASSuming that with both of these they don't 'Need' any of that, right?

Thanks man!

[Lathe]

I KNOW this is an UltraNewbie question, but somehow I found a fantastic, perfect print of the really obscure 1962 Swedish film 'THE DOLL'! Some brilliant soul in Russia actually created a full DVD with menus and even an extra, an episode of the probably even MORE obscure Teleseries 13 Demon Street (1959) hosted by a rather rough looking Lon Chaney Jr.

Anyway, the print is frigg'n beautiful, but it is in PAL and I'll post the specifications here below. Now, I haven't dealt with too many PAL encodes, but in stepping through frame by frame with VLC player I see absolutely NO movement, blurring, nothing, even though MediaInfo says it's Interlaced. Not only that, but I actually found the EXACT, proper English subs that match this li'l beauty PERFECTLY! UnFrigg'nBelievable! So, I'm ASSuming that I really don't have to do anything to it frame wise at all, it seems to play and look perfectly. Just double checking here to see if that is correct.

And, this movie has NEVER had a commercial release, ever. So, I wonder where the hell this person found such a great print! Bloody amazing!

Thanks!

General
Unique ID : 46595434125577162548712156257977750600 (0x230DF4457ED92AB111AC2BB4C9A5D448)
Complete name : D:\The.Doll.1962.(Vaxdockan) Swedish.mkv
Format : Matroska
Format version : Version 2
File size : 3.91 GiB
Duration : 1 h 30 min
Overall bit rate mode : Variable
Overall bit rate : 6 184 kb/s
Frame rate : 25.000 FPS
Encoded date : 2025-11-08 03:32:26 UTC
Writing application : MakeMKV 1.18.2 win(x64-release)
Writing library : libmakemkv 1.18.2 (1.3.10/1.5.2) win(x64-release)

Video
ID : 1
ID in the original source medium : 224 (0xE0)
Format : MPEG Video
Format version : Version 2
Format profile : Main@Main
Format settings : CustomMatrix / BVOP
Format settings, BVOP : Yes
Format settings, Matrix : Custom
Format settings, GOP : M=3, N=12
Format settings, picture structure : Frame
Codec ID : V_MPEG2
Codec ID/Info : MPEG 1 or 2 Video
Duration : 1 h 30 min
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 5 859 kb/s
Maximum bit rate : 7 993 kb/s
Width : 720 pixels
Height : 576 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 4:3
Frame rate mode : Constant
Frame rate : 25.000 FPS
Standard : PAL
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Interlaced
Scan order : Bottom Field First
Compression mode : Lossy
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.565
Time code of first frame : 00:00:00:00
Time code source : Group of pictures header
GOP, Open/Closed : Closed
Stream size : 3.70 GiB (95%)
Language : English
Default : No
Forced : No
Color primaries : BT.601 PAL
Transfer characteristics : BT.470 System B/G
Matrix coefficients : BT.470 System B/G
Original source medium : DVD-Video

Audio
ID : 2
ID in the original source medium : 189 (0xBD)129 (0x81)
Format : AC-3
Format/Info : Audio Coding 3
Commercial name : Dolby Digital
Codec ID : A_AC3
Duration : 1 h 30 min
Bit rate mode : Constant
Bit rate : 320 kb/s
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Channel layout : L R
Sampling rate : 48.0 kHz
Frame rate : 31.250 FPS (1536 SPF)
Compression mode : Lossy
Stream size : 207 MiB (5%)
Title : Stereo
Language : Swedish
Service kind : Complete Main
Default : Yes
Forced : No
Original source medium : DVD-Video

[Selur]

Don't step through with VLC, look at it with Avisynth or Vapoursynth, this way you are sure the player does not do any deinterlacing or field matching unless you tell it to.

[Lathe]

Don't step through with VLC, look at it with Avisynth or Vapoursynth, this way you are sure the player does not do any deinterlacing or field matching unless you tell it to.

Ah, good suggestion...

How do I look at it 'With Avisynth'...? would I use VirtualDub or something like that? BTW, FWIW, I always see combing/blurring with VLC when stepping through the frames, but yeah, it probably would be better to use something that for sure won't affect it.

[Cary Knoop]

Now, I haven't dealt with too many PAL encodes, but in stepping through frame by frame with VLC player I see absolutely NO movement, blurring, nothing, even though MediaInfo says it's Interlaced.
PAL film transfers typically use a 4% speed-up from 24p to 25p, so no telecine pattern is required. When mastered correctly, a 25p progressive scan and a 50i interlaced PAL master sourced from the same film scan contain the same underlying image data; any differences arise from additional processing or a person who does not know what he is doing.

[Lathe]

PAL film transfers typically use a 4% speed-up from 24p to 25p, so no telecine pattern is required. When mastered correctly, a 25p progressive scan and a 50i interlaced PAL master sourced from the same film scan contain the same underlying image data; any differences arise from additional processing or a person who does not know what he is doing.

Well, I definitely fall into the category of 'a person who does not know what he is doing'... :) But, then I guess that means I don't really have to 'Do' anything to it. Thanks for the information!

[Selur]

How do I look at it 'With Avisynth'...? would I use VirtualDub or something like that?
Yes, you would either open the source file using a script and VirtualDub or use a tool that generates the Avisynth script for preview automatically like StaxRip, MeGui and some other tools that use Avisynth for filtering. (Since VirtualDub, afaik. wouldn't automatically deinterlace&co, you could also just use that, assuming it can open your source.)

[Lathe]

Yes, you would either open the source file using a script and VirtualDub or use a tool that generates the Avisynth script for preview automatically like StaxRip, MeGui and some other tools that use Avisynth for filtering. (Since VirtualDub, afaik. wouldn't automatically deinterlace&co, you could also just use that, assuming it can open your source.)

Excellent, thank you! I'm not sure, but I THINK I can turn off the deinterlacing on VLC player, I'll hafta check.

[Selur]

the point is: not using a media player for preview to check fields&co is usually better due to having more control,...

[Cary Knoop]

Well, I definitely fall into the category of 'a person who does not know what he is doing'... :) But, then I guess that means I don't really have to 'Do' anything to it. Thanks for the information!
Just to clarify — I was referring to the person who did the scanning and digitizing, since they are the one who’s expected to know the technical side of it. I definitely didn’t mean you or anyone who’s still learning. I’d never use that phrase for someone asking questions or trying to understand something new.

[wonkey_monkey]

When mastered correctly, a 25p progressive scan and a 50i interlaced PAL master sourced from the same film scan contain the same underlying image data;

Well...almost. If chroma is vertically subsampled and the 50i codec doesn't support MBAFF/PAFF, then the colour data will be slightly different (it may be different anyway, depending on choices the encoder makes).

And actually luma won't necessarily be bit-identical either. You're right in the sense that both would represent the same analogue image, but there will be pixel differences.

[Cary Knoop]

Well...almost. If chroma is vertically subsampled and the 50i codec doesn't support MBAFF/PAFF, then the colour data will be slightly different (it may be different anyway, depending on choices the encoder makes).

And actually luma won't necessarily be bit-identical either. You're right in the sense that both would represent the same analogue image, but there will be pixel differences.
True, luckily MBAFF/PAFF has wide support.
4:2:2 can further complicate matters.

[Lathe]

the point is: not using a media player for preview to check fields&co is usually better due to having more control,...

Okidoke...

[Lathe]

Just to clarify — I was referring to the person who did the scanning and digitizing, since they are the one who’s expected to know the technical side of it. I definitely didn’t mean you or anyone who’s still learning. I’d never use that phrase for someone asking questions or trying to understand something new.

Heh, no, no my friend, I did not take it that way at all. I was VOLUNTARILY including myself in that group... :)

Cheers!