need your opinions ...

[iluvatar]

i'm using a radeon 64mb ddr vivo for capturing huffyuv-avi at the moment. the video source used to be a video recorder and the capturing resolution used to be 640x480. however, i'm not really satisfied with the video quality - too much noise for my taste. can anybody recommend an add-on card (maximum 150-200 euro) which produces a better quality ? ... or is the radeon not that bad for capturing purposes and the quality improvement achieved with a new add-on card wouldn't justify the investition ?

i'm open to your suggestions.

[kayman]

getting a new card wont really solve your problems the noise will still be there , as its on your source , huffyuv is a bit for bit codec , any noise that is present there will be there no matter what card you buy. maybe try and experiment with video noise filters or a better sourse

[bb]

You could use VirtualDub VCR from http://www.virtualdub.net
Then capture at 720x576 (for PAL, 720x480 for NTSC). Switch on the noise reduction (Capture menu, I think; not the video filter menu), and set the threshold to six or seven ticks.

You'll probably need some further filtering after the capture. I use Convolution3D with the full-1 matrix, recommended settings, and I resize to 640xYYY.

bb

[theReal]

Maybe a hardware-DV capture card like the Canopus will give you better quality. I'm not sure how good the canopus cards are and how good your Radeon is - but capturing tv through a DV camcorder gives me much better results than capturing with my Wintv (btooktree 878 chip). Unfortunately the camcorder cannot pass-through but only record to tape, so I'm thinking about buying a DV capture card myself.

[iluvatar]

many thanx for your suggestions. i think i'll stick at the radeon's video-in.

@bb
i already use virtual dub v1.4.10 for capturing pal video. in contrast to your experience i noticed that the quality is somehow better when using a resolution of 640x480 than 720x576. you mentioned Convolution3D filter - never heard of it. i couldn't find a download location (yes i did a search with google). can you provide a link ? i plan to capture a movie which is a mixture of cartoon- and real-world-elements (when the wind blows). would you recommend Convolution3D for that kind of video material ?

[kayman]

BB can you post what you use for convoltion 3d with your dv clips
i cap with a pinnacle dv500 dvd and use the canopus decoder

:)

[bb]

Originally posted by iluvatar
in contrast to your experience i noticed that the quality is somehow better when using a resolution of 640x480 than 720x576.
Are you capturing NTSC? If yes, you should try 720x480. For PAL, use a vertical resolution of 576 or 288, for NTSC use 480 or 240. For the full resolutions keep in mind that you may have to deinterlace. This is not necessary for 288/240.
you mentioned Convolution3D filter - never heard of it. i couldn't find a download location (yes i did a search with google). can you provide a link ?
See the sticky thread "Links" in the DV forum. BTW: Have you seen the "search" button which is available in each forum?
i plan to capture a movie which is a mixture of cartoon- and real-world-elements (when the wind blows). would you recommend Convolution3D for that kind of video material ?
Yes, definitely. Convolution3D is a very good denoiser. You'll have to experiment with the settings. Start with the recommended settings (readme), and find out what you like best.

bb

[bb]

Originally posted by kayman
BB can you post what you use for convoltion 3d with your dv clips
i cap with a pinnacle dv500 dvd and use the canopus decoder

:)
Most of the time I use the recommended full-1 matrix settings, but the chroma thresholds increased (doubled, sometimes more). I use it for low light shots; if I have enough light, then I usually do without any denoiser. You might still want to use Convolution3D, even for daylight shots, because you can increase compressibility.

bb

[iluvatar]

Are you capturing NTSC? If yes, you should try 720x480. For PAL, use a vertical resolution of 576 or 288, for NTSC use 480 or 240. For the full resolutions keep in mind that you may have to deinterlace. This is not necessary for 288/240.


no, i'm capturing pal. ok, i'll try 720x576 again. i hope my raid is fast enough ...


See the sticky thread "Links" in the DV forum. BTW: Have you seen the "search" button which is available in each forum?


shame on me ... i've found a hugh thread dealing with this filter by using the search button :)


Yes, definitely. Convolution3D is a very good denoiser. You'll have to experiment with the settings. Start with the recommended settings (readme), and find out what you like best.


should i deinterlace before denoising ?

[kayman]

but bb i mean what specific command do you use to call hte plugin there are too many settings in convlution3d to figure out hehe

[bb]

Originally posted by iluvatar
should i deinterlace before denoising ?
Yes. Always deinterlace first - before any other filter.

bb

[bb]

Originally posted by kayman
but bb i mean what specific command do you use to call hte plugin there are too many settings in convlution3d to figure out hehe

LoadPlugin("...")
...
Convolution3d(1, 8, 16, 8, 16, 3, 0)

If this is too strong for you, try e.g.:
Convolution3d(1, 4, 8, 4, 8, 3, 0)

Hope that helps.

bb

[kayman]

ya thats what i mean ;)

thanks