[Help] Problems Deinterlacing The Storyteller (Jim Henson, 1987)

[Chewtobacca]

Are you sure?

The whole of your sample, as far as I could see, was progressive, but I had a look at the rest of the episode, and there are some effects shots in which each field is unique (subtly different from its neighbors), meaning that there are short sections with genuine interlacing.  Deinterlacing the whole thing is inadvisable, in my opinion, because it degrades the bulk of the video for the sake of a few shots.

[Kyaneos]

The opening is also interlaced:

What do you suggest, check all the episodes frame by frame?

[Nick_M]

What do you suggest, check all the episodes frame by frame?

You're better off waiting for an upscale at least as good as Fraggle Rock. That upscale is also interlaced.

Watch the DVD on an SD CRT. It will look correct.

[Chewtobacca]

The opening is also interlaced:

What do you suggest, check all the episodes frame by frame?

Actually, if you separate fields, the opening isn't too bad.  Each field in a given pair is marginally different from the other, but they are obviously meant to be from the same instant in time, even if you focus purely on the effects, e.g. the flight of the bird.  Aliasing is possibly more of a problem.  If all the effects had been done like this, the series could be made progressive without much hassle.  But at the time of production, it's doubtful than anyone involved thought much about that.

Going frame by frame is probably not necessary: only certain shots have video effects work.  What specifically do you want to do with the series?  Is it just denoising?  Depending on what you have in mind, you might get away with separating the fields, applying the filters (Dfttest, MDegrain2, QTGMC, whatever you want to use), and then weaving them back together.  That would make your life easier.

Code:

Mpeg2Source()
AssumeTFF()
SeparateFields()
WhateverDenoiser()
Weave()

[Kyaneos]

The opening is also interlaced:

What do you suggest, check all the episodes frame by frame?

Actually, if you separate fields, the opening isn't too bad.  Each field in a given pair is marginally different from the other, but they are obviously meant to be from the same instant in time, even if you focus purely on the effects, e.g. the flight of the bird.  Aliasing is possibly more of a problem.  If all the effects had been done like this, the series could be made progressive without much hassle.  But at the time of production, it's doubtful than anyone involved thought much about that.

Going frame by frame is probably not necessary: only certain shots have video effects work.  What specifically do you want to do with the series?  Is it just denoising?  Depending on what you have in mind, you might get away with separating the fields, applying the filters (Dfttest, MDegrain2, QTGMC, whatever you want to use), and then weaving them back together.  That would make your life easier.

Code:

Mpeg2Source()
AssumeTFF()
SeparateFields()
WhateverDenoiser()
Weave()

My idea is to make the best possible encode, knowing the limitations of the material, and add the Spanish dubbing.

If it were for you, what script would you use?

I think: first to fix the interlacing, second to improve compression defects (macroblocks, banding ...), third to eliminate part of the noise, fourth to improve sharpness.

For now this is the script I'm working:

Code:

QTGMC ()
SelectEven ()
Deblock_QED ()
neo_f3kdb ()
MCDegrainSharp (csharp = 0.3)
Grainfactory3 or GrainPlate or AddGrainC or f3kgrain or GradFun2DBmod or...

At the moment I don't like any grain filter. I have tried GrainPlate, with different strength levels, but the result seems artificial to me. Maybe I'm not using the best samples (35mm Digital Grain from https://grainzilla.com/free-film-grain-download/ and FILMGRAIN_HD_35MM_25FPS_PRORES_422.mov from https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0...QTZ1ZXFlcX ). I have used the two functions that I have found here:

Code:

function grainplate (clip clip, "strength") {
strength = default (strength, 0.25)
g = lsmashvideosource ("1080P-35MM-DIGITAL-GRAIN.mov", format = "YUV422P8")
g = MergeRGB (g, UnalignedSplice (g.trim (g.framecount / 2-1, g.framecount-1), g.trim (0, (g.framecount / 2) -1)), UnalignedSplice (g.trim (g.framecount / 3-1, g.framecount-1), g.trim (0, (g.framecount / 3) -1)))
grain = g.crop (0,0,720,576) .loop.trim (0, clip.framecount-1)
return overlay (clip.tweak (bright = 1), grain, mode = "softlight", opacity = strength)}

Code:

function grainplate (clip clip, "strength") {
strength = default (strength, 0.25)
grain = lsmashvideosource ("FILMGRAIN_HD_35MM_25FPS_PRORES_422.mov", format = "YUV422P8") \
.crop (0,0,720,576) .loop.trim (0, clip.framecount-1)
return overlay (clip.tweak (bright = 1), grain, mode = "softlight", opacity = strength)}

Another thing I don't like is the mosquito noise amplification that MCDegrainSharp does around the credits:

My knowledge of Avisynth is limited, I accept suggestions about filters, order of filters, options etc.

[Chewtobacca]

If it were for you, what script would you use?

Use Trim() -- or stickboy's ApplyRange() if you prefer -- to deinterlace only those shots that have video effects.  QTGMC should do a good job, as you've already stated, so stick with that (though I'd use something faster because I'm old, impatient, and running junk).  *shrugs* Maybe I'd see how Dfttest looked with the sigma value bumped up a bit.  It's quite good for VHS (or DVDs that look like VHS).  But all denoisers/sharpeners etc divide people, with some swearing by one filter, and others, by another.  For Deblocking, I'd probably make the same choice as you.  For sharpening, I use LSF (now superseded by LSFMod), but only because it's an old favorite, and I'm stuck in my ways.  I tend not to use grain plates.

But all of the above is just there to answer to your question, rather than being a set of recommendations.  The truth is that I hate this kind of video processing and stick to what I'm used to if at all possible.

[Kyaneos]

If it were for you, what script would you use?

Use Trim() -- or stickboy's ApplyRange() if you prefer -- to deinterlace only those shots that have video effects.  QTGMC should do a good job, as you've already stated, so stick with that (though I'd use something faster because I'm old, impatient, and running junk).  *shrugs* Maybe I'd see how Dfttest looked with the sigma value bumped up a bit.  It's quite good for VHS (or DVDs that look like VHS).  But all denoisers/sharpeners etc divide people, with some swearing by one filter, and others, by another.  For Deblocking, I'd probably make the same choice as you.  For sharpening, I use LSF (now superseded by LSFMod), but only because it's an old favorite, and I'm stuck in my ways.  I tend not to use grain plates.

But all of the above is just there to answer to your question, rather than being a set of recommendations.  The truth is that I hate this kind of video processing and stick to what I'm used to if at all possible.

I think like you, I don't like video processing, but ... what to do in these cases? I always have the doubt, do nothing? Just deinterlacing? Deinterlacing and deblock? Where to put the limit?

If it were for me it's possible that I would do the authoring directly on DVD, without touching the video, but I want to share it and I think that on DVD is not the best option