Increase recording quality?

AAProds wrote on 3/17/2023, 10:10 AM

Pierre, yes that would be annoying. I don't have Video Easy but do a lot of VHS digitisation. If you've got colour flashing/changing, it could be a weak signal ie poor quality recording, even if it does look Ok on the TV.

-Try increasing the recording quality to the highest available: the more bits, the better.

-Ensure you've got the latest drivers for your digitiser:

https://www.magix.info/us/support/article/installation-procedure-magix-video-converter--710/

-If you're not already doing so and if your VCR has it, use S-video to connect to your digitiser.

A short video of the issue, posted straight to this forum, would be helpful for visual analysis. Upload it in MP4 format.

Other than that, other solutions involve trying a different VCR and inserting a stabiliser of some type eg Panasonic DVD recorder.

Regarding the heat, one of my non-Magix digitisers does get warm, but not hot.

Pierre_S wrote on 3/20/2023, 1:04 PM

"-Try increasing the recording quality to the highest available: the more bits, the better."

Can't find where to set this. Maybe not possible?

"-Ensure you've got the latest drivers for your digitiser:"

Have done that.

"-If you're not already doing so and if your VCR has it, use S-video to connect to your digitiser."

Tested to connect to S-video on scart, got black and white video. Guess that it is not available.

" trying a different VCR"

Have only one available.

AAProds wrote on 3/21/2023, 4:45 AM

@Pierre_S

I'm sorry to hear that. We don't get a lot of quality complaints.

Re the recording quality, the manual shows this (page 20):

You may have to go into Advanced View to see that screen.

What's the make and model of your VCR?

CubeAce wrote on 3/21/2023, 6:16 AM

@AAProds

Hi Al.

That is the Video Easy manual and the only one I could find on the net.

It may not be the same in the manual of the program @Pierre_S has.

Video Saver may have been another discontinued product or it was called something else in another market or a version of Rescue Your video Tapes.

Ray.

AAProds wrote on 3/21/2023, 6:35 AM

It'll be the same, Ray.

CubeAce wrote on 3/21/2023, 6:47 AM

@AAProds

Hi Al.

If it is a version of Rescue Your Video Tapes and not Video Easy there are a lot more saving options in Rescue your Video Tapes.

Ray.

AAProds wrote on 3/21/2023, 7:04 AM

@CubeAce

Ray, Video Easy is the software. All the other various names are the packages ie software and digitiser.

Where'd you get that last image? Magix Movies on DVD is from from Windows Vista! In the 10 years since, I suspect that Magix has slashed the capability of the software so it didn't encroach on MEP/MMS.

johnebaker wrote on 3/21/2023, 7:09 AM

@CubeAce

Hi Ray

. . . . If it is a version of Rescue Your Video Tapes and not Video Easy . . . .

I have the previous version of Video Easy / Saver (2021 - though that is not its official part of the name), the dialogue is as Alwyn has described.

Video Saver is RYVT see the top headings and URL here.

The manual you have looks identical to the RYVT 3 or 4 manual, about 12 years old. The program then was called RYVT, the interface in Video Saver is similar with some changes.

John EB

CubeAce wrote on 3/21/2023, 7:53 AM

@johnebaker @johnebaker

Hi Al, John.

I should have guessed. 🤷‍♂️😳

How much more streamlining and capability removal will take place in the next incarnation of the products will happen?

It doesn't make one want to 'upgrade' when these things happen.

Ray.

AAProds wrote on 3/21/2023, 8:28 AM

@Pierre_S

I totally missed your video! Sorry about that.

It shows the telltale signs of a poorly stabilised video signal: note the wavy sides and colour blotching.

This can be cured by a VCR with an in-built Time Base Corrector, or an external TBC. The TBC rebuilds and corrects the video signal from the VCR and sends it to the digitiser.

Unless you have many tapes or are a perfectionist, a proper external TBC probably wouldn’t be justified because they cost so much.

A cost-conscious alternative is to buy a specific model of DVD recorder (not all DVD recorder can be used as a pseudo TBC), which is used in passthrough mode. The internal DVD circuitry acts as a TBC for the purpose of burning the DVD, but the stabilised signal is also outputted on the “Out” sockets. In practice, they do a remarkable job in improving a wonky VHS tape.

The DVD recorder models which I know work well for stabilising are the Panasonic ES-10, ES-15, EH-50 and EH-57 (a PAL HDD recorder). Also, if you're in PAL land, the ES-35 and EZ-48 VHS/DVD combos have strong stabilisers.

As I mentioned before, a VCR with an inbuilt TBC can generally handle this sort of issue as well. You would be after a S-VHS machine, even though you’re only playing standard VHS tapes. If you are in Europe/UK or the US, there are a reasonable number on Ebay; the problem of “tested and working” being a furphy is the issue. A well-known shop for VCRs is vcrshop.com. A model like the JVC 7600 is what you are after.

Some food for thought. Welcome to the top of the rabbit hole which is analogue video capture!

I forgot to mention: if you have the option, use MXV as the capture format. That is Magix proprietary format and will allow larger file sizes and therefore better quality before you export your video. MP4 is a lossy, compressed format which is not recommended for capture.

Some examples of DVD recorders in action:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-dhdjQ1_Yu3X5OedB368O01V0WHg0DW4

http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/video-capture/11020-how-fix-green.html#post71991

Pierre_S wrote on 3/24/2023, 11:01 AM

AAProds, thanks for your answer

I have an LG LV 4961 as VCR. The manual says that it have an automatic tracking function. But i guess it is not what you mean with TBC.

Getting another VCR is to be considered.

Re the recording quality, the manual shows this (page 20):

Unfortunately the manual for "Video Easy" is not so detailed.

Recording quality was set for "DVD".

Choosing "User defined".
You get a menu with 12 parameters for video (MPEG2). Dont exactly know what they means.
Guess that "coding-quality" is the one of interest.
Which goes from "fastest" to "highest" (?), with default set to "faster" (DVD-level?).

Is this the parameter, and the only one to consider?

"if you have the option, use MXV as the capture format."

The extension of the recorded video file is MPG, a guess it means MPEG-2?
My purpose, is both to burn it on DVD and to keep them on computer for the future.
DVD use MPEG-2? But it is maybe not a format for the future?

Is it still a better idea to record in MXV (not lossy format?), and transform it afterwards to MPEG2? Then to record it directly to MPEG2?

How, if possible, to change recording format to MXV?

AAProds wrote on 3/25/2023, 2:28 AM

@Pierre_S

Unfortunately the manual for "Video Easy" is not so detailed.

Hmm, ok, I think that is from the current manual, although I can't recall where I got it from now. You should be able to get the PDF from the Help menu.

Recording quality was set for "DVD".

Choosing "User defined".
You get a menu with 12 parameters for video (MPEG2). Dont exactly know what they means.
Guess that "coding-quality" is the one of interest.
Which goes from "fastest" to "highest" (?), with default set to "faster" (DVD-level?).

Is this the parameter, and the only one to consider?

Set the coding quality to "highest" which will, in effect, be "slowest".

The extension of the recorded video file is MPG, a guess it means MPEG-2?
My purpose, is both to burn it on DVD and to keep them on computer for the future.
DVD use MPEG-2? But it is maybe not a format for the future?

Yes, MPG is the MPEG2 codec.

DVDs do use MPEG 2, but Video Easy will convert MXVs to MPEG 2 during the DVD burning process.

MPEG 2 will be around for many years, so no issue there.

Is it still a better idea to record in MXV (not lossy format?), and transform it afterwards to MPEG2? Then to record it directly to MPEG2?

I suggested MXV because I thought the only other option you had was MP4, and MXV would better, quality-wise, for editing. The problem with MXV is that it can only be opened by Magix products so it's not a long-term storage option. I don't know whether Video Easy will convert MXV to MPEG 2.

Unless you upgrade to Movie Studio, I'd recommend sticking with MPEG 2 for capture (provided your system can do it without dropping frames; your computer is transcoding in realtime) and subsequent long-term storage.

If you can, a screenshot of the "Advanced" capture settings would be helpful.

Pierre_S wrote on 3/30/2023, 1:03 PM

AAProds, thanks for your answer

Print sceen of "User defined", under "Recording Quality". (Standard setting is "DVD")

The manual is not so useful. If i press the "Help" button in this window, i end up in the overview of the "Program interface".

"Coding quality" seems to be the obvious parameter to increase quality.

(Fastest, Faster, Quick, Balanced, Good, Better, Best)

But is it an independent parameter of the others?

I assume that "Faster" is the "DVD" level. So "Quick" would get one level higher quality?

CubeAce wrote on 3/30/2023, 2:32 PM

@Pierre_S

Hi.

Yes.

Fastest is most compression while Best is least compression. More compression means less information but how much is sometimes hard to tell depending on the Set average and maximum bit rates which is also dependant on what dimensions and frame size you are using. The larger the image, the more bits you would need.

Even I'm not overly sure of the kbs setting value but goes up or down accordingly with the other two numbers. Could be associated with the bit depth of the image. Not sure. I'm sure Al will know.

Any number you choose to put in should be devisable by four or you may produce a non working file.

Nothing wrong with choosing variable bit rate. Putting in excessively high numbers into the first set of fields does not necessarily give better quality encoding. Beyond a certain point it just pads the file out with unused bits. A lot of when this will happen will depend on the amount of information to be reproduced on the original source files so there is no 'magic number' that can be used but there may be numbers that give you a good consistent quality output.

The GOP number, (Group of Pictures) should either be the same as the frame rate or half to frame rate. This helps among other things to keep the audio and visual sections in sync.

The Main in the Profile and Level sections is associated mainly with MPEG-2. Later codecs normally now have a choice of that of 'High'.

The reason you can have a highish bit rate for audio is it looks like it is recording to MPEG-2 which would encode the audio to mp3.

Interlacing is if you are going to play the file via a DVD. Progressive is for use via computer monitors and such.

MPEG-2 in not visually inferior an any way up to HD but makes larger files than other codecs for the same quality of output.

Ray.

AAProds wrote on 3/31/2023, 8:42 PM

@Pierre_S

That Export screen is similar to what we have in Movie Studio.

However, the critical step is the capture or import. Is there any option to choose the capture format such as MXV?

If so, use that as a test, choose user-defined and set the quality to maximum.

Then, after capture, do your export.

Other thoughts:

You could try adjusting the tracking on your VCR; see the manual:

https://manualzz.com/download/51473638

and also give the heads a clean:

https://www.tgrantphoto.com/sales/index.php/content/a-broken-video-head#cleaning

CubeAce wrote on 3/31/2023, 9:44 PM

@AAProds

Hi Al.

Not sure what you mean by

I do like the "Progressive" dropdown, something we don't have! For MPEG 2,

Those are my options.

Ray.

AAProds wrote on 3/31/2023, 11:29 PM

Oh, yes Ray, you're right. Earlier post amended.

johnebaker wrote on 4/1/2023, 4:20 PM

@Pierre_S

Hi

What is the full program name and version number as found under Help, About in the program?

John EB