Working with DV Video...

I am currently trying to find the best way to capture and encode DV Video from my DV Cam to an Xvid or Divx file.

Here is what I've done so far:
First, I'm using Ulead Videostudio 9 to capture to DV directly from the cam to my HD via Firewire.

Next, I'm using Virtualdub with Avisynth to encode and deinterlace the video. However, I'm using a deinterlacing filter called "Deinterlace-Smooth," and it won't let me compress the movie using Divx, only xvid. That's fine, and the movies come out looking really great. However, there are still some artifacts here and there- especially when you are looking at edges of objects and people.

Anybody have any ideas about the best way to capture DV to a compressed PC Video?

I don't think you need to use avisynth to frame serve the video, what format are you saving it in from Ulead?

If it's DV video, then if you load the Panasonic DV codec on your machine, I think Virtualdub can work with it natively.

Codec can be obtained here: http://www.videohelp.com/tools/Panasonic_DV_Codec

The artifacts sound sortof like you're not giving it enough of a bitrate. THe crashes on DIVX might be incorrect sttings of some sort too, I forget, it's been a while since I used Virtualdub to encode to DIVX, but I do remember having a little trouble with settings.

Kirky,

Thanks for the help!

I'm using the Panasonic DV codec already. Also, I'm using Avisynth to frameserve so that I can split the fields before deinterlacing. I'm using a deinterlacing filter for virtual dub called "Deinterlace Smooth." It basically combines the two fields of the interlaced video into one progressive field, without losing any information.

Virtual Dub has a native deinterlacing filter, but it is a blend filter and isn't quite as good. Divx will work with the native deinterlacing filter, but not with the smooth filter. I think I'll go to the doom9 forums and ask them what they think.

Thanks again!

Makes sense.. I was wondering why you weren't using the built in deinterlace filter. I've used it without much of a problem, but that doesn't mean there is not something better.

Good luck!