"Capture Frame" size?

[EricS]

I want to capture some frames to create a freeze-frame effect. But VRD gives me a 640x480 image.

The source file is NTSC DVD 720x480 so the capture looks squashed.

Is there an option I'm not setting correctly?

[DanR]

That's weird. VideoReDo scales the capture size to the playback aspect ratio. Or, at least it should. What are your video stream parameters (Ctrl+L)?

[EricS]

I should have said... I'm using 1.6.2.284. So this might be a bug that's already fixed.

Video Program Information says:

File type: Program Stream
Dimensions: 720x480
Display size: 720x480
Frame Rate: 29.97FPS
VBV_Buffer: 224KB
Progressive: Prog or Int
Encoding: MPEG2
Stream ID: xEO
Aspect Ratio: 4/3
Bit Rate: 8.000Mbps
Profile: Main/Main
Chroma 4:2:0

Wheh, and my suggestion for program enhancement... "copy to clipboard" button on the Information dialogue. ;)

I tried this with 6 different videos (all 720x480) and got the 640x480 image size for each of them.

Eric

[DanR]

You should get a 640x480 picture. The program's aspect ratio is 4/3, which is 640x480. Doesn't the captured bmp will look identical to what's displayed on the VideoReDo screen?

[EricS]

I put the capture and the original movie into EditStudio and flipped back and forth between them. Yes, they look almost the same. But I can really tell that I've lost resolution in the capture. The test I'm using right now has fonts and a snow man. The edges are jagged in the BMP.

Maybe I'm just trying to use this for the wrong purpose. I can get a 720x480 out of EditStudio so I'm able to do what I need. It's just a lot more work to pull the first and last frame from inside that program. Doing it in VRD is so much faster.

[DanR]

Do you have de-interlace on or off? The capture to bitmap honors the de-interlace setting (Tools>Options>Sound/Display). If its part of a fast moving scene, de-interlace will help. Otherwise turning it off will improve the resolution.

[EricS]

Deinterlace was on. Once I turned it off, I got a much clearer capture of the file I'm testing with right now (very little motion). There is a subtle color shift in the capture; the blue background is not so rich. But I figure that's a limitation of the colors in BMP.

I'll remember to try with Deinterlace on and off on my other files later to see which setting gives me the best image.

Thanks,

Eric

(I still don't see how 640 is the same as 720, but oh well)

[DanR]

The blue shift might be cause of the color model we use in the MPEG to BMP conversion.

You shouldn't concentrate on the 720, the important number is the aspect ratio. NTSC DVD are recorded at either 720x480 or 320 x 480. If the aspect ratio is 4:3, then they will both scale to a 4:3 ratio. On the case of 720 some information will be thrown away, in the case of 320, some pixels will be extrapolated. Remember, the same 720x480 is used to record 16:9 as well. Its all a matter of scaling.