Converting To Hd Quality - Is It Actually Possible? (N00B)

[luachhabibi]

Hello,

 

First, I am well aware that Roxio allows conversion to HD. The only thing is... It does not end up HD. It sure increases the file size tremendously, no doubt about that, but it doesn't actually seem to improve the quality of the video. If the original video is blurry, the new HD file is still blurry.

 

So my question is, while it is possible to convert ordinary video files into HD video files, is there anything I can do to actually improve the quality of the video in terms of viewing experience?

 

Apologies if this is an easy/noob question.

[luachhabibi]

WHAT DO YOU HAVE?

 

You want answers but have yet to give us any information...

 

What is the Resolution (ie: 720 X 480) AND the Bitrate (ie: 9280kbps)

 

You can get this with a right click ~ Properties ~ Details tab.

 

THEN we will know where to go from there

 

Thank you sir.

 

The resolution is 320x240 (wXh)

 

The bitrate is 96kbps

[cdanteek]

Which I will gladly do, thank you. So I should download the highest quality but not-hd, right?

 

Also, are you familiar with keepvid.com? That is what I use to download videos.

 

I won't let keepvid.com install a program I can't download and check with my antivirus software!

 

I use a Fire Fox Extension and highest option I got was 720 what sknis downloaded above "download the file at about 960 by 720 29 fps".

 

Grab the highest one and tell us what you have?

[luachhabibi]

I found out what your problem was!

 

You downloaded one of the poorest resolution video.

 

I showed you how to select a better resolution video to fix your problem.

 

Now all you have to do is download the better quality video and run it through Roxio.

 

Which I will gladly do, thank you. So I should download the highest quality but not-hd, right?

 

Also, are you familiar with keepvid.com? That is what I use to download videos.

[cdanteek]

Would that actually stop it from being blurry? Another user said I'm confusing resolution with sharpness, and no matter what I do it will be blurry.

 

Thank you sir.

 

The resolution is 320x240 (wXh)

 

The bitrate is 96kbps

 

I found out what your problem was!

 

You downloaded one of the poorest resolution video.

 

I showed you how to select a better resolution video to fix your problem.

 

Now all you have to do is download the better quality video and run it through Roxio.

[sknis]

At the size you downloaded it it will not be very good.

 

I used a free third party program to capture and download the file at about 960 by 720 29 fps so that would be very clear when edited and burned. It unfortunately was NOT high definition originally so it was not clear but about equal to what was on YouTube. Here is a screen grab.

 

[luachhabibi]

I see the problem now!

 

 

Would that actually stop it from being blurry? Another user said I'm confusing resolution with sharpness, and no matter what I do it will be blurry.

[Jim_Hardin]

I thought you meant his Meter Reading

[cdanteek]

Gladly https://www.youtube....Uie7UCdOU#t=507

 

I see the problem now!

 

[luachhabibi]

I may be able to help you if you post a link to the you tube video you downloaded?

 

Gladly https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94Uie7UCdOU#t=507

[cdanteek]

I downloaded it off of youtube, which also has crappy quality.

 

I may be able to help you if you post a link to the you tube video you downloaded?

[d_deweywright]

You're confusing resolution and sharpness, I believe. You have a fuzzy, low resolution video. You can convert it to a high resolution video, but it will still be fuzzy.

 

You're starting with a low resolution video. Video CD quality is, as stated above, about half the resolution of a good VHS/Standard Definition video. As you noted originally, when you convert it to Hi-Def, all that's happened is that you've blown up a poor quality image into a large, low quality image. Sure, it's Hi-Def, but it looks pretty much the same as the original low quality image you started with.

 

What you want is something that will take a poor quality video, and add detail and content that no longer exists. It's not going to happen.

[luachhabibi]

Where did you get the video - cell phone? Did you take it yourself or did someone e-mail it to you or send a message with the video?

 

I downloaded it off of youtube, which also has crappy quality.

 

You have a video with the quality of a Video CD.

 

Video specifications

 

Codec: MPEG-1

Resolution:

NTSC: 352x240

PAL/SECAM: 352x288

Aspect Ratio:

NTSC: 4:3

PAL/SECAM: 4:3

Framerate:

NTSC: 29.97 or 23.976 frames per second

PAL/SECAM: 25 frames per second

Bitrate: 1,150 kilobits per second

Rate Control: constant bitrate

 

Are you suggesting that if I convert it to these specifications the resolution will be better?

[sknis]

Where did you get the video - cell phone? Did you take it yourself or did someone e-mail it to you or send a message with the video?

[d_deweywright]

To put it in perspective, you're starting with a video that is only half the resolution of a VHS tape.

 

To paraphrase, "Fuzzy in, fuzzy out." Yes, it can be "converted" to HD size, the file will be much bigger, but you won't gain any resolution. You may be being misled by what you see on TV, where the (insert name of spy agency here) takes a grainy, 10 pixel image of a license plate, applies some technology to the image, and comes up with a perfect image of the license number. I don't know of any _real_ technology that can do that.

[cdanteek]

Thank you sir.

 

The resolution is 320x240 (wXh)

 

The bitrate is 96kbps

 

You have a video with the quality of a Video CD.

 

Video specifications

 

Codec: MPEG-1

Resolution:

NTSC: 352x240

PAL/SECAM: 352x288

Aspect Ratio:

NTSC: 4:3

PAL/SECAM: 4:3

Framerate:

NTSC: 29.97 or 23.976 frames per second

PAL/SECAM: 25 frames per second

Bitrate: 1,150 kilobits per second

Rate Control: constant bitrate

[d_deweywright]

Only if I have it turned on.

 

Not sure you can turn it off? I didn't see any settings in the manual for your player, but I may have missed something.

[cdanteek]

It does not end up HD. It sure increases the file size tremendously, no doubt about that, but it doesn't actually seem to improve the quality of the video. If the original video is blurry, the new HD file is still blurry.

 

What is the Resolution (ie: 720 X 480) AND the Bitrate (ie: 9280kbps)

 

So you want to know how poor it is?

[Jim_Hardin]

Thank you for the responses.

 

So apologies for my next noob question: What is the point of options in video conversion which say "higher quality" or "high definition" ?

 

If it doesn't actually improve the quality of the video, what is the point?

 

WHAT DO YOU HAVE?

 

You want answers but have yet to give us any information...

 

What is the Resolution (ie: 720 X 480) AND the Bitrate (ie: 9280kbps)

 

You can get this with a right click ~ Properties ~ Details tab.

 

THEN we will know where to go from there

[cdanteek]

And your Panasonic supports up-sampling, so you likely won't see them anyway.

 

Only if I have it turned on.

 

So apologies for my next noob question: What is the point of options in video conversion which say "higher quality" or "high definition" ?

 

If it doesn't actually improve the quality of the video, what is the point?

 

You can take excellent High Definition Video from a HD Camera and use a lower quality setting in Roxio and ruin the HD quality.

 

It's always best to render at the highest quality setting but it will never improve low quality video.

 

Does that help?

[luachhabibi]

Thank you for the responses.

 

So apologies for my next noob question: What is the point of options in video conversion which say "higher quality" or "high definition" ?

 

If it doesn't actually improve the quality of the video, what is the point?

[d_deweywright]

60 Hz, Westinghouse. And I don't think it would be the refresh rate that makes a difference. You only see the artifacts on still scenes. And your Panasonic supports up-sampling, so you likely won't see them anyway.

[cdanteek]

Mine's a Samsung, and the biggest thing I notice is that playing a DVD with it avoids the weird pattern artifacts you see on an HD TV when using a regular DVD player. It definitely makes a big difference in my experience. Not truly "HD" maybe, but it at least masks the annoying pattern artifacts.

 

I don't see weird pattern artifacts when watching a SD DVD on a Sony Bravia XBR9 Series 1080p LCD HDTV with a Panasonic DMP BD65 BD Player.

 

What Hz is the TV displaying the weird pattern artifacts 60, 120, 240?

[d_deweywright]

Mine's a Samsung, and the biggest thing I notice is that playing a DVD with it avoids the weird pattern artifacts you see on an HD TV when using a regular DVD player. It definitely makes a big difference in my experience. Not truly "HD" maybe, but it at least masks the annoying pattern artifacts.

[cdanteek]

The other thing is to create a Standard Def DVD, and play it in an up-sampling Blu-Ray player, which does a lot of the processing mentioned above in hardware to avoid some of the artifacts and jagged edges during playback.

 

I had one of the first Samsung up-sampling players, what a piece of junk, I wouldn't waste money buying one today. Do they even still make them?

 

I see they are still selling snake oil. "Full HD 1080p Blu-ray Disc playback with 4K upscaling"

 

Right, 4K upscaling.

[d_deweywright]

You're basically asking the program to invent data. Think of starting with a still picture, and displaying that at 100% on your screen, one pixel of image to one pixel on the screen. And we'll say that's what you initial standard def image looks like. Now blow it up to 225%, which is about the increase in resolution you're getting with HD, and you'll see all those jagged edges. And that's roughly what is happening.

 

I suspect you might be able to find an expensive piece of software that will do the pixel interpolation, averaging, and edge detection work to do a better job of blowing up each frame. But you'll probably be spending hours to process a few minutes of video.

 

Your best bet, obviously, is to start with:

1. Better quality video

2. HD video

 

The other thing is to create a Standard Def DVD, and play it in an up-sampling Blu-Ray player, which does a lot of the processing mentioned above in hardware to avoid some of the artifacts and jagged edges during playback.