TBC to Video Export Guide

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Video Exporting

This is the part ware you take your luma & chroma data to the ld-chroma-decoder which combines it and then decodes it to a RGB or YUV stream with FFmpeg using the merge planes function resulting in a final colour video stream that is encoded to FFV1 or to any other FFmpeg supported output you wish to use from the pre-made profiles.

You can add your own encoding profiles in the tbc-video-export.json file.

Notes!

Key Secondary Guide Read Pre-Export LD-Analyse Guide Here

Colour-Under formats VHS, BetaMax, Video8, Hi8 etc are 2 .tbc files a Y/C set.

CVBS formats LaserDisc, SMPTE 1" Type C are 1 single .tbc file.

Always backup & keep your .log & .json files even if you delete your TBC files after you are happy with your export these still contain key metadata.

Basic Use

Linux & MacOS

python3 tbc-video-export.py Input-Media.tbc

Windows

tbc-video-export.exe Input-Media.tbc

The default export will make a Interlaced Top Field First, FFV1 10-bit 4:2:2 video file with FLAC audio. (roughly 70-100 Mb/s), this also applies if you bind drag and drop your file on the windows exe version, ideal for footage without VBI data, but will require de-interlacing for online use.

Export Script Features

• .tbc and extensionless file input
• S-Video & CVBS TBC file set input support
• Automatic PCM Muxing for LD-Decode
• Automatic Timecode from VITC
• Audio Language & Track Name setting Support
• PCM Audio profiles for editing support
• Lossless compressed FFV1 Profiles
• ProRes HQ & 4444XQ Profiles
• V210 & V410 Uncompressed Profiles
• AVC/H.264 & HEVC/H.265 De-interlaced Web Profiles

The python script will take your filename.tbc & filename_chroma.tbc and any metadata from the .json and create video files for the PAL or NTSC system automatically, and will set timecode based off VITC data if present.

FFmpeg profile based de-interlacing can be done with bwdif & w3dif (see .json formatting for how to apply it to new profiles) for 50p/59.94p progressive files although QTGMC is recommended for the best results today.

NOTE progressive will be 2x the size of interlaced files.

Define your profile with for example: --ffmpeg-profile ffv1_8bit_pcm

Profile Name	Codec	Compression Type	Bit-Depth	Chroma Sub-Sampling	Audio Format	Container	File Extension	Bitrate
ffv1	FFV1	Lossless Compressed	10-bit	4:2:2	FLAC Audio	Matroska	.mkv	70-100mbps
ffv1_8bit	FFV1	Lossless Compressed	8-bit	4:2:2	FLAC Audio	Matroska	.mkv	40-60mbps
ffv1_pcm	FFV1	Lossless Compressed	10-bit	4:2:2	PCM Audio	Matroska	.mkv	70-100mbps
ffv1_8bit_pcm	FFV1	Lossless Compressed	8-bit	4:2:2	PCM Audio	Matroska	.mkv	40-60mbps
prores_hq_422	ProRes HQ	Compressed	10-bit	4:2:2	PCM Audio	QuickTime	.mov	55-70mbps
prores_4444xq	ProRes 4444XQ	Compressed	10-bit	4:4:4	PCM Audio	QuickTime	.mov	80-110mbps
v210	V210	Uncompressed	10-bit	4:2:2	PCM Audio	QuickTime	.mov	200mbps
v410	V410	Uncompressed	10-bit	4:4:4	PCM Audio	QuickTime	.mov	400mbps
x264_web	AVC/H.264	Lossy	8-bit	4:2:0	AAC Audio	QuickTime	.mov	8mbps
x265_web	HEVC/H.265	Lossy	8-bit	4:2:0	AAC Audio	QuickTime	.mov	8mbps

We have implemented ProRes & PCM audio modes for better support in NLEs such as Davinchi Resolve.

NOTE You can make/share you own FFmpeg profiles by editing the tbc-video-export.json as needed.

Editing & Basic Online Usage

Change python3 tbc-video-export.py to tbc-video-export.exe if you have issues with python locally on windows, but both should work if python3 is installed.

For video editing ProRes 4444XQ is a near lossless editing codec.

python3 tbc-video-export.py --ffmpeg-profile prores_4444xq example_decoded_media

For use on Odysee

You can pick either x264_web or x265_web depending on how much system/client support of streaming you want.

python3 tbc-video-export.py --ffmpeg-profile x264_web example_decoded_media

For use on Vimeo for example you can use FFV1 de-interlaced fpr YouTube, this also requires upscaling to there 2160p bracket to prevent low quality encoding as there SD modes are useless.

python3 tbc-video-export.py --ffmpeg-profile prores_hq example_decoded_media

Notes

YouTube re-encodes with black bias macro-blocking encoding on SD to 1080p, upscaling to 2160p encode bracket is required for clear resolving of analogue noise.

Odysee uses direct streaming, no transcode/re-encoding so care has to be taken with client side playback issues, i.g non phone users.

CVBS (Composite) TBC files to video

This is done via the ld-chroma-decoder & then piped to FFmpeg directly which can be done in one command.

Replace INPUT.tbc & OUTPUT.mkv with your respective input file and desired output file name.

Basic FFV1 10-bit 4:2:2 Export:

NTSC:

ld-chroma-decoder --decoder ntsc3d -p y4m -q INPUT.tbc| ffmpeg -i - -c:v ffv1 -level 3 -coder 1 -context 1 -g 1 -slicecrc 1 -vf setfield=tff -flags +ilme+ildct -color_primaries smpte170m -color_trc bt709 -colorspace smpte170m -color_range tv -pix_fmt yuv422p10le -vf setdar=4/3,setfield=tff OUTPUT.mkv

PAL:

ld-chroma-decoder --decoder transform3d -p y4m -q INPUT.tbc| ffmpeg -i - -c:v ffv1 -level 3 -coder 1 -context 1 -g 1 -slicecrc 1 -vf setfield=tff -flags +ilme+ildct -color_primaries bt470bg -color_trc bt709 -colorspace bt470bg -color_range tv -pix_fmt yuv422p10le -vf setdar=4/3,setfield=tff OUTPUT.mkv

Y/C (S-Video) TBC files to video

Converting your Y/C (S-Video) TBC files media.tbc & media_chroma.tbc to usable colour video files is done via script.

Basic Use:

python3 tbc-video-export.py INPUT (.tbc file name without .tbc)

Command Examples:

python3 tbc-video-export.py -v -s <skip number of frames> -l <number of frames long> -i <.tbc filename without .tbc extension>

The -a option can embed an audio file, such as audio decoded via HiFi Decode

python3 tbc-video-export.py -v -s <skip n frames> -l <n frames long> -a <capture>.flac -i <.tbc filename without .tbc extension>

So for example open terminal in the directory of target TBC/Metadata files and run

python3 tbc-video-export.py -v -s <skip n frames> -l <number of frames long> -a <capture>.flac -i <.tbc filename without .tbc extension>

Standard Export (4:3 Standard)

python3 tbc-video-export.py input-tbc-name

Letterbox Export

--letterbox Can be used or you can use the manual commands below

PAL:

python3 tbc-video-export.py --ffll 2 --lfll 308 --ffrl 118 --lfrl 548 <tbc-name>

NTSC:

python3 tbc-video-export.py --ffll 2 --lfll 308 --ffrl 118 --lfrl 453 <tbc-name>

These commands work well for 16:9 widescreen letterbox crop tapes rendering only the centre making a 928x432 PAL & 760x432 NTSC Image ideal for scaling/de-interlacing to 720p 50/59.94p for Blu-Ray mastering.

Full Vertical Export

Active + VBI Area Export

This is not perfect currently due to the lack of horizontal adjustment, this produces an full-vertical image frame allowing you to visually see VBI data, however, if your image is not centred properly this may crop the data.

--vbi Can be used or you can use the manual commands below

PAL:

python3 tbc-video-export.py --ffll 2 --lfll 308 --ffrl 2 --lfrl 620

NTSC:

python3 tbc-video-export.py --ffll 1 --lfll 259 --ffrl 2 --lfrl 525

These set your output to give you a full vertical image with the VBI area 928x624 PAL / 760x528 NTSC

You can also crop to IMX height 928x608 PAL / 760x512 NTSC

Viewing Video Files On Computers

We recommend Media Player Classic & VLC

Due to video displays on TVs and PC monitors using different levels, you need to convert 16-235 to 0-255 this can be done via a simple shader filter in MPC for example.

With 0-255 PC Levels

With 16-235 TV Levels

DaVinchi Resolve (Curve Adjustment)

(NOTE BetaMax media releases will have ColourBars at the start for reference use with a vectorscope)

Test your images on different displays

Depending on the colour accuracy of your display these images can look bright white in the yellows this is called white level clipping you need to adjust your display.

The example here is 2 sRGB photos taken of 2 displays

This one should be clean and even exposure

This one should look clipped in the right corner

So now what? De-interlacing

Today de-interlacing is not a daunting task hard or complex just requires correct handling.

Interlaced video is 2 fields of information that are timed together to make a solid picture to the human eye, ware as progressive video is a solid single frame followed by the next, every single frame is its own picture.

Instead of wasting time like most YouTube videos will do, 90% of the time today you will use QTGMC, most people used to use dedicated scripts, but today script loading software like StaxRip combine multiple tools and have a very simple and easy to edit workflow alongside telling you what's broken when mistakes are made.

Analogue is always top field first or TFF, ware as digital tapes are almost always bottom field first or BFF.

Tapes are 25i PAL / 29.97i NTSC ---> Deinterlacing --> 50p PAL / 59.94p NTSC

(60i or 30i etc does not exist for analogue formats, it's always 25i PAL 29.97i NTSC)

Movies, Anime etc are 12p and 24p content and can use the IVTC/Anime IVTC filters.

StaxRip - Your new best media friend

Pre-Made StaxRip Bundle V0.3 - Windows

(Linux & Wine setup guide coming soon.... here is everything you need up-front one simple windows package with a set of basic templates and a handy list of encoding profiles)

StaxRip has FFmpeg, Avisynth+, Vapoursynth and over 40 tools for muxing, subtitling, and audio timing but one thing it has always provided is a decent visual cropping tool and simple start/end cut mode for the most basic of editing.

It's not a 1-click encoder it's a 5 click and your done encoder.

Profiles

There are templates for drag and drop de-interlacing & upscaling.

Profiles for NTSC & PAL with FFV1/ProRes/V210/V410 progressive & interlaced export are available.

PAL:

NTSC FFV1 to ProRes HQ Progressive:

Layout

Top Left - Input file & info about file

Top Right - Output file & info about file (Turns red on render finish)

Bottom Left - Your filters (manipulators for video)

Centre - Resolution & Aspect ratio control

Bottom - First 2 Audio tracks (4 Channels in 2 stereo tracks is all analogue has anyways)

Basic Usage

Crop - This lets you crop using a mouse wheel or dragging margin (to the pixel level of control)

Cut - Preview --> Set your playing position --> HOME for the start point and END for stop point.

If you set multiple cut points it will chop the video up into one cut with those scenes.

Always Check and Set Aspect Ratio

If using profiles you only need to flag the aspect ratio correctly before export as this can change sometimes.

For 4:3 this will in most cases be DAR: 1.363636 / SAR: 1.25 / PAR: 12:11 inside StaxRip.

In FFmpeg directly this is -aspect 1.333333 for 4:3 for example

Breakdown:

1.333333 = 4:3 (Full-Frame with 4:3 as well)

1.777777 = 16:9 (Letterbox Crop or Anamorphic)

1.255555 = 5:4

1.555555 = 3:2 (Full Frame with 16:9 Media)

DVD & Blu-Ray Mastering

For direct Blu-Ray & DVD mastering ProRes HQ is recommended and supported directly by Sony DVD Architect.

python3 tbc-video-export.py --ffmpeg-profile prores_hq example_decoded_media

ProRes HQ --> DVD Architect --> Master.iso --> dvdisaser Embed ECC Data --> Burn to Disc --> Verify --> Physically Store

While Blu-Ray is modern defacto due to disc size/cost and better bitrate support we understand DVD is still used.

We are also working on manual encode DVD/BluRay profiles for both NTSC & PAL regions.

Sony DVD Architect is the last easy to get ''it works'' tool for creating complient Blu-Rays takes ProRes HQ that is properly encoded with FFmpeg directly and does not make any compliancy errors that players or software players made in the last 10 years or so should run into.

We recommend use of genunine DataLifePlus/M-Disc/DM-Archive/Sony 128GB optical discs which are archival grade using high quality molding and in-orgnaic layers.

Colr & CLAP Atom Setting

This is for altering the flagging data inside the mov, mp4 & mxf containers.

This is the reason why proper mastered media will only show above the active headswich area when displayed on a TV/System with standard video flag support.

AMCDX Video Patcher Live Link / Archive Link This tool is dead simple to use and allows you to correctly flag recordings colour/timecode information, this allows files to be hardware & industry standard software compatible.

Example of a blank and correctly flagged progressive exports for NTSC & PAL using ProRes HQ / V210.

Blank:

PAL:

NTSC:

Credits

Credit goes to Jitterbug / Video Dump Channel for making the new Python script.

Credit goes to Wrapscallion (Ty) on the DD86 Discord for showing me this truly invaluable and easy-to-use cross-platform tool.

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