[FFmpeg-user] Meaning of ffprobe output

[Ulf Zibis]

Am 03.02.19 um 17:17 schrieb Carl Eugen Hoyos:
> They do not look like comb artefacts as caused by interlaced
> recording to me.

Thanks, here I respect your experience with video material I don't have.

But these artefacts must have to do with horizontal motion, as they
don't appear in "normal" scenes.

>>> Definitely not interlaced (could be de-interlaced, but this doesn't
>>> make much difference because of the other visual issues).
>> Would you agree, that the original master recording probably
>> was an analogue interlaced video tape, maybe early
>> Betacam or high quality VHS camera
> Wikipedia claims that there was neither Betacam nor VHS-C
> in 1982 (I meant "Camcorder" when I wrote "Digital video"
> which of course didn't exist), IMDB claims the movie was
> released in January 1983.

Yes, I've read this Wikpedia article before, but IIRC there also have
been full format VHS Camcorders, I remember those monsters in those days.
Betacam started in 1982: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betacam
"Catch your Dreams" was produced in late autumn 1982.
The first two-piece camera/VCR systems emerged around 1980:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betamovie

> But I agree that the lack of celluloid artefacts does point to
> television cameras and recording technology.
> (Although I wonder a little if these really were cheaper than
> a film camera plus film.)

Maybe the author had the chance to lend the camera for nothing for a week.

Another fact is, that the film was shown in normal cinemas in the 80ies
in Germany. There were no beamers, so the film had to be copied to
celluloid. A VHS recording may have been too bad for that, but maybe
Betacam was enough.

It is indeed difficult to know, if the original master was celluloid or
video tape.

> Wikipedia also claims that Betacam supported progressive recording.
maybe optionally because these cameras anyway had a buffer memory for
the special recording technique with 120 % speed. For this technique
they had to save 1 line, but I suspect, if they could save a half frame.
It is said, a Betacam recording could be played back on a normal Betamax
VCR witch worked interlaced.

-Ulf