Best way to de-interlace digitized video

That clip is already compressed quite a lot to H.264 with 5000 kb/s so there will be unnecessary generation loss when it is re-compressed again. It would be better to digitize to a less compressed archival codec. I used a DV camcorder to digitize old VHS to .dv archives with iMovie 1.0.2-6.0.3 (I did not like later iMovie versions) ten years ago and did a simple deinterlace to H.264 with MPEG Streamclip then. I recently re-encoded them to bob-deinterlaced 50fps H.265 with ffmpeg with somewhat better quality with about the same file size (with ffmpeg I got slightly better quality and less blockiness in deinterlacing compared to FCP and Compressor although I am not very familiar with all the bells and whistles they have).

Also the interlacing in the sample clip is upper first. But otherwise it is OK with 720x576 25fps.

I did quick test with FCP 10.4.10 in Mojave by deinterlacing that last sample clip with method b) I described earlier here but I had to choose Upper First because the field dominance is unconventional (the usual Lower First would produce jerky back-and-forth movements):

Preserve both fields and double the frame rate to 50fps i.e. bob deinterlace: File > New... > Project > Custom 768x576 50p. Window > Show in Workspace > Info Inspector > Settings > Field Dominance Override > Upper First. File > Share > Apple Devices 1080p..., Format: Computer, H.264 Better Quality [768x576 | 50fps].

The output is 768x576 square pixels 50fps original duration with unique frames (with slower shutter speed progressive footage input every other frame would be a duplicate with this method).

https://www.dropbox.com/s/pn5fbdpb4vkk3nq/bob_deinterlace_50fps.mp4?dl=0

If the Roxio software created an interlaced copy correctly, then you should set Lower First in Field Dominance Override. You can test the override by going frame by frame in the storyline. If it looks like you get 2 frames forward and 1 frame backwards, then try the other Field Dominance direction.

You can't deinterlace it in a 25p project because the file is 25p with interlacing artifacts in the frame. Setting the field dominance to lower fixes it as does putting it in a custom 50p project. I cannot reproduce the half speed problem when the interleaving is switched, also don't see it in a 50p project. Make sure that the clip doesn't have any attributes applied. Ue the Remove Attributes function and see if anything is going on.

An used Canopus Analog-DV converter would be a better option than the Roxio, or an used Blackmagic Intensity Shuttle.

To de-interlace you can create a 25p project, Then add the clip. Duplicate and stack above each other. For both set Transparency to 50 and Blend Mode to Add. Set Field Dominance Override of one clip to Upper, for the other one to Lower.

[Link Edited by Moderator]

Any chance you can upload one of the clips to look at it? Maybe Dropbox or WeTransfer?

VHS or Hi8 or even DV quality is not very good compared to current devices like mobile phones and DSLR cameras. So you might not get much better quality than this no matter what.

I used my unnEUtered (*) Sony TRV320E D8 (**) camera to digitize old VHS tapes to .dv (I imported them first to D8 tapes for archive although I could have just used analog-to-DV passthrough. Those old D8 tapes and video-DVDs made carefully with iDVD are now gathering dust because converted .mp4 files are so much easier to use). I once let a friend digitize her analog Hi8 tapes with it because it can playback also analog tapes and digitize them on-the-fly to DV via Firewire (AFAIR works best with footage recorded at normal tape speed because the long play option might easier produce hiccups). Such old D8 or miniDV cameras or analog-to-DV devices might be cheaply available and the cameras might work OK for analog-to-DV passthrough even if their tape mechanism does not work anymore.

Bob deinterlacing a.k.a. line doubling prevents combing artifacts and maintains smooth motion but can cause a noticeable reduction in picture quality from the loss of vertical resolution and visual anomalies whereby stationary objects can appear to bob up and down as the odd and even lines alternate. These techniques are also called bob deinterlacing and linear deinterlacing for this reason.

(*) In Europe there was a silly tax for camcorders that could record analog video. That Sony TRV320E(urope) was unnEUtered by re-enabling the analog inputs and drilling holes to the remote so its Rec-buttons were revealed.

(**) Essentially the same as miniDV but it uses a D8 or Hi8 tape instead miniDV tape.

Set the FCP viewer to show both fields. It’s off by default. Go to where there’s some distinctive Motion and see how it looks. PAL is upper first if I remember correctly.

Try Fox's technique. It should work if the video is correctly interlaced. Assuming the video is 4:3 and not 16:9 anamorphic, you could also try creating a PAL SD project (not DV) that is 720x576 set at 25fps.

The Apple Devices preset will only export up to the resolution of the project. The settings pane will show you the export resolution. It will not scale up to 1080 HD. The same with the 720p preset. That won’t scale up the resolution either. And all the Apple Devices presets are progressive. No interlacing on Apple Devices.