How much to sharpen VHS? - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

IanNVJ35 · 17th Jul 2014, 12:06 am

I have been watching some good films recently on VHS (thanks to the charity shops) and have been wondering about this. Is there a 'correct' situation or is it purely to taste?

Slider to soft = very natural colours and shimmer free, faces look good, writing looks soft and smudgy.
Slider to centre detent = Looks mostly OK, some sharpening halos and writing looks better.
Sider to sharp = Some footage looks fine, terrible sharpening halos on some items, faces look awful, writing looks amazingly punchy.

At the moment I have it between soft and centre which is fairly good apart from soft writing and some bleed of highlights.

So is there a 'correct amount' of sharpening according to some standard or is it not that specific?

What setting do you prefer?

Cheers, Ian

ben · 17th Jul 2014, 12:18 am

If you have it on sharp or edit, the contours are more defined to offset the inevitable softening in copying. For normal viewing it does look harsh! I think the white level is affected.

IanNVJ35 · 17th Jul 2014, 12:28 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by ben

If you have it on sharp or edit, the contours are more defined to offset the inevitable softening in copying. For normal viewing it does look harsh! I think the white level is affected.

Cheers Ben, yes I tried EDIT and it was similar to SHARP but with better colour I thought. Its all interesting to me!

dseymo1 · 17th Jul 2014, 5:07 pm

I suppose that if the technology were still in use, we'd have 'dynamic intellegent sharpening', or something similar.
Sharpening, IMHO, is a bit like an audio loudness control: impressive to start with, but quickly becoming tireing and irritating!

vidjoman · 17th Jul 2014, 5:09 pm

Don't forget that the TV probably has a degree of sharpening applied to the image as well. With both in operation you may get some odd effects.

malvision · 20th Jul 2014, 11:23 am

I think its a personal matter of taste,i remember in the 70s and 80s .Visiting friends and family,looking at their tvs and saw some horrible sights.Contrast to low or brightness to high.People with very bright red faces etc

As the red indian once said ITT Tint Control

17th Jul 2014, 12:06 am	#1
IanNVJ35 Heptode Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, UK. Posts: 847	How much to sharpen VHS? I have been watching some good films recently on VHS (thanks to the charity shops) and have been wondering about this. Is there a 'correct' situation or is it purely to taste? Slider to soft = very natural colours and shimmer free, faces look good, writing looks soft and smudgy. Slider to centre detent = Looks mostly OK, some sharpening halos and writing looks better. Sider to sharp = Some footage looks fine, terrible sharpening halos on some items, faces look awful, writing looks amazingly punchy. At the moment I have it between soft and centre which is fairly good apart from soft writing and some bleed of highlights. So is there a 'correct amount' of sharpening according to some standard or is it not that specific? What setting do you prefer? Cheers, Ian

17th Jul 2014, 12:18 am	#2
ben Dekatron Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Madrid, Spain / Wirral, UK Posts: 7,498	Re: How much to sharpen VHS? If you have it on sharp or edit, the contours are more defined to offset the inevitable softening in copying. For normal viewing it does look harsh! I think the white level is affected. __________________ Regards, Ben.

17th Jul 2014, 5:07 pm	#4
dseymo1 Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Shropshire, UK. Posts: 3,051	Re: How much to sharpen VHS? I suppose that if the technology were still in use, we'd have 'dynamic intellegent sharpening', or something similar. Sharpening, IMHO, is a bit like an audio loudness control: impressive to start with, but quickly becoming tireing and irritating!

17th Jul 2014, 5:09 pm	#5
vidjoman Dekatron Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: East Sussex, UK. Posts: 3,326	Re: How much to sharpen VHS? Don't forget that the TV probably has a degree of sharpening applied to the image as well. With both in operation you may get some odd effects.

20th Jul 2014, 11:23 am	#6
malvision Pentode Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Wirral, Merseyside, UK. Posts: 118	Re: How much to sharpen VHS? I think its a personal matter of taste,i remember in the 70s and 80s .Visiting friends and family,looking at their tvs and saw some horrible sights.Contrast to low or brightness to high.People with very bright red faces etc As the red indian once said ITT Tint Control