ffmpeg -i "WereHere.S02E04.mkv" -vf "bwdif=mode=send_frame:parity=auto:deint=all" -c:v libx264 -crf 18 -preset slow -c:a copy "WereHere.S02E04_deint.mkv" Nighttime drag performances have high noise. Apply a denoise filter:
This guide assumes you have the episode file (e.g., WereHere.S02E04.mkv or .mp4 ). We will use FFmpeg’s suite of tools ( ffprobe , ffmpeg , ffplay ) to examine broadcast metadata, deinterlace, compress, and extract subtitles. 1. Preliminary Analysis with ffprobe Before any processing, understand the source. 1.1 Basic Stream Inspection ffprobe -v quiet -print_format json -show_streams "WereHere.S02E04.mkv" Look for: Codec (H.264 vs H.265), resolution (1080i/1080p), frame rate, and audio channels. 1.2 Detecting Telecine & Interlacing (Crucial for HBO/Max episodes) HBO broadcasts often use 1080i (interlaced). Detect it: we're here s02e04 ffmpeg
ffmpeg -i "WereHere.S02E04.mkv" -map 0:s:0 subs.ass To save space while retaining quality for this episode (approx 45 min, 1080p): ffmpeg -i "WereHere
ffmpeg -i "WereHere.S02E04.mkv" -c:v libx265 -crf 22 -preset medium -c:a copy -c:s copy "WereHere.S02E04_hevc.mkv" 5.1 Check for Dialog Normalization issues ffmpeg -i "WereHere.S02E04.mkv" -af "volumedetect" -f null /dev/null Look for mean_volume and max_volume . If too low, normalize: and audio channels.
ffmpeg -i "WereHere.S02E04.mkv" -map 0:s:0 -c:s mov_text subs.srt If they are ass / ssa :
ffmpeg -i "WereHere.S02E04.mkv" -ss 00:42:10 -to 00:52:30 -c copy "performance_cut.mkv" If captions are in the eia_608 format (common for broadcast captures):