I have between 100 and 200 hours of family (personal) AVI video captured from a Sony VHS player with the Canopus ADVC110 (using an old Adobe Premiere product V4 as I recall). I’ve seen what Starlight processing can do to restore and improve this kind of video and it’s impressive. I’d like to use the Topaz software to restore/improve these AVI files as an interim solution, to keep the original AVI files for even better AI processing in the future. With the amount of video that I have to process, I’m leaning towards a solution that would include some of their best video tools (but maybe not cloud processing if too expensive) but on an unlimited basis so I’m not constantly purchasing tokens. What would be the best value currently for this scenario based on my computer specs below? I see the Studio package is currently available with 35% off for about $600 for a year, but I just can’t determine what all that includes, and I’m barely an amateur with video improvement software.
Core i9-13900K
32GB DDR5
Radeon 9070 XT 16GB
Samsung nvme storage
12 to 16 hours of available processing time per day on this machine
Thanks for any advise. Happy New Year and kind regards.
I don’t see a good path for you with the listed hardware, for two key reasons:
Local processing with Starlight models with AMD GPUs requires a Studio Pro license , which generally considered too expensive for home/hobby users.
The minimum VRAM for AMD GPUs has been specified as 20GB
You’d be able to use some of the other models that don’t give the same results as the Sta RR ligh models, but the most spectacular improvements are usually achieved withthe Starlight diffusion models.
Thank you! Where did you find the minimum requirements for this scenario?
What would your recommendation be moving forward to use the Starlight processing? How do I calculate the up front cost and ongoing costs per, say, 60 minutes of processing? It appears that Starlight mini is not a solution for a new user? Am I correct that the Studio Pro package (1 Year) with 35% off is currently about $600/year? That doesn’t seem unreasonable for processing a truckload of video locally (what video card would I need?).
I invite anyone’s input or opinion on this, even if there are other tools you might consider.
Not an easy answer, because it’s based upon frequent visits to this community since the summer of last year and navigating the rapidly-changing landscape. It’s not easy to find some of this information, even when you have already seen it several times. But you can see the minimum, recommended and Starlight specs for Topaz Video at this link. You’ll have to select tabs to change to MAC or Windows specs.
There are too many variables to guess at a cost for using Starlight to process 60 minutes of video, and it also would depend upon whether you’re doing it in ‘the cloud’ by using credits or processing locally. Local seems to be more cost-effective, but it is slower and powerful GPUs running for hours-on-end add to your electric bill!
I can’t comment about the Studio Pro costs, because I simply don’t know. You would not have to have a pro license to process Starlight Mini locally on an nVidia GPU, but it is required for AMD. From what I’ve seen, Starlight Sharp does not yet run on AMD cards.
Whether you choose Personal or Pro license, it’s clear that an nVidia GPU is the way to go for maximum compatibility and an overall better deal with the Studio offerings. Most I can afford at the moment isa 5070-Ti with 16GB of VRAM. It’s slow, but it works well for my purposes. I’d recommend this as a minimum. Others may suggest that it’s not enough.
A higher series GPU with more VRAM will give better performance, but there doesn’t seem to be anything available to ‘mainstream’ consumers that’s going to triple or quadruple processing framerates.
nota bene: All my opinions, not speaking from a position of authority or expertise
I really appreciate the common sense answers for a basic user like me. It all seems pretty muddy at the moment. I suppose if I wait another year or 5 that there will be many more players in the game and costs will start to make more sense, and my original AVI captures aren’t going anywhere in the meantime.
