user1619: I would like to get advice on what is the best software to obtain the best level of zoom possible for a video.
Do I need to resample the video? Are there tools that can do this live? (maybe selecting just the small part of the screen I am interested in?)
Please note I am not asking about a quick zoom, which I can get with any media player, but I need an actual "processing" which will allow me to perceive more detail.
What's the market top solution, and what's the open source top solution?

user674: I think you misunderstand just what zoom processing software can do for you. If we exclude some highly specialist areas with supercomputers (eg NSA and others who can interpolate successive frames to gain more detail - to provide a higher resolution single frame) any software zoom you carry out will lose detail.
Any algorithm which carries out a zoom works with the detail already in the video - from a basic one which just makes the pixels bigger, to an interpolating algorithm which tries to blend between pixels.
The only solution if you actually want a zoom is to use a more powerful lens on the original recording device. Once the recording is on media you are limited to the amount of information on the media - to get higher zoom resolution you would need to recreate information...just doesn't happen, I'm afraid.

user1466: You need to scale and/or crop with the best video solution. None of them do it live.

Top market solution:



any Autodesk Video Solution (Smoke,Flint,Flame,Fire,Inferno). The number of options for the resample alghoritm is amazing... More than eight(8)!



Top open-source solution:



Blender, used as a video-editor.


I'm sure you can easily find live solutions too, but not with the same level of quality, without going to a hardware-based solution like Blackmagic.

1619: <p>I would like to get advice on what is the best software to obtain the best level of zoom possible for a video.</p>

<p>Do I need to resample the video? Are there tools that can do this live? (maybe selecting just the small part of the screen I am interested in?)</p>

<p>Please note I am not asking about a quick zoom, which I can get with any media player, but I need an actual "processing" which will allow me to perceive more detail.</p>

<p>What's the market top solution, and what's the open source top solution?</p>
 674: <p>I think you misunderstand just what zoom processing software can do for you. If we exclude some highly specialist areas with supercomputers (eg NSA and others who can interpolate successive frames to gain more detail - to provide a higher resolution single frame) <strong>any software zoom you carry out will lose detail</strong>.</p>

<p>Any algorithm which carries out a zoom works with the detail already in the video - from a basic one which just makes the pixels bigger, to an interpolating algorithm which tries to blend between pixels.</p>

<p>The only solution if you actually want a zoom is to <strong>use a more powerful lens</strong> on the original recording device. Once the recording is on media you are limited to the amount of information on the media - to get higher zoom resolution you would need to recreate information...just doesn't happen, I'm afraid.</p>
 1466: <p>You need to scale and/or crop with the best video solution. None of them do it live.</p>

<ol>
<li>Top market solution:</li>
</ol>

<blockquote>
  <ul>
  <li>any <a href="http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/index?siteID=123112&amp;id=17801117" rel="nofollow">Autodesk Video Solution</a> (Smoke,Flint,Flame,Fire,Inferno). The number of options for the resample alghoritm is amazing... More than eight(<em>8</em>)!</li>
  </ul>
</blockquote>

<ol>
<li>Top open-source solution:</li>
</ol>

<blockquote>
  <ul>
  <li><a href="http://www.blender.org/" rel="nofollow">Blender</a>, used as a video-editor.</li>
  </ul>
</blockquote>

<p>I'm sure you can easily find live solutions too, but not with the same level of quality, without going to a hardware-based solution like <a href="http://www.blackmagic-design.com/products/ultrastudio3d/" rel="nofollow">Blackmagic</a>.</p>
