This is the complete suite of tools for processing TBC (Time Base Corrected) files from the decode projects, vhs-decode, cvbs-decode, ld-decode.

This is an experimental, highly subject to change feature addtion focused branch based off the orignal ld-tools, directly after the cut-off for decode-orc developmet.

These tools are for analyzing analog video sources, handling the 4fsc video data, metadata and final tweaks in framing, chroma-decoding and video levels before converting to YUV digital video files.

Please see the releases page for ready to use self-contained binarys for production usage.

• ld-analyse - GUI tool for TBC file visual analysis & adjustment handler. Supports drag-and-drop loading of .tbc, .ytbc, .ctbc, .tbcy, .tbcc, .db, and .json files into the main window.
• ld-process-vbi - Decode Vertical Blanking Interval data (Closed Captions, VITC - Vertical Interval Time Code, XDS Data)
• ld-process-vits - Process Vertical Interval Test Signals
• ld-process-ac3 - Extract Dolby Digital AC3 audio tracks

Replaces deprecated ld-process-efm with staged decoding and stacking capabilities

• efm-decoder-f2 - Convert EFM T-values to F2 sections
• efm-decoder-d24 - Convert F2 sections to Data24 format
• efm-decoder-audio - Convert EFM Data24 sections to 16-bit stereo PCM audio
• efm-decoder-data - Convert EFM Data24 sections to ECMA-130 binary data
• efm-stacker-f2 - Combine multiple F2 captures for improved quality

• ld-discmap - TBC and VBI alignment and correction tool
• ld-dropout-correct - Advanced dropout detection and correction
• ld-chroma-decoder - Color decoder for TBC LaserDisc video to RGB/YUV conversion
• ld-disc-stacker - Combine multiple TBC captures for improved quality

• ld-export-metadata - Export TBC metadata to external formats
• ld-lds-converter - Convert between 10-bit packed and 16-bit data formats for DomesDay Duplicator captures.
• tbc-metadata-converter - Convert between JSON & SQLite metadata formats
• tbc-video-export - Direct to video export task handler for .tbc files.

• ld-compress - Compress TBC files for storage (in scripts/)
• filtermaker - Create custom filtering profiles (in scripts/)
• tbc-video-export-legacy - Legacy TBC to video conversion (archived)

1. Analysis: Use ld-analyse to assess capture quality and identify issues such as off-set images or chroma phase/gain correction.
2. Correction: Apply ld-dropout-correct for dropout masking.
3. Export: Convert to final formats using tbc-video-export to chroma-decode and encode via FFmpeg profile to a video file.

Use the Nix-based install/build instructions in INSTALL.md and BUILD.md:

• Install to profile: nix profile install .#
• Build locally: nix develop -c cmake -S . -B build -G Ninja -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release && nix develop -c ninja -C build

Before building, ensure submodules are present (required for ezpwd):

git submodule update --init --recursive

Install dependencies for your distro family:

Package names can vary slightly by distro release; if one package name differs, install the equivalent Qt6/FFTW/SQLite/FFmpeg development package for your release.

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y build-essential cmake ninja-build pkg-config qt6-base-dev qt6-tools-dev qt6-tools-dev-tools libqt6svg6-dev libfftw3-dev libsqlite3-dev ffmpeg libgl1-mesa-dev python3 python3-numpy

sudo dnf install -y gcc-c++ cmake ninja-build pkgconf-pkg-config qt6-qtbase-devel qt6-qtsvg-devel fftw-devel sqlite-devel ffmpeg ffmpeg-devel mesa-libGL-devel python3 python3-numpy

sudo pacman -S --needed base-devel cmake ninja pkgconf qt6-base qt6-svg fftw sqlite ffmpeg mesa python python-numpy

sudo zypper install -y gcc-c++ cmake ninja pkgconf-pkg-config qt6-base-devel libqt6-qtsvg-devel fftw3-devel sqlite3-devel ffmpeg Mesa-libGL-devel python3 python3-numpy

Build and install:

cmake -S . -B build -G Ninja -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
cmake --build build -j"$(nproc)"
sudo cmake --install build

If you do not want to install system-wide, run tools directly from build/bin/.

• Metadata Formats: SQLite (.tbc.db) is the 2026-present metadata format, JSON metadata (2017-2026) being still supported by the tools and used by many older builds for the decode suite.
• File Extensions: TBC files use .tbc extension; metadata is commonly .tbc.json & .tbc.db (SQLite)
• Dependencies: Most tools require FFmpeg and other multimedia libraries.
• Performance: Many tools support multi-threading for fast real-time or faster processing.

Each tool directory contains detailed README.md files with:

• Basic usage instructions
• Complete option references
• Usage examples
• Input/output format specifications
• Troubleshooting Refrences

See individual tool directories for specific tool documentation.