Simple MP4 Video Editing Program

[BTJustice]

I record TV to my computer using GBPVR which saves recordings as .MPG files. I have MCEBuddy running in the background which converts the .MPG files to .MP4 files. This saves a lot of space and the .MP4 videos looks GREAT!

I am trying to find a graphical, simple to use video editing program so I can cut commercials out of the .MP4 recordings. I need something easy to use that won't screw up the audio/video synch after editing.

The closest thing I have found so far is NCH VideoPad. It is kind of OK, but it is hard to get down to the second I want to start/end with. I need to cut out multiple segments (commercials).

I want to select the start of commercials to where they end before the show starts again. I am really wanting something where I can select the start and end of commercials and delete them out of the recording. When I am done, I simply hit SAVE.

Another thing, I really don't want to re-encode after editing. Just simply re-save is all.

[guns1inger]

Better to edit the original mpeg-2 recordings, then encode to MP4. MPG is much easier to edit at the moment.

You might be able to use AVI Demux if all you need to do is trim commercials and don't want to add fades etc.

[misterbill]

With my GBPRV setup I used Comskip and Comclean. They did a good enough job where I never had to do anything.

[BTJustice]

@guns1inger
Yeah I use to do just that with the .MPG files. I would cut out the commercials with Avidemux 2.5 but it would really mess up the audio/video synch. The nice thing about MCEBuddy is that it just monitors the TV Recordings folder I use and whenever a new . MPG file is found it re-encodes it to .MP4 which is a major time saver for me. I just simply want to cut out the commercials in the .MP4 files without jumping though a bunch of hoops.

@misterbill
Comskip is nice and I do use it, but I like to go ahead and cut out the commercials anyway as I share a lot of my recordings with family and friends.

[dlflannery]

Don't know if you're willing to spend some $$ but, if so, you could consider the pre-release version of VideoReDo TVSuite 4, at about $100. This version edits and transcodes both mpeg2 and mpeg4 (H.264) files. You can use VideoReDo-AutoProcessor (VAP), which is free, to monitor a hot folder and automate whatever VideoReDo operations you desire (except for making DVD's, which it will do manually). Note the process flow described in the VAP link in which everything except the few minutes you spend adjusting cuts defined by either ComSkip or the VRD Ad Detective is automated.

To get the TVS4 pre-release version see **here** You download and install it, then from the menus you get a free-trial registration (15 days, uncrippled) via a web registration.

[BTJustice]

Thanks for the reply. I have been slowly transcoding all my .mpg recordings to .mp4 using MCEBuddy which works well. Hopefully it is only a matter of time before something like MP4Demux is out, lol. Avidemux doesn't like my .mp4 files

[bigstusexy]

Another vote for cutting the mpeg files and not the mp4, I use GB PVR as well and its not that GB write to mpegs its that is what my card does. What I do is have GB record and autorun comskip I have it make a cut file for cuttermaran and cut the files myself. killing any pre or post padding and commercials, then I drop it into another batch file to archive it in mp4.

Unfortunately as my other recording device only writes to mp4 I have even less options for cutting it and none of the free non re-encode cutters work that well. I've found one that can do the job but the one test file I did worked great until the last segment, when I played it on the a 360 it just abruptly ended cutting of the last section of the show but on a PC it was okay. Also re-encoding the mp4 files of my other recorder looses sync badly.

If comskip/clean does a good enough job for you automatically I'd suggest setting GB PVR to cut then convert the files.