MPEG2 editing and license

[Alan69]

MPEG2 licensing is silly. I have the MPEG2 licensing from VideoStudio6. I can encode. But I'm stuck with only that editor even though I am legally entitled to the MPEG2 patent use because they make it be done as a seperate thing for each program. That is fine, to make sure that everyone has paid in some form to get the license. But once done, we should all be able to use that license as we see fit. Including using some better front end to use that encoder we paid for work as we see fit. MPEG2 people make more money if we can't do this and have to pay for their license for every program. But we are legally entitled to do it if we can.

Are there any MPEG2 encoders that have their interfaces known? I am not much of a windows programmer, I do mostly microcontrollers. I have made a splitter that pulls out JPG files out of a large stream file though. So may take a bit for me to do it, but if I can pass to a known encoder, I can make a simple editor that just reads the file frames, lets you edit to I frame blocks at least, and then passes the wanted frames and encodes with the cuts. It shouldn't be impossible for me. I would think you could just drop the whole I frame and related B P frames block and audio and it would work. Maybe not though.

Are there any good tools that let you make proper MPEG2 cuts? I have been unable to find anything good, and see lots of people also asking about MPEG2 real edits, and everyone throws up something you have to pay for or that doesn't work well with different audio formats by itself like TMPEG. It can work but you have to adjust things manually to keep sync if you have oddball formats.

I want a simple, reliable tool. Really, I want a simple editor that can cut blocks without even reencoding anything. May not even need the MPEG2 encoder hook. Just a frame reader and then drop all unwanted frames.
But then I want to make "VDUB" that will let you edit other types into MPEG2 not just AVI. Using some other program's MPEG2 encoder if possible. If not possible I may actually write my own full blown MPEG2 encoding in the longer term. Heck maybe just find a way to hook some external MPEG2 encoder into VDUB.

This isn't an attack or rant on any other program, I just want to be able to use the encoder I already own to do what I want. Or at least see if there is some other program where I can get an MPEG2 encoder and then use it to my liking.

Is there anything out there? I see MJPEG Tools but it seems it's only Linux, and there seems to be little else that's free. Even pay doesn't bother me, but I want access to the MPEG2 encoder I paid for instead of buying 12 different programs that all don't do something right. I want to build my own better tool.

VideoStudio6 would be good, if it would edit better. They left out MPEG cutting to cut commercials. You can do it in by adding the clip over and over, but it's lame and tedious with large clips. Likely to make you buy VS7 which has cutting.
But alternatively, if there were a way to make VS6 tools yourself that may work. A VS6 'effect', that just blanked the video and made the encoder not output anything, put over the commercials would work well. But it seems all the effects go on top of the video and there's no way to just not output anything. If you can even write your own effects, not sure they have open hooks to do it anyway.

Just want some thoughts, maybe there is already a good tool out there and I haven't seen it. Been looking on here and elsewhere though, but always could have missed something in all the info.

Alan

[dcsos]

This tool accurately edits MPEG-2 streams without re-render or re-compression
It has a 90% score for SUCCESS from me..
Every once in a while, it leaves a single frame at the end of a cut.
Every once in a while, it dogs or mis cuts the audio track accompaning the MPEG-2 especially if its ac3

its called MPEG2VCR by Womble and I bought it ($200 then $100, now)
after finding TMPGenc extremely frustrating to use

Id have to say that others have liked M-2 Edit another such utility cutter

You might wanna check out CHOPPER XP a freeware cutter that also runs on 2000

[Tommyknocker]

VideoStudio6 would be good, if it would edit better. They left out MPEG cutting to cut commercials. You can do it in by adding the clip over and over, but it's lame and tedious with large clips. Likely to make you buy VS7 which has cutting.

I was able to edit, add transitions, etc. with VS6 long before VS7 even came out.

I thought it edited as well as AviSynth. I wish I knew what you did wrong, because as far as editing went, VS gave me very few problems. On the other hand, I did avoid the jog bar like the plague, and used the time indicator to move around the video I was editing.

[Alan69]

dcsos

Thanks I'll check out the chopper xp. If something good is out there I'll probably not make one, although I'll still look at VDub output to MPEG2 possibiltiy. I should have mentioned the really low cost part. MPEG2 license comes with something with most everyone's drive. Sort of rediculous to pay much money just to get a tool that does cuts. Even if that one is good and has other nice features, it's rediculous there aren't more free/cheap options when everyone with a drive already has the MPEG2 license if they got a video editing program.

TK

VS6 does actually work. It is just a pita to use to keep adding the clip instead of cutting the commercial like VDub. I'll try the time index instead, may be ok for some use. But VDub can zip through a huge file and cut just what you want with ease, VS6 is very cumbersome compared to it. It's about the main complaint when searching the web on VS6, saw that when I looked if it could do it a better way or not. VS7 can do it, but again sort of nuts to buy for such a minor thing. Damn silly it wasnt in VS1 or even VSminus1. Should have been the first damn thing in the program.

Besides, if I could hook an MPEG2 encoder output to VDub it would be awesome. MPEG2 in was nice, but I want MPEG2 out. At least MPEG2 direct stream out and cutting with no encoding.

Hey! Does an AVI output direct stream from an MPEG2 contain only MPEG2 frames? Hmm nope dammit I think I tried and VDub says it can't output.

JUST checked. It only stops when outputting, saying it is not right data for an AVI file. Will turning off this check let VDubMPEG2 be the super MPEG2 cutter I want? I wonder! I will have to look. It's decoding frames right, if it just outputs the raw frames into an MP2 file correctly it seems it would work.

That would make VDubMPEG2 about 10 times more useful I think, even if it only edits to the nearest I frame.

Alan

[Tommyknocker]

Since you're such a big fan of Virtual Dub, why not edit in there, and frameserve to TMPGEnc Plus? You still only save once.

[Alan69]

Again that is another tool for no reason that costs money. You are buying all your tools aren't you? That's $50 not needed at all. I want a full cut editor that everyone can have for cheap or free. As in something that really can do MPEG2 cuts and not be some partial solution that has to have another tool to even do the job.

If TMPEG were free then that would actually be a fine solution, even though it's a bridge solution. At cost it's extra money for no good reason at all. I already paid money for the VS6 output of MPEG2 with my drive. Using it's licensed output with VDub would be an even better solution.

I am not just working from the precept of 'me', I want to fix this in the best reasonable way possible for me and everyone else. This should be free or very cheap since most people already have MPEG2 encoding with something from their drive. Shouldn't have to keep buying tools to do something trivial that should work with something you already own but they made the program too lame.

Alan