TMPGEnc Express takes ages to strip out ads

[manthing]

all,

when i use TMPGEnc Author, i can just about cut adverts out but sometimes i cannot get the exact frame i want to cut. something to do with I & P frames?

when i use TMPGEnc Express, i have greater control about the exact frames i want to cut.

however, generating a new cut down mpg file using TMPGEnc Express can take ages.

example, a 1 hour show. cut out adverts. don't do anything else as far as i can see. generate new mpg file takes over 2 or 3 hours!

my original mpg file is pal, 704x576, 4:3 aspect ratio and as far as i can see, TMPGEnc Express outputs the exact same mpg format bar the adverts.

TMPGEnc Author, on the other hand, takes a few minutes to do the same task.

what am i doing wrong? is there some trick i'm missing?

any help would be appreciated people.

my spec: windows xp (sp1), amd athlon 1.8GHz cpu, 80 GB hard drive, ati aiw 9800 grap card, soundblaster audigy 2.

[manthing]

oops, should have asked if any other apps does the job better & faster than TMPGEnc Express. there i've asked it!

[wwjd]

Videoredo

See the tools section of this site to see what other people think about VRD.

[reboot]

Womble mpeg-VCR.

[thegeeman]

Check it's not set up to do mpeg1 input and then mpeg2 output? i.e Xpress is then encoding it also, hence the time! Xpress is slow but shouldn't take that long.

[manthing]

wwjd -> videoredo -> will check it out.
reboot -> mpeg-VCR -> will check it out.
thegeeman -> i'm 99% sure i've set Xpress to be mpeg2 in and mpeg2 out, but will recheck.

everyone, ta for your input. you people are simply the best. virtually beers all round.

[borax]

Alternative freeware:
1. Demux (projectx, pvastrumento...)
2. Cut with cuttermaran (will use tmpgenc only for cut GOPs => very fast)

Use the elementary streams in TDA

Advantage: 100% sync streams (with proper 'starting material')...

[BobK]

The reason TMPGEnc Express takes so long is that it's an encoder. No matter what you do to the file, it encodes the whole file again. A video editor will only have to re-encode the edited parts. So any of the programs mentioned above will work. TMPGEnc Mpeg Editor is another one that would do the job.