Best free software for trimming raw AVI footage from DV Camera

[HiDefNZ]

Hi all, I have purchased a 320gb hard drive and transferred over a number of tapes from my old Digital 8 camcorder via firewire. Some of these videos are around 20gb in size for 1 tape. I would like to trim some parts out of each video, then save each trimmed up video in completely the same, uncompressed AVI format that it orignally was. I don't want any conversion to another format, and absolutely no quality loss. I have linked a screenshot taken in Media Player Classic showing the details on the video format (it is PAL):



Thanks for any help.

[guns1inger]

It's not uncompressed, it's DV. DV compresses at around 5:1 ratio.

That said, cheapest trimmer is virtualdub. Use Direct Stream Copy when you save, and it will be the same as what went in, only shorter.

[redwudz]

VirtualDub Mod is my preference, and I use the Panasonic DV codec for opening the DVs.

If I convert to DVD, I frameserve from VDM to TMPGEnc directly. I save out the audio in VDM as a WAV and convert it to AC3 with ffmpeggui. Then I combine the MPEG-2 and the AC3 in TMPGEnc DVD Author and make the DVD.

VirtualDub also has many filters available if you need to do some 'fine tuning' on your video. http://neuron2.net/

[HiDefNZ]

Thanks, I'll download virtualdub and give it a try.

[HiDefNZ]

I've struck a slight issue with VirtualDubMod. Videos that I have trimmed and saved as direct stream copies seem to be missing the data rate info in properties:

I'm finding that holding Shift+Right Arrow doesn't allow easy navigation through the video after being edited in Virtualdubmod, compared to the original video which does allow this. Is there a setting that needs to be changed perhaps?

[guns1inger]

DV is DV. I would not be concerned about the missing reference in properties. DV is CBR, so the data rate hasn't changed.

As to navigation - when was the last time you defragged the hard drive ?

[HiDefNZ]

It is a brand new hard drive, but it is over half full already, so will try defragging.

[guns1inger]

Nothing fragments a hard drive like installing and uninstalling software, and capturing and working with video

[HiDefNZ]

It's just finished defragging - and I still can't navigate through them the same way I'm able to with the original WinDV captures

[HiDefNZ]

Can anyone help? Is there any way to just trim DV AVI video without SOMETHING changing?

[guns1inger]

Did you save it in Direct Stream Copy mode ?

I haven't had this type of problem before, so I'm not sure what to offer you for an answer.

[bobkart]

Can anyone help? Is there any way to just trim DV AVI video without SOMETHING changing?

Windows Movie Maker?

[HiDefNZ]

Did you save it in Direct Stream Copy mode ?

I haven't had this type of problem before, so I'm not sure what to offer you for an answer.

Yes I did save in Direct Stream Copy mode.

Can anyone help? Is there any way to just trim DV AVI video without SOMETHING changing?

Windows Movie Maker?

Nope, won't work with PAL video. Converts it to NTSC.

[gadgetguy]

Try using the latest version of VirtualDub (1.6.16). VirtualDubMod is based on an older version (1.5.10).

[HiDefNZ]

Try using the latest version of VirtualDub (1.6.16). VirtualDubMod is based on an older version (1.5.10).

Afraid this doesn't make any difference either

[henk schuifkaas]

Windows Movie Maker 2 lets you select between PAL or NTSC, and 16:9 or 4:3.

[gadgetguy]

I just noticed something in the properties for the source file. A data rate of only 353kbps seems awfully low. All of my DV-AVIs are more like 28771kbps. Give us a screenshot of the AVI information in VirtualDub rather than the file properties as reported by windows.

[SingSing]

It is a brand new hard drive, but it is over half full already, so will try defragging.

You should transcode the avi to mpeg, and use TDA as an editor. Did many miniDV tapes per year, and this is efficient, fast and clean.

[guns1inger]

You should transcode the avi to mpeg, and use TDA as an editor. Did many miniDV tapes per year, and this is efficient, fast and clean

If you are happy to only cut on I-frames.

[HiDefNZ]

Here are screenshots from the original WinDV avi, and a VirtualDub edited version of it:

Original WinDV capture:


Edited video in VirtualDub:


Just looking at Windows Movie Maker, I see you can change the settings to PAL. I will give this a try tomorrow

[gadgetguy]

Something's wrong with your audio. Notice the variable "frame" sizes and that the Sample rate is 32KHz. DV audio should be a constant frame size and the DVD spec needs 48KHz. Is there a setting in your cam that allows you to set the audio for 48KHz?

[guns1inger]

32kHz is acceptable for DV. Although i would only use 48kHz, a lot of cameras ship with 32 set by default.

[gadgetguy]

Yes, 32kHz is acceptible for DV but not for DVD, but either way it should report as a constant "frame size". I suggested switching to 48kHz because it is the DVD requirement and to see if it is more stable.

[HiDefNZ]

There's an audio mode I can change from 12 bit to 16 bit (currently set to 12 bit). Also I will look into Windows Movie Maker tonight.

[Cornucopia]

re: SampleRates--Depending upon program material, 32k may be an acceptable acquisition alternative (voice is ok), but sooner or later you're gonna want to end up at 48k, so it makes sense to use it anyway

re: BitDepths--12bit is almost ALWAYS much worse than 16bit in terms of quality (72dB max SNR vs. 96dB max SNR--and most people don't record all the way to max level, so it's often worse)

Camera's sometimes ship at 32k and/or 12bit, but that doesn't mean you should leave them that way.

WMM may be a good starting point for you. Note: it can import DV-type1 or type2, but exports only type2. Ways around this (if you really need to) are converting after, using DVDate, etc.

Scott

[MpegEncoder]

Yes, 32kHz is acceptible for DV but not for DVD, but either way it should report as a constant "frame size". I suggested switching to 48kHz because it is the DVD requirement and to see if it is more stable.

What the heck are you talking about? The audio is uncompressed PCM. Uncompressed PCM is CBR (1024kbps in this case).

My camcorder does either 12 bit 32k (the default) or 16 bit 44k, so either way you will have to upsample to 48k for DVD.

[HiDefNZ]

I just tried out Windows Movie Maker - and it doesn't kill the easy navigation in WMP! The only thing that does happen though is conversion to Type 1 DV... but that wouldn't be an issue for home video? I wouldn't be worried about editing sound or anything. Anyway, thanks for all the help!

[gadgetguy]

What the heck are you talking about? The audio is uncompressed PCM. Uncompressed PCM is CBR (1024kbps in this case).

I'm talking about the reported audio "frame size". In all of the DV-AVI videos I work with the max, min, average all report the same figure. If you look at his "before" and "after" they are both unstable but the "after" is way off base. I don't know what cam you have or the OP has, but my cam provides 48KHz audio so I don't have to upsample mine.

HiDefNZ
There's nothing wrong with using Type 1, in fact that's what I normally use. I can capsfer in Type 1, open it in VirtualDub and trim out whatever I don't want, however when I save to AVI using direct stream copy, VDub saves it as a Type 2. The picture quality for Type 1 is exactly the same as Type 2, the only difference is how the audio in contained.

Edit: I just did some experimenting and discovered that when I capsfer to Type 2 using WinDV I see the same kind of disparity in the audio "frame size". I know that I have had problems with sync when I capsfer to Type 2, which is why I generally always use Type 1.