DVD -> Mpeg Streamclip -> Virtual Dub -> Premiere CS4 workflow. Help!

[BertRito]

Hi guys,

I need to rip a DVD (non-retail, so nothing illegal) into DV-AVI Type II so that it works in VirtualDub and Premiere CS4.

I have been using Mpeg Streamclip to convert the DVD into DV AVI but I've hit a little hurdle -

Basically the resultant AVI files will work perfectly in Premiere CS4, but when opened in VirtualDub I get a "the source image format is not acceptable" error.

I need to use VirtualDub to edit selected clips before importing them into Premiere, but cant seem to find the Mpeg Streamclip settings that will allow the workflow to be smooth through VirtualDub.

Any suggestions?

[poisondeathray]

what kind of editing are you doing in vdub ? just cuts type editing ? or filtering ?

premiere can also accept mpeg2 natively

[BertRito]

Just cuts - it's actually a custom software package that uses vdub in the back-end. Just sends in and out points to virtualdub and keeps the file type the same (direct stream copy).

Unfortunately I can't use MPEG files to cut before they get to Premiere, which is why I need this specific workflow.

[poisondeathray]

Well you seem to have a complicated workflow IMO

What is this software package ?

Why not use premiere to cut? After all , it's a full function editor... Wouldn't it be simpler to load the video directly into premiere ?

Why not use vdub instead of mpegstreamclip ? You can load mpeg2 into vdub. You can encode dv-avi in vdub

[BertRito]

The DVD is basically one 2-hour long file - before it gets to Premiere I need to cut specific points out of it so I can import them in.

I have thought of using vdub to create the .AVI and had some success - the Mpeg Streamclip came in because it tended to be a lot quicker and I thought I might have only needed a slight tweak for this specific workflow to function correctly.

Is there a specific version of VirtualDub that deals with MPEG files?

[poisondeathray]

another option is you can use a simple mpeg2 editor to trim into clips before you import . e.g. mpg2cut2, avidemux, videoredo etc...

vdub has a mpeg2 import plugin , or you can use vdubmod

what export settings did you use in mpegstreamclip ?

[BertRito]

The custom software package has two back-end editing programs - VirtualDub and VideoRedo.

I found that using MPEG files with VideoReDo resulted in the cuts not being frame specific when the DVD authoring company changed. Strange I know, but I know it's not the custom software that is the problem. Perhaps something in the MPEG itself.

So I switched to a more stable DV-AVI strategy, which used VirtualDub back-end in this custom software. Last year I had success with going from VirtualDub (MPEG2 version) and converting to DV-AVI. The only catch was that I had to reverse the field order at various times.

I should probably just go back to that method. Just when I used MPEG Streamclip and the process was slightly faster (rips straight from the disc to DV-AVI) I thought that might be the way.

Thoughts?

[poisondeathray]

videoredo problem with cuts? wow that's a new one for me... It seems to be the perfect mpeg2 cutter. Very strange

vdub-mpeg2 or vdubmod should work for mpeg2 input . DV-AVI is lower field first, but if the MPEG2 DVD was upper field first you can just interpret the field order in premiere

Is this an interlaced content DVD? or is it progressive content ?

It's weird, but I can replicate your error with mpegstreamclip's DV-AVI export into vdub. Not sure what's going on there...

[poisondeathray]

cedocida is the culprit, at least on my setup

I deactivated it, and used vdub's internal DV decoder, and the mpegstreamclip DV-AVI output loads fine into vdub

[BertRito]

Yeah, that MPEG Streamclip to VirtualDub error is strange. I haven't found anyone recently with the same issue, though the workflow is unique as you said.

It's an interlaced DVD.

Didn't realise you could change the field order in Premiere. Learn something new every day.

[poisondeathray]

check file=>file information in vdub with the file loaded, look for what decoder vdub is using

[BertRito]

Using Cedocida DV Codec v0.2.2

I've had success with that codec before - that old method I used was using that exact Codec.