Removing commercials from MPEG 2

[Burnsey23]

I have read that when editing video, it is better to capture first in AVI or DV and edit. Once you are finished editing then you can convert the video to MPEG 2. The reason is that AVI is lossless file where as MPEG is compressed or lossy and editing a MPEG will make the picture lose quality and the picture will be "blocky".

My question is this...
Would cutting out commercials with MPEG-VCR on a captured MPEG 2 files from my pctv pro card be considered editing causing my file to look bad and blocky?

Does MPEG-Vcr RErender the MPEGs

I like capturing on my TV card in MPEG 2 that way I don't have to convert it. However I do cut out commercials from the MPEG 2 file

[FOO]

MPEG2VCR will edit MPEG2 without re-encoding the whole thing.
It will re-encode a few frames around the edit points unless you
stick to GOP editing.

[GMaq]

Burnsey 23,
Womble MPEG-VCR (ver 3.14) is great for editing MPEG-2, as FOO said it doesn't re-encode so there is no quality loss, There is a 30 day demo at www.womble.com You can also edit out commercials in a similar way using the MPEG tools in TMPEnc 2.5 plus. There are two excellent guides by lordsmurf on his site which I believe is now called DigitalFAQ.com which do exactly what you are asking.

[mmasw]

I have read that when editing video, it is better to capture first in AVI or DV and edit. Once you are finished editing then you can convert the video to MPEG 2. The reason is that AVI is lossless file where as MPEG is compressed or lossy and editing a MPEG will make the picture lose quality and the picture will be "blocky".

Only a few avi codecs are close to lossless such as DV, HuffYuv, uncompressed RGB.

"better" is a rather subjective notion. There will be reduction in video quality in the analog>mpg2 direct capture process to be sure. But even if you capture to DV, the encoding process from dv>mpg2 will invariably intoduce loss of quality as well. Most will assert that the results of the latter process have higher quality. And certainly, if you plan on doing complex editing, that is the method to use. Also, if your overiding concern is quality, it may be best to try AVI capture.

However, if you don't have a lot of time to spend on each file, or if you would need to spend money to upgrade equipment, perhaps your current process is sufficient. You may need to pick some good example of video to capture....one with high motion, color and light transitions, etc. and do some experimenting to see what process yields the best results for you.

Just because your capture card can capture in both MPG and AVI does not guarantee that it's AVI capture components are 'superior' to it's mpg components. By the time you encode, you may end up with an inferior video then if you would hav simply captured direct to MPG2.

My question is this...
Would cutting out commercials with MPEG-VCR on a captured MPEG 2 files from my pctv pro card be considered editing causing my file to look bad and blocky?

Does MPEG-Vcr RErender the MPEGs

I like capturing on my TV card in MPEG 2 that way I don't have to convert it. However I do cut out commercials from the MPEG 2 file

Is it really relevant if it's "called editing"? Call it horseshoes if you want.

as for "bad and blocky" : what are you doing with the mpg2?

if you're converting your mpg2 video to a dvd, the easiest way to eliminate commercials might be to simply use DVDShrink. That way you won't introduce any editing artifacts into the video. I've done this a few times for captured video. Just use the start frame/end frame function in the re-author mode....quick and easy.

[FulciLives]

TMPGEnc DVD Author can edit MPEG files that you import into it for DVD authoring even if it has AC-3 audio.

It will only allow you to edit on I frames or maybe it's the GOP thing ... so you can only place an edit once every so many seconds. You can't just place an edit ANYWHERE you want.

It does work rather well and at least you are getting a fairly full featured DVD authoring program to boot.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[itsonlyme]

It is more than once a second, rather than once every few seconds. Never actually checked, but I suspect once every 15 frames or so.

Do this often. Rarely notice the join, and when I do it is usually something to do with a scene change.

Malcolm

[Burnsey23]

So if I have an MPEG 2 file that I have captured from my TV card. Then cut out commercials with MPEG-VCR since that does not re-encode it.

Does TMPEG DVD Author re-encode MPEG 2 files? Can I use this to make my DVD without making it look blocky and horrible?

[FulciLives]

So if I have an MPEG 2 file that I have captured from my TV card. Then cut out commercials with MPEG-VCR since that does not re-encode it.

Does TMPEG DVD Author re-encode MPEG 2 files? Can I use this to make my DVD without making it look blocky and horrible?

TMPGEnc DVD Author does not re-encode MPEG video. You can purchase a seperate AC-3 plug-in that will convert MP2 and PCM WAV audio to AC-3 format.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[lacywest]

Womble mpeg-vcr works great.

I use my Panasonic E50S to record on DVD-RAM ... I then transfer to my HD and snip out the commercials with Womble mpeg-vcr ... very very accurate.

No re-encoding is done.

I then start TMPGEnc DVD Author and import the edited VRO video renamed with a "mpg" extension.

Works Great ... !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TMPGEnc DVD Author ... leaves a frame or two of the commercial coming and going ... I wasn't pleased with the end results.

[FOO]

TDA is GOP only GOP accurate which is usually
every 15 or 18 frames - 0.5 - 0.6 sec.
A good part of the time the commercials fade so you you can
put the joint in a black area.