Mpeg to AVi

[The Sumerian]

How can I transfer MPEGS into AVI format on a MAC? I have some MPEGS I want to put into iMovie.

[dcsos]

ffmpegX is a Mac OS X graphic user interface designed to easily operate more than 20 powerful Unix open-source video and audio processing tools including ffmpeg the "hyper fast video and audio encoder"

With ffmpeg MPEG can be coverted to DivX, AVI XviD, H.264 MP4, MOV, DV, 3GP, Sony PSP, MP2, MP3, AAC, AC3, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, VCD, CVD, SVCD, KVCD, KSVCD, DVD, KDVD and MPEG-TS with complete control over encoding options.

Don't know about uncompressing, but iMovie oughtta recognize one of the resultant formats

another tact is to use QuickTimePro to create a 'QUICKTIME REFERENCE" movie that is not a new file but a 'pointer' to the MPEG-2 Now iMove may handle a QT reference item directly despite its inability to import MPEG-2 directly

[Cornucopia]

afa QT, you would still need the Apple MPEG2 decoder plugin (to even open and create the ref file). There's actually no need to use a ref file anyway. Once QT could open the mpeg, it can be exported to all other supported video formats.
Note, I said video. At last check (QTv6), QT didn't know how to demux, so wouldn't see any audio. To get usable audio, you'd have to demux ahead of QT and separately convert the audio, re-merging the A+V at a later time.
All in all, sounds like ffmpegX is the better option.

Scott

>>>>>>>
edit: "to OPEN the MPEG2" the plugin is needed, not to create a ref file once it's open

[The Sumerian]

Cool, thanks

[macuser25]

you can use toast 7 to transfer them into DV for iMovie.

$49 at buy.com right now.

[dcsos]

Cornucopia..have you had any experience with AC3 decoder for QuicKtime... freeware..could this convert a decss'ed hollywood vob
right in quicktime pro..now seeing that ac3 audio--with this plug-in?


http://www.insaneness.com

[Cornucopia]

Very small amount of use with that. Still, it's not that it won't decode an AC3 ELEMENTARY stream, it's that--unless QT has been thoroughly revamped for MPEG (which I think it hasn't)--QT can't internally demux, so it can't see within a System/Program/Transport stream to even be able to decode.

This is the way it should work:

MPEG SS/PS/TS --> QT ( (MPEG Video + AC3Audio)-->(MPEGVideo)+(AC3Audio)-->(DecodedVideo)+(DecodedAudio) ) --> Play or Export to other formats

This is the way it currently seems to work:

MPEG SS/PS/TS --> QT (MPEGVideo + AC3Audio) --> QTMPEGComponent (Video + ??PrivateStream??) --> QT (DecodedVideo) --> PlayVideo or ExportVideo to other formats

It's a fault in the way QT works with Muxed streams. Same reason it can't work with Type1 DV-AVI files (but Type2 is OK because of the audio being duplicated as a separate stream).

Scott

[dcsos]

"QT can't internally demux:"
thats what I was afraid of..despite the decoder being a 'seperate element'

Well although TYPE II is the less common avi.. you can convert from what most dv cams capture..
what a pain to make it TYPE II !
just to let qt work...

Thanks..

[sdm]

Sumerian, I would recomend you use mpeg streamclip to export mpeg to DV. This can be imported into iMovie, and is the best source format for editing. If your mpegs are mpeg2 you'll need the qt mpeg2 decoder.

-- sdm