Joining WMV's?

[Flarch]

Seems popular to hack wmv's up to share them across the internet, instead of splitting them so they can be rejoined.

Is there a Mac tool to join them?

Actually the situation is that i have multiple wmv's i'd like to join so i can then convert them with HandBrake. So another relevant questions is: If i convert several wmv's with HandBrake using the same settings, is there a tool that will then join the MPEG 4 files together into properly?

[rumplestiltskin]

MPEG Streamclip
or
QT Player (with the QT Pro $$ option).

[terryj]

I'm confused...R u wanting to join WMVs or Mpeg-4 files?

To join wmv's, use Flip4Mac's WMV Player Pro ( $29), not the free player,
which will allow you to copy cut and paste all wmvs into one large wmv
file, and then either save that file as a wmv or any other Quicktime
exportable file (.mov, .avi, .mpeg-4).

If you want to join mpeg-4's, then rumple's idea of QT PRo
or MpegStreamclip, will do.

If I was in your shoes, I'd join the wmv's first, then use VisualHub,
(or in your case Handbrake) to make my mpeg-4 files.

[Flarch]

I want to end up with MPEG4 files.

I have WMV Player Pro, but the problem i have with that is i don't see a way to simply join files and save. First it takes it ages to import the clips. Then i can cut and paste them together but it gets weird from there.

Save from QuickTime Player only creates MOV container files so i'd get a MOV with wmv content, which chokes Handbrake. Also, for some reason after i paste together two aproximately 100 MB pieces, it wants to save the whole as a single 490 MB MOV file. My math is good enough to know 100+100 doesn't equal 490.

The other choice is to use export. I don't know what kind of result i'm going to get from Quicktime's MP4 settings. If i export to windows media, that brings up the export dialog with presets and about a zillion settings, none of which allow saving without re-encoding.


Therefore i thought perhaps i'd convert to MPEG4 with Handbrake and then join, but i'm not sure whether the Handbrake output files would be identical structurally, nor am i certain how to join those.

[terryj]

By the numbers:

Yes, it does take a while to import the clips. WMV are not
standard to Quicktime (and thus WMV player's way of handling
WMV content is akin to Perian's way of handling MKVS, in that
the entire file must be decoded and then opened into QT), so
this is normal behavior.

The additional size in the .mov container of the two .wmv files
I have seen do this, and this is normal behavior, as the container
(.mov), is putting the revelent information of the first and second
files in the container, and if one file is slightly different,
say one has mpeg audio and one has MS 9 audio,
it could be causing the bloat.

The results you'll get from QT exporting to MPEG-4 are the same
as you would get using VisualHub to export to Mpeg-4 with
the decode using Quicktime option, just using the default
settings.

If Handbrake is your tool of choice ( and I don't use Handbrake
so I'm only speculating here), you may need to do some of the
heavy lifting before hand in QT/WMV Player: Try exporting the
the WMV files to DV Stream files, thus flattening the audio and video
codecs to a plain jane vanilla codec that can be handled by anything.

Once each wmv is exported to a DV Stream file, then either join the DV
Stream files into one large file, suitable to make one mpeg-4
off of, or make mpeg-4 files off of each DV Stream file.
Either way, you will start with flat identical structured files that
will when converted to mpeg-4, all be sound going in,
and should be sound going out.

[Flarch]

By the numbers:

WMV are not standard to Quicktime...
...entire file must be decoded and then opened into QT), so this is normal behavior.

It's one of the reasons i like converting WMV to something else.

The additional size in the .mov container of the two .wmv files I have seen do this, and this is normal behavior, as the container (.mov), is putting the revelent information of the first and second files in the container, and if one file is slightly different, say one has mpeg audio and one has MS 9 audio, it could be causing the bloat.

I can't begin to imagine why it would almost triple the size of the connected files, which are 2 pieces of the same original video and therefore have identical properties. One piece is 94.7 MB. One is 93.6 MB. When i paste them together in QT Player, the resulting file is 491.5 MB; 303 MB on top of the original 188?!

Try exporting the the WMV files to DV Stream files, thus flattening the audio and video codecs to a plain jane vanilla codec that can be handled by anything.

Is DV restricted to a particular aspect ratio or dimensions? (i was under the impression it was)

I also read this: "Apple Inc.'s QuickTime by default only decodes DV to half of the resolution to preserve processing power for editing capabilities."

[Herve]

hello

I can't begin to imagine why it would almost triple the size of the connected files, which are 2 pieces of the same original video and therefore have identical properties. One piece is 94.7 MB. One is 93.6 MB. When i paste them together in QT Player, the resulting file is 491.5 MB; 303 MB on top of the original 188?!

one idea:
Flip4Mac decompress audio track to be played by QuickTime
certainly the reason of the "huge size" (compressed vs uncompressed)

Is DV restricted to a particular aspect ratio or dimensions? (i was under the impression it was)

DV only handle 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratio (but you can add some black borders/letterbox to respect picture geometry during conversion )

I also read this: "Apple Inc.'s QuickTime by default only decodes DV to half of the resolution to preserve processing power for editing capabilities."

right, and so?
By default, QuickTime only displays half of your dv stream, there no concern about its contents (full)
If you want to display it entierly, QuickTime Player Pro > Sequence information > select your video track:visual setting and uncheck all check except the first one)
PS: I don't verify the exact english sentences (it's just a -bad- translation of my localized version)

bye

[terryj]

Herve is correct. QT only does this to DISPLAY the Video in the DV Stream;
editing the video EDITS the video in its ENTIRETY, byte for byte.

IF by default Apple were to enable DV Streams to be EDITED AND
DISPLAYED AT THE SAME TIME in their entirety, the minumum
processor to run imovie, fce, or fcp would be at least a DUAL
Something as it would take a lot of horsepower to do both.
But Apple rightly sacrifices the Display portion ( somewhat)
to take a load off the processor, thus making it so imovie,
FCE and FCP can run on say, a Mac Mini or low end G4.

Also this from Telestream's website confirming what
Herve and I said about the increased file size
in the WMV's is true.
from my good buddy Craig S.:

If you do a Save or Save As on a WMV, it's wrapped in MOV. The resultant file is significantly larger. The purpose of that function is not for distribution but for greater ease of use as a source in Quicktime base editing applications for example. Such WMVs saved as MOVs will only be playable on systems with Flip4Mac.

[Flarch]

Ahh.
Thanks for the information, folks. Clarifies some things i thought i knew but wasn't certain on, and stuff i didn't have a clue about.

Alas, i was hoping for a simple WMV stitcher tool.