Comparing Video Redo and videopad editor from NCH.

[kirkmc]

Just wondering how those-who-know might compare these two apps. One free, one $99. Is it worth it ?

[KarMa]

What are you wanting to edit? Do you want smart cuts, where only a few frames at the cuts are re-encoded. Videoredo is more for cutting up HD broadcast videos that you record, and seems like Videopad is more for cutting up home videos and making a movie out them.

[kirkmc]

It's mainly ad removal and top'n'tail recordings from TV. Both were recommended. Whichever keeps the best quality afterwards would be a factor.
I like the support and see mention of a forum for VideoRedo.

[johnmeyer]

I use VideoRedo, Womble, and ffmpeg. They can all do lossless cuts, although Womble doesn't have h.264 cutting. All of them are rather klunky to edit with because their timeline navigation tools are very limited (ffmpeg is command line, but can be driven through a GUI). My solution was to invent a few tools that let me do my cuts in my NLE (Vegas) and then transfer those to VideoRedo, Womble, and ffmpeg.

VideoRedo's commercial cutting works quite well, and I have used it for that purpose. Also, it's Quickstream Fix is a very valuable tool if your capture card screws up. I have a Hauppauge (1512 HD-PVR 2) which, like every capture device I've ever used, screws up a lot. Without VideoRedo, it would be almost useless.

I also use ffmpeg a lot, and just like I do for VideoRedo, I use my NLE to cut and then transfer the cuts to a batch file using software I created. ffmpeg is the fastest way to generate your new video if you don't care about cutting on the exact frame: it only cuts on GOP boundaries, whereas VideoRedo will render video for the few frames around the GOP in order to give you frame-accurate cuts. ffmpeg creates your new video as fast as your computer can copy a file. In fact, since the disk is the "rate-limiting" factor, I always try to use two physical disks, a trick that, when copying speed is the limitation, will speed things up quite a bit. I use ffmpeg to cut my camcorder files before archiving because I shoot a lot of coverage and usually only need to keep 10-20% of what I shoot. So, some quick sloppy cuts in my NLE, then transferring to ffmpeg, makes quick work of that job.

Bottom line: VideoRedo is a very competent application; it has been around a long time; and they do a great job supporting their software. I've corresponded with them many times, and the replies are from someone who probably had a hand in writing the software, and usually are sent less than 24 hours after I write.

I have VideoRedo Suite. I see that it is $95, but an upgrade from VideoRedo Plus is only $35.99. Since VideoRedo Plus is only $49.99, unless my math is wrong, you actually save $10 by buying the cheaper version and then upgrading.

[netmask56]

There is also TSDoctor (payware)

[Brad]

ffmpeg is the fastest way to generate your new video if you don't care about cutting on the exact frame: it only cuts on GOP boundaries, whereas VideoRedo will render video for the few frames around the GOP in order to give you frame-accurate cuts.

VideoReDo offers both options. http://www.videoredo.net/msgBoard/showthread.php?34-GOP-vs-Frame&

Womble, too. http://www.womble.com/support/help.dvd5/chap11-5.html

All of them are rather klunky to edit with because their timeline navigation tools are very limited (ffmpeg is command line, but can be driven through a GUI). My solution was to invent a few tools that let me do my cuts in my NLE (Vegas) and then transfer those to VideoRedo, Womble, and ffmpeg.

Glad I'm not the only one who feels their interfaces leave something to be desired.

[KarMa]

In Videoredo for H.264 content, I just navigate by I-frames using the left and right arrows and then can go frame by frame with the up down arrows for precise frames to cut, instead of using the timeline. For MPEG2 (which is easier to decompress quickly) I navigate 10 seconds at a time, and then frame by frame for precise frames. All with the arrows keys. I just have to manually change the navigation rates in the menu.

[hydra3333]

Well, Videoredo edits and transcodes between a few common codecs both audio and video. It can use ffmpeg under the covers.
It has a great quickstream-fix function as mentioned above.
VRD doesn't do fade-ins/fade-outs or editing/overlapping parts of clips/audios or subtitling or any special effects at all to make a movie like, say, moviemaker (no longer suported?) or the much-better-than-moviemaker "Nero Video" equivalent which you can get on special for 1/3 notional price.
Having said that, I rely on Videoredo all the time both to fix my video streams and cut them up, as I set it in frame-accurate mode - it's fantastic at what it does and the support is among the best I've ever seen.

[theewizard]

X2 ^

It's not a movie maker
But it's great for editing recorded broadcast streams

[kirkmc]

Thanks very much for all the info and JohnM the tip about upgrading. It's great to know VideoRedo has such good support too, that's a good selling point.