How to cut up an MPEG file into chunks ?

[dbjames]

OK, newbie question...
I'm moving VHS videos to DVD. I capture the VHS as an MPEG file using Pinnacle Studios on my laptop. I then move the MPEG file to my desktop PC using my house wireless network. Why? because my DVD-RW device is installed on my desktop PC. Normally this works fine.
But I now have a 5.5GB MPEG file that just won't transfer from one machine to another. Although I have 9.75GB "free space" on my desktop PC, I get "disk full" messages before the file transfer is half over.
Question : how do I break up this 5.5GB MPEG file into chunks on my laptop, tranfer them one at a one to my desktop PC, and then re-assemble them?
(Yes, I've tried keeping the MPEG file on the laptop and accessing it over the wireless from my desktop PC, but you can't burn a DVD that way.. the network is just too slow)

[Baldrick]

could be a fat32 hd partition problem and then you can't store files bigger than 4gb.
read http://www.windowsitpro.com/Article/ArticleID/38803/38803.html


if you want to cut mpeg2,
https://www.videohelp.com/tools?s=107#107

[dbjames]

Argghhhhh ! I do believe you are correct - the HD on my desktop PC is FAT32. Right... so what I need to do is cut-up the MPEG file on my laptop, transfer each segment across to my desktop PC and then use Pinnacle Studio again on the desktop PC to create one "project" from multiple input MPEG files... and then burn one DVD. ...that should work ?

or is Pinnancle Studio somehow going to create one big file again ?

[Duchess]

May I make a suggestion that could solve a few problems. Why not buy a 2.5" drive and external USB/Firewire case and format that as an NTFS drive and use it for all your capture files. It would also make transfering to another PC far easier and also make the transportation of files in general very much easier.

[dbjames]

Hi Duchess... I do have an 80GB external USB drive. I don't use it for capture files as it is terribly slow. You can't stream video from this drive. I don't understand why it is so slow... but that's another problem (Hitachi Deskstar in a Belkin enclosure, by the way).

Anybody know what could be causing a brand new USB external HD to be so SLOW ?

So many problems... if only I could solve ONE of them !

[Duchess]

How old is the enclosure? Could it be that it has a USB 1 interface instead of a USB 2 interface? Or does the PC only have USB 1 outputs?

[INFRATOM]

check videoredo it is mpeg editor. Also if you author no file will be bigger than a gig . 3rd solution if you are on Win NT family meaning not on WIN9x change your partion to NTFS

[Bjs]

1: Have you played that video all the way to the end on laptop ?

If it played to end you could try this :

https://forum.videohelp.com/viewtopic.php?t=291744 (add chapters to mpegs , removing commercial's)

Though opening such a large mpeg will do 2 thing's .

1: on a laptop , take a very long time .
2: some of the free tool's I used may not function correctly ...

a: vdub may not understand past specific length
(never seen this happen yet)
b: ifoedit , may just crash for one or more reason's
(dosent like mpeg1)

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Another method :

If vdub can open file , choose audio tab , full processing , check conversion is to 48kz , stereo , 16bit , then extract wav .

Under audio tab , choose wav , locate this wav .

This is simply if your audio is not 48kz , and the video is to be converted using bbmpeg_vfw , it may complain about the audio , and will then ignor audio input (not shown in video info list) .

Follow info here

https://forum.videohelp.com/viewtopic.php?t=270071 (vdub frameserving - avi to mpeg1 or 2)

Start at frame 0 , then under "edit" , choose "go to" .

Choose "jump to frame number"

If video is full dvd resolution , please only go to 50,000 , or final output will exceed 2 gigabyte's (safe area , for all os's) .

Frame serve (call it 1.avi) , save as 1.avi .

Open bbmpeg_vfw (remmember to install the handler's) , the auxsetup in vdubs folder , first .

Choose add , locate this avi.1 .

Follow rest of the previously mention guide above .

Last , under "input / output" tab , check "mpeg video stream temp file (saved if checked) , and same for audio .

Under "general settings" tab , uncheck all except "encode video" , "encode audio" , you dont need to multiplex it .

And go .

Repeat step's for the video framserving , but next time ...

Edit , go to , 50,001 , use lock button (shown in guide) , to lock first frame .

Edit , go to , 100,001 , lock it , now frame serve , but it will be 2.avi .

Repeat bbmpeg .

Next time round (go to 100,002) , and again (go to 150,002) , repeat .

Next time it is 150,003 to 200,003 ...

As you can see , each clip start's on the very next frame after the previous video's end .

Yes , it can be very confusing at time's ... have a notepad to write it dowm if need be .. very handy when working with large project's

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Ecode all mp2's to ac3's using besweet .

All should be acceptable in :

Dvdlab (works).
Dvdauthorgui (work's).
Ifoedit (must be m2v video stream's)(work's)
Nero (may attempt re-encoding , audio may need conversion)(work's)
Ulead videostudio , and other ulead dvd authoring products (work's).
(again , audio may need conversion)
Sony's dvdit (same as for nero)(brother yet to tell me if it work's ...)

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If converted to wav's and avi's (xvid work's well) , you can then use wax2 to add some flare to it for free , alot of possibilities here like fade out , then fade in .... zoom in or out ... and more .

When filter is modified , you can save these as "user presets" for later project's ... handy time saver .

Not many guide's on that ... currently working on them .

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As for your usb enclosure , to get the very best out of it , it must be connected to usb2 ... this will depend on both your notebook and desktop having usb2 chipset included .

You may get a little performance gain by investing in a usb powered hub to interface between device and pc's , as usb1 can be under powered , esspecially on notebook's .

As for investing in usb2 addon card's to bring both into spec ... performance gain will not improve on desktop unit , as it is restricted by pci design constraint's .

The notebook will be a completely different case as they use a completely different device for interface ... I have not had time to investigate this design setup ... but you should beable to find this on most notebook manufacturer's web site's , which should indicate the true transfer rate's .

Also be aware ... you must investigate you desktop's motherboard for compliancy in power regulation's , esspecially that of the pci slot's and your power supply ... I have seen too many pc's with damaged motherboard's from the installation of pci usb2 addon cards .

Most intel p4 system's use both the main power connector , and that little 4 wire power clip ... if your's dosent use that 4 wire power clip ... do not attempt this without consulting both the motherboard manual , and manufacturer's forum's for assistance .

Some athlon system's dont use this 4 wire power connection on modern power supply's , so again check for what I said for intel system's .

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Biggest pain :

Installing new hardware , that cause's damage to a perfectly working system .

Have you ever tried getting that company to replace other system component's damaged by their device ?

I have ... it's a nightmare ... 6 month's later ... success , after legal threat's ... but this cost's time and money .

So dont do it ... (if device is out of warrantee ... your on your own)

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Note : if using windows nt 4 or 2000 , you will use ntfs partition's .

Most program's do contain information regarding non fat32 partition problem's , such as incompatabilties , ect ...

If using window's xp , use fat32 partition's to avoid such problem's .

Yes , 99% of program's do list these issue's , game's also list these .

[dbjames]

OK, solved !
many thanks for all the advice.
Downloaded trial version of videredo, cut the MPEG file in half, transferred each half separately from the latop to the desktop PC.
Don't mind if I have to cut two DVDs, at least I now have the video files on my PC.

Reminder to self : self, get a new PC (USB 2.0, Windows XP for NTFS)