What is the best joiner for mpg w/ac3 ?

[Noahtuck]

I have 2 dvd encoded mpg files with DD ac3 audio i need to join,
What is the best program for joining them before authoring to a dvd ?
With as little or no loss in video.
Thanks

[daamon]

Hi Noahtuck,

If I understand you correctly, then there's no need to join the mpg's for authoring.

An authoring tool like TMPGEnc DVD Author (there are others) will (should, TDA does) accept multiple mpg files in one track and then treat them as one contiuous file.

[Noahtuck]

Hi
Yeah, i have been using TMPGEnc DVD Author since the first version came out and i have the latest version but when i have done that before there was a slight pause where the 2 files went together. but it was awhile ago maybe i'll try it again.
Thats why i was looking for a joiner that would make it one file before puting it into TMPGEnc DVD Author to make the dvd/vobs.
Thanks

[daamon]

Hi,

I've done it with v1.5 and didn't notice anything. See how you go...

[DVDJET]

Noahtuck since you seem convinced you want to join it why dont you try tmpg tools in tmpeg encoder.Close wizard then file,tmpg tools.

[Noahtuck]

Noahtuck since you seem convinced you want to join it why dont you try tmpg tools in tmpeg encoder.Close wizard then file,tmpg tools.

TMPGEnc won't allow ac3 audio to pass through, drops the audio
i've been using TMPGEnc for a loooooong time 8) as in years

Thats why i stated in my first post "with DD ac3 audio",
I wanted to join them in one shot without splitting the audio from the video and then i will edit it in TMPGEnc DVD Author.
But i'll give it a shot again as daamon suggested and see if i notice a pause in the final dvd-r. I usually can fit a whole LD on a ram disc but the movie i am doing is 2h & 20m so i had to split it up accross 2 disc's because the LP mode on my standalone did not look as good......
And programs to join mpg files seem hard to find, that work good anyways...

[daamon]

TMPGEnc won't allow ac3 audio to pass through, drops the audio

And programs to join mpg files seem hard to find, that work good anyways...

You're right about TMPGEnc the encoder. Did you know that TMPGEnc DVD Author v1.5 doesn't play back the AC3, it just allows that to pass through? You won't hear it during authoring, but authored discs play the AC3 OK. Later versions come with an AC3 plug-in.

So, hopefully, if there's no noticeable join after authoring, TDA should be the answer for you...

[mazinz]

using womble mpeg2vcr (it's an editor/joiner, etc) it will do exactly what you want and will not re-encode your clip

[daamon]

Does it handle AC3? Possibly (probably) 5.1 AC3?

[mazinz]

yes it does (which is why i use it) it handles any audio stream i have run through it or ripped from a dvd. it also cuts, etc and still retains the audio in whatever format it was orignally in.

[Noahtuck]

TMPGEnc won't allow ac3 audio to pass through, drops the audio

And programs to join mpg files seem hard to find, that work good anyways...

You're right about TMPGEnc the encoder. Did you know that TMPGEnc DVD Author v1.5 doesn't play back the AC3, it just allows that to pass through? You won't hear it during authoring, but authored discs play the AC3 OK. Later versions come with an AC3 plug-in.

So, hopefully, if there's no noticeable join after authoring, TDA should be the answer for you...

Ummmmm yes i knew that 8) been using TDA since the first version came out, have transfered many many LD's & used TDA to author the dvd's. the only problem i ever had was what i have been stating, about joining a movie in the middle in TDA & the one time i did it there was a slight pause where it was joined. thats why i was looking for another program to join the mpg's. but i am going to try it again and see how it goes.
I used to advocate TDA back when it came out when other people here were turning others away from it because it was so easy to use with a ton of options 8)

Like when i edit out where the LD flips sides, it shows no pause, in the same mpg file, but when using 2 diff. files on the same track and edit them together, the one time i tried it there was a slight pause.....

[Noahtuck]

yes it does (which is why i use it) it handles any audio stream i have run through it or ripped from a dvd. it also cuts, etc and still retains the audio in whatever format it was orignally in.

I'll give that a try also, is there a link on here to it ?
Did'nt see one in the tools section ?
I remember using something like that (maybe an earlier version) way back in the day to do vcd's.....

[Noahtuck]

Found it on another site 8)
Already downloading it... errrr.... done now LOL!!!!!!

[daamon]

...is there a link on here to it ?
Did'nt see one in the tools section ?

Womble MPEG-VCR - the "dash" was missed with a "2" instead, so the auto tool link didn't pick it up... Just for future reference.

[Noahtuck]

Yep i found it on here the same time i found it somewhere else 8)
Already running it, seems pretty fast so i'll just have to see how it works out
read in the comments someone said it made the audio out of sync but we'll see 8)

[Noahtuck]

Hmmmm.....
MPEG-VCR Seemed to work okay except it cut off the end of the video when it hit 4gigs....

[mazinz]

perhaps thats because you are using a trial ver? the full/regular one doesnt do that

[daamon]

...it cut off the end of the video when it hit 4gigs....

Your file system isn't FAT32 is it? That has a 4gig file limit... What Os you running?

[Noahtuck]

...it cut off the end of the video when it hit 4gigs....

Your file system isn't FAT32 is it? That has a 4gig file limit... What Os you running?

Yeah, i thought about that after i posted it. I'm running XP Pro but my secondary HD is an 80gig and i had it loaded so it would have been a bitch to backup & reformat in NTFS

[lordsmurf]

You do NOT have to reformat it.
There's a DOS command that converts while data is on it. I've done it several times just fine.

[Noahtuck]

You do NOT have to reformat it.
There's a DOS command that converts while data is on it. I've done it several times just fine.

Well..... can you hook me up oh great one
Puleeeeeeeeeease LOL!!!
Because i was gonna wait acouple of days and clear a bunch of stuff off it, back up the rest and reformat in NTFS.

[Noahtuck]

Well i found this on a site, Is this what you do ?

Q: Is it possible to convert a FAT32 Hard Drive to NTFS without losing all data on the drive? I like to change from FAT32 to NTFS, my operating system is Windows XP PRO, how can I do that? Without the lost of my programs?

A: Standard Windows utility that is called CONVERT serves this purpose

Just go to the Command Prompt and execute the command:

C:\> CONVERT C: /fs:ntfs

Where C: is a name of the drive you want to convert.

After machine re-boot conversion process will start and you'll have your FAT32 converted to NTFS without of data loss.

[Noahtuck]

When i tried it it gave me this message but i have not done it yet because im not real sure what it is saying

[Noahtuck]

Okay,
I got it WOO HOO!!! now to test it out 8)

[daamon]

Great monologue Noahtuck - Or did lordsmurf assist by telepathy...? I know he's good, and talented and all - but powers that special...?

Hope it works for you...

[Noahtuck]

Thanks Guys!!
I found out 2 things....

If i leave a chapter where i edit out where the LD flips in TMPGEnc DVD Author there is a small pause in the playback on the final dvd. if i delete the chapter at the edit spot there is no pause.

And mpeg-vcr seems to work good for puting together mpg files, but if i edit it in that then when played back there is second of distortion in the video where it was cut out ? but if i leave it whole and edit it out in TMPGEnc DVD Author
It works fine!

I'm trying now to run them together in TMPGEnc DVD Author without splicing the 2 mpg files together first because i'm thinking the reason it did the pause thing was because i was leaving a chapter mark where they were going together.

It's working right now so in about an hour i should know if it worked okay.

Oh yeah, and the dos command for changing FAT32 to NTFS worked great without any loss of files on the drive and let me make a 4.5 gig file!!!