Splitting AVIs with Virtualdub

[HRMaddie]

I am splitting home movie avi files to back-up onto a dvd. I captured the files using VideoStudio 8 and split them with Virtualdub. Each time I split the movie the two parts are always greater than the capture file by around 1300kb. When I split the file I am starting at 0 frames using the mark-in button, sliding to about halfway through the movie, hitting mark-out and save. After saving the first half I press the next frame button and select mark-in, etc. Am I somehow missing something? I probably shouldn't worry about it because in a few years the DVD storage capacity will increase anyway.

[bugster]

Make sure you have set both video and audio to 'direct stream copy'. It sounds like you may be saving maybe the audio as uncompressed wav when it wasn't before.

[HRMaddie]

Both are set to direct stream copy. I don't know maybe I am picking up an extra frame or two somwhere. I read a couple of the guides, sounded like I should get the same size file.

[junkmalle]

A few things:

When you save a section in VirtualDub it saves from the mark in frame to the mark out frame -- but not including the mark out frame. So the second mark in should be the same frame as the mark out from the previous frame.

There is some header information in AVI files which gets duplicated in each segment so the two output files should be larger than the single input files.

If your AVI files are something like Divx the "direct stream copy" method must start on a key frame. VirtualDub will always save from the keyframe before the mark in frame if you don't select a key frame. DV files don't have this problem because all frames are key frames.