How to merge two or more MPEG2 videos ??

[plomon]

I used MPEG2VCR to merge three mpeg2 clips. It merged the clips but the final clip has its audio totally unsynchronized with the video. The audio is running in an awkward manner with the video.

For, example(say) I merged three clips namely clip1.mpg, clip2.mpg and clip3.mpg(all are mpeg2). If the final clip is called final.mpg, then:

In the final clip, as it is running, after some time, when the clip1 part of it is finished and it enters clip2 part of the merged video, here the audio of clip1 reappers again, instead of clp2's audio. Such strange things are happening. In simple word, the audio tracks of the clips are getting jumbled and mixed up in irrelevant ways.

I used TMPGEnc Plus too....opened the Merge&Cut tool of MPEG Tools, added the same three clips. The merged clip has video, but no audio. So, this is the problem with TMPGEnc.

Pls identify the mistake i made in the above process, and tell me how to merge more than two mpeg2 clips.

[Soopafresh]

You might want to remux your source Mpegs, sounds like there's a problem with one of them. Your audio bit rates should be the same, and of course your video aspect rations should all be the same as well.

Any chance you're mixing multi channel audio with stereo audio as you merge these different files?

[plomon]

You might want to remux your source Mpegs, sounds like there's a problem with one of them. Your audio bit rates should be the same, and of course your video aspect rations should all be the same as well.

Any chance you're mixing multi channel audio with stereo audio as you merge these different files?

No, there is no difference in aspect ratio, audio channels, bit rates, resolution or whatever, because all the clips are cut from the same movie file.

In more descriptive manner, it goes like this:

I've a DVD. Using TMPGEnc DVD Author, i ripped the MPEG2 file from it onto my Hard Disk. Since I felt, I don't need the entire movie, I cut some clips from it(i.e., from the main MPEG2 file being ripped using TMPGEnc DVD Author) using MPEG2VCR, and stored these clips in some folder.(All these clips are ofcourse in MPEG2 format).

Now, I want to merge all these clips into a single MPEG2 file. Isn't that explanation simple enough.

Now, tell me what difference can there be amongst these clips(in any aspect like audio bit rates or resolution or aspect ratio or whatever it is), being cut from the same main file, uh ?

If you still feel so, then, pls explain why, and suggest an alternative for the problem.

[boldego]

Have you tried VideoReDo ?

[plomon]

Have you tried VideoReDo ?

yes, i tried that too. It has a different problem. It repeats the first clip throughout. other clips aren't merged.

[mats.hogberg]

What if you just author all 3 clips as 3 parts of the same title in TDA? Remove the chapter point TDA inserts att the joins, and it should play seamlessly.
Joining before authoring should be avoided if possible (as you've experienced).

/Mats

[plomon]

hey guys, i guess VideoReDo is coming handy...it IS doing a great job of merging more than two clips, provided they are carefully processed. thanks for the idea

[mistycat]

This is probably no help, but when the three sections of the same DVDRip were encoded, merged with TMPGEnc and burnt, parts 1 and 3 were fine but part 2 had no audio (all audio was converteded to Wav first). The only fix, for me, was to encode and burn part 2 separately. Kinda ruined the video but better than nothing.

[mats.hogberg]

Whats this obsession about joining before authoring? Again: You don't have to join your mpg files before authoring them as one title with TMPGEnc DVD Author.

/Mats

[sanjayk]

Whats this obsession about joining before authoring? Again: You don't have to join your mpg files before authoring them as one title with TMPGEnc DVD Author.

/Mats

I completly agree. Why is there so much "urge to merge" ??

[The_Doman]

Whats this obsession about joining before authoring? Again: You don't have to join your mpg files before authoring them as one title with TMPGEnc DVD Author.

Because the TMPGEnc DVD Author does not join the clips properly together!.
On (most) standalone DVD players there will be a momentarily pause at the place where the clips are joined.

TMPGEnc Editor seems todo it right though.
I always used the MPEG2schnitt (after demuxing with ProjectX) to join everything together.

[mats.hogberg]

On (most) standalone DVD players there will be a momentarily pause at the place where the clips are joined.

Guess I'm just plain lucky, then, as it works on my players.
And frankly, even if I should notice a slight hesitation between clips (like before I knew to remove the chapter point), I'd rather live with that, than fighting all problems that often arise when trying to join mpg files.

/Mats

[jimmalenko]

On (most) standalone DVD players there will be a momentarily pause at the place where the clips are joined.

You and the other members of that one thread you pointed out to me a while back are the only people I've seen who have this problem - might be a bit of a gross exaggeration to say that this affects "most" DVD players

It hasn't affected the 6 different players my family members own

[SaSi]

I have succesfully merged MPEG2 files with Tmpgenc. I don't believe that the problem is with the applications you use. More likely it has to do with the source files you have (MPEG1, MPEG2, ...).

I have found that several clips I receive in MPEG2 format are badly chopped. Some don't even begin at an I frame. Windows Media player is good at avoiding such problems and probably ignores the orphaned frames.

Another potential reason is the existence of VBR audio in the MPEG2 file. It is not illegal but is not common and no commercial standard utilizes it (e.g. both VCD, SVCD and DVD use CBR audio).

The above reasons can cause all types of problems with utilities that expect normal, common properties in the files.

If I had to salvage such a case of files, I would open each one in VirtualDUB-MPEG, convert the audio to the same sample rate and save uncompressed and re-encode the VIDEO in DivX with highest quality (=1). This would not deteriorate the picture or audio quality.

After converting all files, I would merge them with VirtualDUB (direct stream copy won't affect quality and will be ultra fast).

Then, a new encoding step to make them again MPEG2 is required. Using an MPEG encoder with settings (bitrate) equal to the original files will produce almost identical results in quality.

[Cornucopia]

FWIW, I've been nothing but satisfied with Cuttermaran for cutting/joining MPG1and2.

Scott

[Abond]

Cool, I didn't know Cuttermaran can also join mpegs! How can I do it?

[leebo]

Poloman, if you are using Mpeg2VCR, why not simply use it to cut out the parts of the original file that you dont want?

Start over. Open the file in Mpeg2VCR, cut the parts you dont want, export your new file. You will have one file and will not have to merge anything.

[Cornucopia]

Cool, I didn't know Cuttermaran can also join mpegs! How can I do it?

Open an mpeg video file, then its corresponding audio. Set your In and Out points and Add to cut list.
Then open another mpeg video file (and its audio). Set your In and Out points there also and Add to cut list. (Can even be the Whole file)
Then "Cut" your video/audio!

That's it.

Scott

>>>>>>
edit: You have to have similar stream types, etc. Of course...

[Abond]

Hey, great, thanks! Never thought to open new file while the old one is in the cut list :P