Splitting a .flv file captured from blogtv

[covennannt]

So, I am using Replay Media Catcher and I captured a .flv file from blogtv. I want to upload the file onto youtube, but unfortunately the file is too big for youtube.

First, I thought the best solution would be to convert the .flv file to some other file (such as avi) and use another program to split the avi file. Problem: every single flv converter I have tried cannot convert the file into avi, wmv, or mpeg. This includes software such as Super C and those online flv converters.

The next solution I tried was to just split the flv file itself into smaller files and let youtube do the online conversion itself since you can upload flv files to youtube. I tried using FLV Extract (Freeware/Windows) but I couldn't understand how to make that work (so if anyone wants to try and explain that to me, that'll be awesome) . Then I tried Avidemux, which at first seemed to work, but then all the split files did not have the audio and video in sync.

When I googled some more, I found this forum and somebody said to use MediaInfo to find the proper frame rate mode in order to get it to work. When I used MediaInfo this is what I got:

Format : Flash Video
File size : 80.7 MiB

Video
Format : H.263
Width : 320 pixels
Height : 240 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 4/3
Frame rate mode : Variable

Audio
Format : Nellymoser
Channel(s) : 1 channel
Sampling rate : 22.05 KHz
Resolution : 16 bits

So, obviously Avidemux won't work too cause my frame rate mode is "variable."

Basically, I'm looking for a way to either split the video into smaller flv files or a way to convert the video into another format that is splittable. Any suggestions?

[poisondeathray]

For FLVExtract, you just drop the video on the GUI

But you will probably have to convert it to a constant frame rate file and re-encode it.

You can do this through avisynth and directshowsource() , but you have to know the base frame rate, which was not given in mediainfo (e.g. was it 25fps, was it 23.976 fps? or something else?)

DirectShowSource("file.flv", fps=23.976, convertfps=true, audio=true)

You can feed the .avs script into any encoder that accepts avisynth as input (e.g. virtualdub or MeGUI)

You could probably specify all the splitting with avisynth with Trim()

e.g. Cut the segment from frames 1000 to 2000.

DirectShowSource("file.flv", fps=23.976, convertfps=true, audio=true)
Trim(1000,2000)

You would then feed that into the encoder of your choosing

You can preview .avs scripts in AvsP or MPC (e.g. I would "guess" a base framerate, play that script in MPC to see if it's in sync, and if not, use a different base framerate, until it is in sync)

[covennannt]

Question 1: I can't even get flv extract to work. After I downloaded, unzipped it, and ran it I got this error "The application failed to initialize properly (Oxc0000135). Click on OK to terminate the application"

Question 2: How do I find out the base frame rate?

Question 3: Where can I find DirectShow?

[poisondeathray]

1) Don't worry about it, because nellymoser audio isn't supported by FLV Extract anyways (your file has nellymoser audio according to mediainfo)

2) Add Info() to your script, as a starting point

DirectShowSource("file.flv")
Info()

In this example, I just used DirectShowSource("file.flv"), and it reported what avisynth thinks is the internal frame rate. In this example it was 25fps. I would use that as a starting point, test it out in MPC for synchronicity, and adjust it if necessary (FYI, this test clip was also h.263/nellymoser/.flv with VFR)

3) It's part of avisynth. Install avisynth, and copy that text code into notepad and change the extension to .avs from .txt. ; Don't forget to adjust for filenames, paths etc...

You can open the .avs file in MPC or vdub or AvsP to preview. I would preview by playing the script in MPC. If it is still off, then adjust the FPS in the script

Note you may need a proper FLV splitter (I mean audio/video splitter, not as in a file splitter that cuts into segments) registered in your directshow system in order to "see" nellymoser audio, and you need a proper nellymoser decoder (a free one would be ffdshow). A good utility to do this is graph studio (render your file in graphstudio, and see if audio & video can be "seen")

[covennannt]

So, I understand the whole copy the code into notepad and save it as a .avs file. But, I don't understand where exactly are you supposed to save it? The same folder of the video you want to play? Cause, if that's where it's suppose to be, it's not working for me some reason. Perhaps I got the folder wrong?

[poisondeathray]

Yes, but it has to be the right filenames & paths. If it's in the same folder as the .flv, you don't need the path

Is avisynth installed?

Can you play the .flv directly (not the .avs) in a directshow player, like MPC?

When you open the .flv in graph studio, you should get something like this, otherwise you are missing some components or haven't enabled the proper decoder:

[covennannt]

Yes, I installed avisynth.

And yes, I can play the .flv directly in MPC.

This is what my thing looked like on Graph studio:



edit: Directshow said "I cannot determine the frame rate of the video, you must use the "fps" parameter." What does that mean?

[poisondeathray]

Your script should be:

DirectShowSource("1.flv")
Info()

Can you open the .avs in vdub?

EDIT: you can specify the script with fps, as I did a few posts above, and just "guess" a number like 25 for now

The syntax was
DirectShowSource("1.flv", fps=25, convertfps=true, audio=true)

Note I didn't have to specify fps on my system , so I'm not sure why it's giving you that message

[covennannt]

nope, that didn't work. There is no more sound. Also, the video freezes on the first frame and just stops.

Ya see, my video is a little weird... I'll try and record some of it to show you it.

[poisondeathray]

nope, that didn't work. There is no more sound. Also, the video freezes on the first frame and just stops.

What didn't work? can you be more specific?

The .flv plays correctly in MPC without freezes?

Is the avisynth version recent (2.57 or greater?)

[covennannt]

Yes, the .flv plays correctly on its own in MPC.

It does not play at all when I added that code. The audio is completely gone. Also, the video does not play anymore. It looks like a picture I guess. It just freezes on the first picture frame and doesn't go move at all.

The avisynth version is 2.5.

Edit: I recorded part of the video that i'm trying to work with using Snagit editor. This is what the file would look like if I was using MPC:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWoCbqSfefg

The static you hear is from SnagIt editor. Notice that the numbers some reason jump from 0:52 to 1:08. That's the main problem I believe. It does that a lot in the recorded video. Though, the video and audio do match even after there's jumps like that. (If it doesn't appear to match, it's cause of the Snagit Editor)

[poisondeathray]

I'm not sure how to get it to CFR without avisynth.

It might be a different splitter that we are using; if you look at the graphs, but I doubt it because you can play the .flv directly

Perhaps uninstall/reinstall avisynth (make sure its 2.57 or later)

If got it to work in avidemux, maybe try encoding it in 1 piece first (eg. xvid/mp3/avi), then split it up later. You can also change the fps using some of the filters, maybe try playing with it until you get the proper framerate

I have no more ideas without running it through avisynth, sorry

[covennannt]

I reinstalled/installed avisynth, but that didn't work too. Apparently, I already had version 2.5.7.

*sigh*

did the video I uploaded help at all?

[poisondeathray]

Not really, because that is FLV player which doesn't use the directshow system

The numbers jump because of the variable frame rate (VFR), and that's likely why it's so choppy. If you can get avisynth working, you should be able to fix all that

In fact, my .flv with similar specs is choppy in MPC unless I use the script to make the framerate constant

When you used avidemux, what does it report the frame rate as? Chances are it will be some very weird number. You can change it to some standard frame rate (e.g. 25, or 23.976, or 29.97) and see if that works

[covennannt]

The only weird thing is though it says "Has Audio: NO". Like, there is audio in the clip, but apparently it's not playing while it's checking the frames. Also, the video is looping repetatively so instead of the clip being 10 minutes, MPC is saying that it is 41 minutes. =/