Best splitter/trimmer/joiner for every format

[ARTO65]

Thanks for the reply. I still regret how that thread ended up even a year later.

[renzer]

@Arto65 : i agree, my man ! Very regrettable indeed how much crap they gave you, only for asking some
well-meant questions and starting a very legitemate discussion.
Big respect for staying so friendly while being shot at !

@Lordsmurf' : thanks a lot for killing a discussion on something i hoped to learn from !
I thought this site was called "VideoHelp" instead of "Burning Down Topic Starters" .
Maybe you were born allknowing, but these sites are meant to learn something, even if questions/topics might be below your knowledge.
TS in this case wasn't arrogant or pretentious at all but very humble, so these reactions are unbelievable to me.
Let's try next time to keep it all a little more friendly, then we can all get along nicely.

[Steve(MS)]

Get over it and since both of you have nothing to add useful to thread...which by the way is old.
Quit gravedigging.

[Cornucopia]

Plus you obviously didn't seem to learn anything, since your ending comments still didn't get the gist of what people like Lordsmurph, Baldrick & filmboss80 were trying to say: You have to have a wide toolkit, and you have to know when to use each tool in the toolkit. It's not "just use a swiss army knife for everything". And it's not that we're equivocating or trying to evade using circumlocution, there are just so many technical variables, that the variables (and one's intentions & priorities) have to be ironed out first before deciding which is best. And blanket statements that don't take that into account can do just as much harm as good.

Scott

[renzer]

@Steve : i had nothing to add to this messed-up thread anyway ; it just buggered me how people get treated by some others here.

@Cornucopia : thank you for giving a normal, decent reaction.

[Michel Merlin]

A 1440×1080 HD m2ts file frame-accurate split at 1 min sans re-encoding

Thanks a lot to ARTO65 for his very appropriate question and wording (Sat 21 May 2011 01:16 GMT), so accurate and appropriate that it made me quickly find the thread, and to renzer (Mon 13 May 2013 16:19 GMT, #32) for courageously supporting ARTO65.

(Sat 21 May 2011 17:22 GMT)
For example, "how to reduce the filesize of videos while retaining maximum quality" has nothing to do with interlacing

What has interlacing ever been about, if not reducing the size and increasing the quality?

(Sat 21 May 2011 21:09 GMT)
Each GOP (groups of pictures) must begin on an I-frame... Some .avi files, like DV-AVI are all I-frames, meaning you can cut anywhere. Not so with Divx/Xvid .avi files.

(Mon 23 May 2011 06:42GMT)
Why avoid splitting and joining? Well, it really goes back to the fundamentals of how and why video encoding works, especially for anything with GOP encoding, and how it counters the methodology used to concatenate ("split") files. It's not complementary or compatible technology. The reverse is even more true, as the stream containers generally end up broken or butchered. It's really hard to explain something of this level. It's easiest to say "Don't do it, because it will mess up your video."

What has Video Editing ever been about, if not starting with "splitting and joining"?

BTW splitting has been possible and necessary, and done, even before May 2011, even on HD files, even with frame-accuracy and with no re-encoding (excepted of course the very few frames required at beg and end of selection), as shown in the 1-min example I built (in seconds) for you and I am uploading here: "Alison Balsom Sophienkirche Bach arr Balsom 1st minute.m2ts", 40,149,700 Bytes, 59s961ms, 5353Kbps (5097Kbps AVC video 1440×1080×25.000fps + 256Kbps AAC audio 2×48.0KHz).

To justly appreciate its video quality (and music!) I recommend to watch it full-screen on an external fullHD (1920×1080) TV or monitor, using MPC-HC 1.6.7, full screen (Ctrl+Enter). VLC 2.0.6 or WMP 12, since retaining screen space for controls, don't true full screen.

Versailles, Sat 18 May 2013 19:03:20 +0200

[x264]

I use SolveigMM Video Splitter for splitting the video files.

[gll99]

To the OP: I find it funny that this thread was resurrected in 2013 by a temp poster who only posted once just to pat you on the back and then seconded by 2 other new poster who only posted once and twice and both in this thread. Each time to be complimentary about a list that has yet to be created after 2 years. A bit too obvious don't you think.

The reason to avoid "best" as a general rule is it lacks context. Does it mean fastest, most accurate, most features, flexibility, cheapest, OS independent etc.. and "best" doesn't clearly define for what specific use. There has to be context as to the input format and expectations. For the longest time Virtualdub was (and still is at times) the main free tool for the tasks I need(ed) to do. For my part lately I've been working with .ts and .m2ts files so the tools that interest me are ones like tsMuxer, MultiAVCHD etc... If I want to cut a bit from the beginning and end of a video and create a quick and dirty no menu avchd then tsMuxer does the job. If I want to create menus, add external subs and / or audio then the more complex MultiAVCHD is the tool for the job. Someone else may use something else but often it doesn't matter since many are GUI written over the same basic command line tools anyway. Some may just prefer a different presentation or feature. If you want a list of good tools then look at the list kept by VH sorted by use / purpose.

Now if I could only find a free frame accurate cutter for those .ts files all would be well.

[Michel Merlin]

SolveigMM is 404-ed, Video-to-Video-Converter is malware

(Sat 18 May 2013 17:37 GMT)
I use SolveigMM Video Splitter for splitting the video files.

Before posting above I found on this Video "Help" site (sort of) 2 programs apparently able for trimming HD files:

• How to edit AVCHD (MTS/M2TS) with frame accuracy and losslessly by SolveigMM Video Splitter 3 > SolveigMM Video Splitter 3.6.1301 that you mentioned, but its entire site was (and still is) 404-ed
• Video to Video Converter 2.9.1.14, but its download, even after refusing all the numerous attempts, force-installed and started a registry scanner, of course preventing any attempt to stop it even through Task Manager, so I had to Ctrl+Alt+Del immediately, losing everything in progress. Of course Add or Remove program was somewhat disabled too - but finally by-passable. This attempt lost my profile in my XPMode Virtual PC, even Windows 7 Ultimate itself couldn't restart 1st time. After the huge time loss to recover everything I didn't try again V2VC.

Versailles, Sat 18 May 2013 21:43:40 +0200

[Michel Merlin]

(Sat 18 May 2013 17:55 GMT)
To the OP: I find it that this thread was resurrected in 2013 by a temp poster who only posted once just to pat you on the back and then seconded by 2 other new poster who only posted once and twice and both in this thread. Each time to be complimentary about a list that has yet to be created after 2 years. A bit too obvious don't you think.

If ever something was "funny" on your proudly-called "Help" (sic) site, it would be IMO that to throw this amusing calumny against me - who published my full true name, photo, address (easily findable through www.pagesblanches.fr) and location (including link to StreetView photo of my building) -, you feel useful (and I guess, courageous) to hide behind anonymity.

Now feel free to post some thing helpful - if ever you have one, that is.

Versailles, Sat 18 May 2013 22:13:00 +0200

[Baldrick]

http://www.solveigmm.com/en/howto/how-to-edit-avchd-file-with-solveigmm-video-splitter/ works fine.

And video to video converter works fine too.

I guess it's something wrong on your end...

[usually_quiet]

SolveigMM is 404-ed

Odd... Google found it easily and I had no trouble using VideoHelp's links for it, nor the link to the developer's website.

Video-to-Video-Converter is malware

What gave you a warning about it? I used 3 different malware scanners on the download and none of them thought Video-to-Video-Converter's installer was a threat, nor did I get a warning from my security software during installation. I directed my browser to save the file rather than run it and there was no attempt to force installation for me.

Maybe you clicked the wrong link and didn't download Video-to-Video-Converter

[gll99]

(Sat 18 May 2013 17:55 GMT)
To the OP: I find it that this thread was resurrected in 2013 by a temp poster who only posted once just to pat you on the back and then seconded by 2 other new poster who only posted once and twice and both in this thread. Each time to be complimentary about a list that has yet to be created after 2 years. A bit too obvious don't you think.

If ever something was "funny" on your proudly-called "Help" (sic) site, it would be IMO that to throw this amusing calumny against me - who published my full true name, photo, address (easily findable through www.pagesblanches.fr) and location (including link to StreetView photo of my building) -, you feel useful (and I guess, courageous) to hide behind anonymity.

Now feel free to post some thing helpful - if ever you have one, that is.

Versailles, Sat 18 May 2013 22:13:00 +0200

Why would you be offended at a comment directed at the OP (original poster circa 2011) or one named temporary01 (sign date Feb 2013 with 1 post), renzer (join date May 2013 with 2 posts) and now you.... unless you are one and the same using 4 different user identities. You claim others are anonymous.... get real. In all my years here I can count on 1 or 2 fingers the number of times a new user signed up here to commend or defend someone let alone a thread from 2 years ago. It doesn't happen unless the post solved a major problem that no one else could solve. Nothing is achieved or resolved in this thread so it does not meet that criteria yet 3 new posters suddenly appear here to side with and flatter the OP from 2011. All you've done is confirmed that you are the same poster using different logon names. No doubt there are good and useful tools that some may not know about that's why VH keeps a well organized tool section on this site. A few posters rightfully corrected you in the use of the word "best" and instead of accepting the reasons you chose to be sensitive, defensive and feign righteous indignation and then invented your own fictitious backers to justify an untenable position. Personally I could care less but lets not get ridiculous!

btw) If you bothered to read what I posted you would see valid reasons for not using the word "best" which you choose to ignore now as you did 2 years ago. I also posted my short list of cutters, muxers and joiners.

Since you won't listen to reason I have no more time for your little charade nor any desire to communicate with any of your multiple split personalities in any their incarnations so save your typing fingers. Have fun with yourselves. I'm out.

[Michel Merlin]

(20:18)
http://www.solveigmm.com/en/howto/how-to-edit-avchd-file-with-solveigmm-video-splitter/ works fine

Thanks for the precision.

Yet here in France Google "SolveigMM Video Splitter" does return me "About 390,000 results (0.21 seconds)", but the 1st one, "Video Splitter - Solveig Multimedia", a long Google link redirecting to http://www.solveigmm.com/en/products/video-splitter/, still gave me "Oops! Google Chrome could not find www.solveigmm.com" on Sat 18 May 2013 21:08 GMT. So I am afraid you are right in your "I guess it's something wrong on your end..."; SolveigMM must be cut off right now for IPs located in France. "World-Wide-Web" is now more and more "Closed borders world"...

What gave you a warning about it?... Maybe you clicked the wrong link and didn't download Video-to-Video-Converter

I only wrote "malware" when shrunk for my title; inside my message I did detail what happened. I persist calling "malware" stuff that postures as regular then hides and forces downloads, then installs, then executes, against my will and hidden from my knowledge, so I won't try it again. Such things are too dangerous, and likely useless: if a program is interesting, why would their authors use such tricks (directly or not)? BTW I did load the "right" link.

PS. I just discover the appalling post of 21:05 GMT (#43) by "gll99", faking to still believe I would be the same person as ARTO65. If I can reassure him, I don't suspect him for one second to be stupid enough to believe what he writes. And I know "Justice" nowadays judges casts, not acts, and supports casts and people like him, not like me, so he doesn't take any risk calumniating me in public.

Versailles, Sat 18 May 2013 23:41:10 +0200

[usually_quiet]

What gave you a warning about it?... Maybe you clicked the wrong link and didn't download Video-to-Video-Converter

I only wrote "malware" when shrunk for my title; inside my message I did detail what happened. I persist calling "malware" stuff that postures as regular then hides and forces downloads, then installs, then executes, against my will and hidden from my knowledge, so I won't try it again. Such things are too dangerous, and likely useless: if a program is interesting, why would their authors use such tricks (directly or not)? BTW I did load the "right" link.

Video-to-Video-Converter's description at VideoHelp says "GUI for ffmpeg and dvdauthor. LAV Filters and AVISynth included in installation." Maybe you missed that part.

Video-to-Video-Converter is a front end for a number of free tools that actually do the conversion, so yes it automatically installs those other free tools. Such behavior is not unusual for free software and does not make it malware, at least not for most people. If you don't approve, then there will be more good free tools that you can't use.

[Michel Merlin]

(Sat 18 May 23:18)
Video-to-Video-Converter's description at VideoHelp says "GUI for ffmpeg and dvdauthor. LAV Filters and AVISynth included in installation." Maybe you missed that part.

Maybe you missed the following words (here in bold-italic):

(Sat 18 May 2013 19:43)... but its download, even after refusing all the numerous attempts, force-installed and started a registry scanner, of course preventing any attempt to stop it even through Task Manager...

Versailles, Sun 19 May 2013 07:17:35 +0200

[usually_quiet]

(Sat 18 May 23:18)
Video-to-Video-Converter's description at VideoHelp says "GUI for ffmpeg and dvdauthor. LAV Filters and AVISynth included in installation." Maybe you missed that part.

Maybe you missed the following words (here in bold-italic):

(Sat 18 May 2013 19:43)... but its download, even after refusing all the numerous attempts, force-installed and started a registry scanner, of course preventing any attempt to stop it even through Task Manager...

Versailles, Sun 19 May 2013 07:17:35 +0200

I installed Video-to-Video-Converter myself a few days ago and know what its installer does. You can write to the developer and share your concerns about his project.

[Edit]I just downloaded the latest version of Video-to-Video-Converter, ran the installer and successfully stopped it well into the installation process using the "Cancel" button. I tried running the installer for an older version too and also successfully stopped it well into the installation process using the "Cancel" button. I don't know what happened in your case, but the installer was very well-behaved for me.

[Edit 2]I downloaded the old version from Video-to-Video-Converter's page in the VideoHelp Tools section. The link I used to download the latest version from the developer's website is circled in the screenshot below.

[Michel Merlin]

Thanks usually_quiet for your detailed explanations (14:15, #47). I will read them more accurately and I may finally try again V2VC. The program I used until now is very good but failed to open one video whence my current visiting forums in seek of another one as a backup.
Versailles, Sun 19 May 2013 18:54:20 +0200

[hello_hello]

Do you realise there's a portable version of Video To Video Converter? No installation required? Just unzip the download zip file to a new folder and run vv.exe. It also includes portable versions of the tools it uses "behind the scenes" so nothing else needs to be installed either.
I can't say I've ever used the installer myself, but I doubt Video To Video Converter tried to run a registry scanner. Where did you download it from?

These days I tend to look for portable versions of programs and use them instead. Portable versions seem to becoming more and more common (maybe because of installation issues with multiple versions of Windows). If there's a portabl version of a program, a downloaded link tends to be found on the relevant page on the VideoHelp site. Video to Video Converter is no exception.

[Michel Merlin]

Video to Video Converter Portable quite good for GOP-trimming

(Mon 20 May 2013 08:58 GMT, #49)
Do you realise there's a portable version of Video To Video Converter?

Thanks a lot hello_hello. Sorry for being late, when problem solved I forgot to come back... Thanks to your advice I tried Video to Video Converter portable, that in minutes let me do what I needed (trimming the file I mentioned in my 19 May 16:54 above), successfully on 1st try (21 May). Sure its trimming is only GOP-accurate, but in my case this was OK, so it does act as the backup program I was in seek of for trimming.

I also keep in my record for eventual need the clear and detailed explanations from usually_quiet (Sun 19 May 14:15 GMT, #47), that must bypass the attempts at hidden parasite installs.

Versailles, Tue 06 Aug 2013 14:52:40 +0200

[Michel Merlin]

Smart Cutter an excellent FRAME-accurate splitter

My main program for trimming and splitting, Smart Cutter (currently 1.7.7), is not perfect (crashes sometimes when seeking too fast and too widely across big HD files, interface lacks some explanations) but quite good: lets me quickly cut a file in ~20 tracks, frame-accurately, with a nice frame strip and a nice audio histogram (that unfortunately sync only under some interface actions, not all) that let me easily choose the best splitting frames, and with no loss in video or audio quality. Unfortunately SC, while it works on most files (including the ones where Sony Vegas | Movie Studio Platinum fails to open the sound tracks), didn't on the particular file I mentioned. Whence my need for a backup trimming program, which V2VC Portable fills (thanks to hello_hello), stalling for now my seek.

If I eventually need I would also try SolveigMM Video Splitter™ 3 (that link now does open on my PC, I don't see why it didn't in May) and HandBrake 0.9.9 (or its interface variant VidCoder, see Google "VidCoder vs HandBrake"). Thanks also to gll99 Sat 18 May 17:55 GMT for the advices on the relative advantages of Virtualdub, tsMuxer and MultiAVCHD.

Thanks to all for the infos and advices.

Versailles, Tue 06 Aug 2013 14:53:20 +0200, edited (added VidCoder) 20:01:00

[Furunkel]

I have done a ton of video joining with all sorts of formats over the last few years, but I'm by no means an expert in the technical details. However, if I were to choose a program that I return to by default, it would be Ultra Video Joiner. It can handle virtually any format, but it does convert everything to .avi before joining. So what? The failure rate is very, very low; maybe 1%. Results are almost always top-notch. It is much more reliable than something like Virtualdub, which simply can't work with video files that have slightly divergent parameters. UVJ usually has no problem joining mkvs and avis and mp4s, et al.

So, if someone asked me about the "best video joiner", I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Ultra Video Joiner. It isn't free, but it can be.

[usually_quiet]

Never mind. After I posted the rant I was responding to was removed by a moderator.

[Michel Merlin]

Never mind. After I posted the rant I was responding to was removed by a moderator.

Yes that post was too much of a rant, and much too long. However it also contained useful information about video editors, so I hope its author (I didn't notice his name) should overcome his wrath (despite it was entirely justified IMO, it is totally useless because the faulty ones will never admit) and redo his post into a short one with just the useful info.
Versailles, Sat 06 Dec 2014 01:02:00 +0100