Video Format and Conversion Questions

[djtech2k7]

I currently have a Windows Media Center with extenders and an HD video camera. I need to get HD video off of my camera (MTS Files) and get them onto my media center as well as being able to burn them to DVD/DVD-DL so others can play them on their DVD players. I want to keep HD quality for my Media Center. I would like to have for the burned DVD's for people, but as I understand it, that wont work for a DVD player/XBOX.

So I had planned to convert/combine my MTS video files to a MP4/M4V format so they would keep HD quality and be playable on my media center. To get them to a common DVD format, I am not sure, but was planning to convert to straight DVD format unless there is a better option.

Are these the best options? If not, whats better?

My other issue is software. I was trying to use free tools to convert and merge all the MTS files over to mp4 and to DVD. I have been using handbrake, YAMB, tsmuxer, and tried some others. The problem is that not one of them does all the things I need in one product and none of them have been reliable. Handbrake doesnt do the formats and it does not merge many files to one. YAMB only seems to work sometimes. tsmuxer doesnt do all formats.

So what software would you suggest that could maybe handle the formats I need and merge/combine many files to one?

Thanks!!

[Baldrick]

Why can't you use several tools? Join with tsmuxer. Convert to mp4 with rebox.net, gotsent, yamb, mymp4boxgui (no reconversion). Convert to DVD with AvstoDVD.

[djtech2k7]

Thanks.

I can use more than one program, but so far its been a major pain because some of them dont work, like YAMB.

The issue I have with tsmuxer is that I have hundreds of separate MTS files. In tsmuxer, you have to browse and select each file separately, unless I am missing something. Is there a way to multi-select? I wouldnt normally care, but I have hundreds of files.

I am even willing to pay for something if its a good solution for everything I need and the price is low. It would just be nice tpo be able to select what I want and then output it in the format(s) I need all in one place.

Am I on the right track with the video format things I mentioned?

[djtech2k7]

Any other ideas? I am trying to use Microsoft Expression Encoder 4 Pro, but it seems to hang when I try to input like 100 videos.

[Bonie81]

As Baldrick said "Convert to DVD with AvstoDVD.", I guess AVStoDVD will handle MTS video files directly without any conversion to MP4/MKV.

[davexnet]

Will an MKV file do? You can use gdsmux in the haali media splitter folder. It will do a quick repackaging of the contents,
no re-encoding.
Open the program, setup the input and output names, and on the global tab, deselect "minimize output file size".
Hit "start".

[djtech2k7]

I dont think MKV will work for me. I need mp4 so it will stream on my media extenders and I need to be able to burn DVD's.

I have yet to find a program to go from multiple MTS files to a single MP4. To use tsmuxer would take a long time because u have to select each file separately which would take too long with as many as I have.

[djtech2k7]

I just wanted to revive this thread because I have still not found any software to do this.

I need to be able to import multiple MTS files and convert them into things like HD MP4 or back to DVD.

I want to be able to keep high HD quality for the formats that need it, like MP4.

A major problem I have found is that multiple pieces of software cannot handle importing multiple MTS files. It either wont allow it or it crashes. I have hundreds of them so I need something to take a group of files and output the format, like HD quality MP4 or down to something that will fit on a DL DVD.

Any ideas for something to do this, free or for purchase?

[djtech2k7]

Anything?

[jagabo]

ffmpeg is a CLI program that has the ability to directly remux MTS to MP4. Put this is a batch file along with a bunch of MTS files and double click on it. An MP4 file will be created from each MTS file:

 for %%a in ("*.mts") do ffmpeg -i "%%~na.mts" -vcodec copy -acodec copy "%%~na.mp4"

If ffmpeg.exe isn't in you search path you have to give the entire path name to the EXE file. For example:

 for %%a in ("*.mts") do "g:\program files\ffmpeg\bin\ffmpeg" -i "%%~na.mts" -vcodec copy -acodec copy "%%~na.mp4"

Put that batch file in your SendTo folder and you can right click on any MTS file and select Send To -> MTS2MP4.BAT (or whatever you call it) and all the MTS files in that folder will be remuxed to MP4.

If you'd rather have a SendTo batch file that converts only the selected file:

 "g:\program files\ffmpeg\bin\ffmpeg" -i %1 -vcodec copy -acodec copy "%~n1.mp4"

[djtech2k7]

Thanks a lot for that. I am sure that will come in handy some time.

The thing is that I need to combine the files from multiple to one. I will be starting with a LOT of MTS files. I need to combine and encode them so that I have 1 MP4 file.

Is there any way to do what?

[djtech2k7]

So I used the batch script posted with ffmpeg to comvert about 100 MTS files to MP4. I am assuming that the settings it used will keep all the same ratios and provide equivalent HD quality in MP4. There were a few errors, but it seemed to finish with an MP4 file for each MTS file.

So I then needed to combine the MP4 files. I used the MyMp4Box GUI to combine them. Again, I was not sure about what settings to use, so I accepted the defaults and just merged the files together.

I now had 1 MP4 about 2GB. I put this in my video collection in Windows Media Center so I can stream it to my extenders, but it will not play. Each time I try I get the message: "Files needed to display video are not installed or are not working correctly. Restart Windows Media Center or restart the computer."

Any ideas?

[jagabo]

Can you play the big MP4 file locally with WMP or some other MP4 player?

[djtech2k7]

It does not play with Zune software but it seems to play with wmp.

I think the specs on the video makeup are different than they were in the mts format.

Is there something specific I should lol for to make sure it's wmc compatible and HD quality? Eg h264, fps, etc

[jagabo]

The ffmpeg bat commands I gave wouldn't change the video, just remux into an mp4 container. And Mp4Box has no ability to reencode the video. So whatever problems you have are at the container level (the audio and video inside the container is untouched). Try using MediaInfo to examine the original MTS files and the final MP4 file. Are the properties the same?

I'm not sure what would happen if your sources have different properties. Are they all the same frame size, frame rate, etc.?

[djtech2k7]

Ok, I checked the specs on the pre-post process. I took 3 screenshots: original MTS, converted MP4, combined mp4. File names are labeled as such.

Let me know what u think. Like I said, I just want to be able to keep HD quality and save them in a format that will play thru WMC and Media Extenders. Occasionally I may need to make a copy for someone with a regular DVD player, but I can handle that separately.

On a side note, I did just get a Blu-Ray player, so at some point in the future I will need to figure out how to handle BR files. But that can come later...

[djtech2k7]

Anything?

[davexnet]

They look identical to me, however, to really see what is going on you really need to put it into
view/text mode to see the details. Does your combined file play OK in WMP or other directshow player?

Is graphstudio able to render the graph and play the file?

[djtech2k7]

Windows Media Player will play all the files. Trying to play the file via XBOX as a media extender, it will not play.

[jagabo]

What were the errors you referred to in post 12?

I used the batch script posted with ffmpeg to comvert about 100 MTS files to MP4. I am assuming that the settings it used will keep all the same ratios and provide equivalent HD quality in MP4. There were a few errors, but it seemed to finish with an MP4 file for each MTS file.

[djtech2k7]

I honestly cannot remember. I know that there were a few times where the command prompt had some red error text, but it was only on abut 3-4 files max.