Help: Trying to replicate .mp4 encode settings from existing files (Mac)

[U2Joshua]

Hi,

I'm a newbie, so apologies if this is either a bit rookie, or if I'm posting in the wrong place, etc.

I have a series of 18 .mp4 video files that I'm attempting to join, without re-encoding. However, of the 18 files, 16 are alike, and the other 2 are dissimilar from the 16, but are similar one another - I'm speaking of their encode settings, which I'm ascertaining from the Mac tool MediaInfo.

At any rate, the 16 files that are alike will all join to each other, without re-encoding (I've done so, successfully, with both AVIdemux, as well as MP4joiner), and 2 files that are different from the other 16 will join together, but I can't get the 2 to join to the 16 and vice versa.

Here are the specs for one of the 16 files that are alike one another:

Format : MPEG-4
Format profile : Base Media
Codec ID : isom (isom/iso2/avc1/mp41)
File size : 82.7 MiB
Duration : 4mn 44s
Overall bit rate mode : Variable
Overall bit rate : 2 436 Kbps
Encoded date : UTC 1904-01-01 00:00:00
Tagged date : UTC 1904-01-01 00:00:00
Writing application : Lavf55.19.104
Video
ID : 2
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : High@L3
Format settings, CABAC : Yes
Format settings, ReFrames : 5 frames
Codec ID : avc1
Codec ID/Info : Advanced Video Coding
Duration : 4mn 44s
Bit rate : 2 345 Kbps
Width : 640 pixels
Height : 480 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 4:3
Frame rate mode : Constant
Frame rate : 29.970 (29970/1000) fps
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.255
Stream size : 78.1 MiB (94%)
Writing library : x264 core 138
Encoding settings : cabac=1 / ref=6 / deblock=1:0:0 / analyse=0x3:0x111 / me=hex / subme=7 / psy=1 / psy_rd=1.00:0.00 / mixed_ref=1 / me_range=16 / chroma_me=1 / trellis=1 / 8x8dct=1 / cqm=0 / deadzone=21,11 / fast_pskip=1 / chroma_qp_offset=-2 / threads=4 / lookahead_threads=1 / sliced_threads=0 / nr=0 / decimate=1 / interlaced=0 / bluray_compat=0 / constrained_intra=0 / bframes=16 / b_pyramid=1 / b_adapt=1 / b_bias=0 / direct=1 / weightb=1 / open_gop=0 / weightp=2 / keyint=60 / keyint_min=20 / scenecut=40 / intra_refresh=0 / rc_lookahead=40 / rc=abr / mbtree=1 / bitrate=2345 / ratetol=1.0 / qcomp=0.60 / qpmin=10 / qpmax=50 / qpstep=4 / vbv_maxrate=2500 / vbv_bufsize=5000 / nal_hrd=none / ip_ratio=1.41 / aq=1:1.00

...and, here are the specs for one of the 2 files not like the other 16:

Format : MPEG-4
Format profile : QuickTime
Codec ID : qt 2005.03 (qt )
File size : 19.8 MiB
Duration : 1mn 38s
Overall bit rate mode : Variable
Overall bit rate : 1 680 Kbps
Encoded date : UTC 2011-04-06 07:48:52
Tagged date : UTC 2011-04-06 07:48:53
Writing library : Apple QuickTime
Video
ID : 1
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : Baseline@L3
Format settings, CABAC : No
Format settings, ReFrames : 4 frames
Format settings, GOP : M=2, N=64
Codec ID : avc1
Codec ID/Info : Advanced Video Coding
Duration : 1mn 38s
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 1 571 Kbps
Maximum bit rate : 4 195 Kbps
Width : 640 pixels
Clean aperture width : 640 pixels
Height : 480 pixels
Clean aperture height : 480 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 4:3
Clean aperture display aspect ratio : 4:3
Frame rate mode : Constant
Frame rate : 29.970 (29970/1000) fps
Original frame rate : 29.970 (30000/1001) fps
Standard : NTSC
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.171
Stream size : 18.5 MiB (93%)
Language : English
Encoded date : UTC 2011-04-06 07:46:54
Tagged date : UTC 2011-04-06 07:48:53
Color range : Limited
Color primaries : BT.601 NTSC
Transfer characteristics : BT.709
Matrix coefficients : BT.601
colour_primaries_Original : BT.601 NTSC
transfer_characteristics_Original : BT.601
matrix_coefficients_Original : BT.601

It appears that the 2 files different from the other 16 were perhaps done so with QuickTime, while the other 16 files were encoded using a different tool/solution.

I'm assuming that if I were to re-encode the 2 files to match the other 16, then I could join them all together, and would only have to sacrifice quality (due to re-encoding) on those two segements, rather than having to re-encode the 16 files to match the 2. However, I don't know which tool to use, nor which settings to use to match the settings of the 16 files.

I've tried a couple of trial-and-error re-encodes, using both HandBrake and AVIdemuxer, but so far nothing has worked (producing a file that will join to the main 16 files).

...and, I'm on a Mac.

Any help would be much appreciated!

Thanks in advance.

[Baldrick]

Did you use same resolution, framerate, bitrate, profile(high l3) and ReFrames : 5 frames(i think you can change it under advanced) ?

You can also try join with mp4box or ffmpeg (command line software, google for joining commands example).

But I doubt you will get it working perfect...

[U2Joshua]

Did you use same resolution, framerate, bitrate, profile(high l3) and ReFrames : 5 frames(i think you can change it under advanced) ?

You can also try join with mp4box or ffmpeg (command line software, google for joining commands example).

But I doubt you will get it working perfect...

Hi, Baldrick! Thanks for your reply. Unfortunately, I was not the one who originally encoded the files. They are the same resolution, but the bitrate of each file is different - not sure if they were encoded with VBR, or not. Per the MediaInfo specs, they do not appear to be the same profile - one is High, while the other is Baseline.

Which tool(s) are you referring to when you suggest changing the advanced settings? Mp4Box / ffmpeg?

Thanks, again.