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  1. Member
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    Hi.

    My video camera records into .MTS files and splits them into 1GB bits.

    I mostly use the camera to tape shows of my band.

    I need a tool that will let me mark an area (i.e. the duration of a song) and export it into another file format so I can put it on Youtube. But it'll have to work well across split files since the camera might split in the middle of a tune. Ideally, I'd like to mark all the ranges that contain tunes and then either export them in a queue or similar.

    It might also help to have a bit of other features, e.g. brightness/contrast or a bit of cropping, and it would be a bonus to be able to sync an external audio file (from a better audio recorder) into it all and edit it along with the video material (I've given up on this for the time being but might want to do it again some day).

    I currently use LightWorks, but it is really cumbersome for what I need.

    Ideally, I'd love a free tool, but if it's good for what I do I'll buy it.

    I tried Openshot, but that only exports one video you compose out of multiple materials.
    I tried VSDC, but it also was too cumbersome for what I need.

    Hopefully, there's something out there for this.

    Thanks!
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  2. Member
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    (bump)
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  3. aBigMeanie aedipuss's Avatar
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    get a better camera that doesn't split files up.
    --
    "a lot of people are better dead" - prisoner KSC2-303
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  4. Member
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    Have you tried Avidemux ? I'm not sure if it will open .mts files directly, but you could easily re-wrap as an MKV using
    Mkvtoolnix first
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  5. Member
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    Originally Posted by davexnet View Post
    Have you tried Avidemux ? I'm not sure if it will open .mts files directly, but you could easily re-wrap as an MKV using
    Mkvtoolnix first
    Thanks, I'll give it a try!
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  6. try avidemux, what it can do

    but you actually want NLE like above mentioned or Magix Vegas, even cheaper studio version that is like $40 or something
    after a couple of tries it will be a routine for you
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  7. Member Cornucopia's Avatar
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    What you are referring to is not just a camera that: Records mts, in 1GB segments, onto tape.
    What you are referring to is the AVCHD format.

    And ALL decent editors recommend as best practice that you don't just import your raw files and try to overcome the gap, but rather that you transfer the whole folder structure and import the info/playlist file(s), which will then automatically guide the editor regarding the gap, the clips, and everything else.

    Scott
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  8. Member
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    I did not know this about the AVCHD format - I'll see what happens if I import the whole folder in the future. Thanks!
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  9. Member Cornucopia's Avatar
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    You're welcome.

    Notice, it isn't just "importing the folder" but also pointing the import to the info/playlist/manifest metadata. That is where the AVCHD format has created its lists/tables of all the media, where/when it starts & ends, its settings, etc. So if you get the whole structure included and it does its own "deconstruction", it does all the work for you.

    Please, look at the AVCHD workflows from such better NLEs as Adobe (Premiere), GV (Edius), Magix (Vegas Pro), AVID (Media Composer), etc. They have good tips on how to backup/ingest AVCHD media. (BTW, transfer tools with error correction & validation, such as Terra Copy are your friend here).

    Scott
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  10. Dinosaur Supervisor KarMa's Avatar
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    tsMuxer GUI should be able to join your MTS files together if you need that without loss and quickly.
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  11. And ALL decent editors recommend as best practice that you don't just import your raw files and try to overcome the gap, but rather that you transfer the whole folder structure and import the info/playlist file(s), which will then automatically guide the editor regarding the gap, the clips, and everything else.
    So with the AVCHD format, the end user is expected to just keep all the files as they were recorded, with their nondescript names (like “00012.MTS”) and despite the fact that the folder structure is a totally arbitrary grouping of files which can have vastly different subjects and purposes although they have been recorded over the same time period on the same memory card ? And therefore no sorting is allowed beyond “random stuff recorded on SD card #4 between 2019-03-26 and 2019-04-12" ? Let's not even mention that footage from different AVCHD devices can be recorded on the same memory card, each device using the exact same structure and naming scheme...
    It would (hardly) make sense for strictly professional devices, but the AVCHD format can be found on many entry-level cameras and camcorders. How is the “average Joe” supposed to deal with such intricacies ? How is the average Joe's mother supposed to find a particular video of her grandson – the average Joe's son – at his end-of-year school party among a gazillion of files named “00012.mts” ? What was The Industry thinking when it devised to implement this convoluted format as a standard for the mass market ?


    EDIT : And yes, TSMuxer does work very well for this purpose, the problem is identifying which files are spanned recordings (and spanned from which file to which file) when nothing in the name of the files indicates this.


    Also :
    get a better camera that doesn't split files up.
    Kinda stupid reply, but what's surprising here is the splitting into 1GB chunks. So far I have only seen MTS files being splitted into 4GB chunks, which as far as I know is designed to circumvent the 4GB file size limit of the FAT32 file system. What could be the reason for splitting into 1GB chunks ?
    Last edited by abolibibelot; 9th Aug 2019 at 15:42.
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