Merge .AVI files or .mpg files in TMPGE?????

[dannee]

I capture in DV.AVI format in Movie Star as this is my only choice since I am using Hollywood Bridge via Firewire.

My question Is: At what point can I use Merge in TMPGE?

I have 4 .AVI files when I get to TMPGE. Can I join the .AVI files in Merge thereby having one large .AVI file so I can convert to .mpg for VCD all at once (overnight\ 4 hours) & then DE-MUX\RE-MUX or do I need to convert to .mpg first, one clip at a time and then go to Merge?

If I have to wait until it is .mpg or I choose not to spend the extra time it takes to merge the files in the same format I already have them in-------
do I Merge, then DE-MUX\RE-MUX, or do I DE-MUX\RE-MUX each .mpg file and then Merge, or does the order I do it in matter?

Thanks in advance,

dannee

[Gargoyle]

TMPEGenc "merge" function will only work with MPEG1 / 2 files.
My suggestions:
1) try to use virtualDub to join your AVI files (open 1st file, then use the 'Append AVI Segment' to add the other 3 AVIs), then frameserve to TMPEGenc
OR
2) load the 1st AVI file into TMPEGenc, adjust settings (or load template) to your liking, then "save project" - repeat for the other 3, then use the 'Batch encode" to load all 4 project files, encode them, then use the 'merge' to join the resulting MPEG files.
After joining, then do the De-mux / Re-mux - you may not need to, but it can't hurt...

[rijir2001]

Hi,

The only problem with merging the files in TMPEG after they are converted to MPEGs is that you will get an audio glitch half of the time between each merged file. It is a very unacceptable glitch too that is much louder than the audio on the clip itself. I myself am still seaching for a good freeware mpeg joiner.

Russ

[dannee]

Thanks Gargoyle,

I think I'll try the batch encode. I wasn't sure how it would work but it sounds like it's just what I need if I need to be away and can't be here to load each one separately and wait for approx. 80 min. to load the next one. I have tried the merge on two movies where I merged after De-mux\Re-mux then De-mu\ Re-mux again just to be sure. The movie turned out good and I didn't have any problem with sound like the other member suggested but I also know it could happen any time. I wasn't sure if I was repeating steps needlessly.

Thanks,
dannee

[BKL]

I too use the Hollywood DV-Bridge. I use MainActor DV-Capture, but have also used Ulead VideoStudio 6 to capture to Mpeg files directly. Now using TMPGenc to do all my processing.

[dannee]

Hi BKL,

U-lead is sending me Video 5 so I will be able to capture in Mpeg. Do you find any difference in the finished product capturing in DV AVI vs Mpeg? Does U-lead Video let you capture in unlimited file size? If so then I would not have to join them in TMPGE or is it still separate files that need to be joined?

The version I have is v.4 which came with my Firewire card and it is their bundled version and Mpeg capture is not an option unless I upgrade to the full version. However I'm having a problem with U-lead DVD Movie Factory which I got to make menu and chapters. For some reason, which so far they have not been able to explain, I can not join my .mpg files using their "Make Movie" if the files were encoded in TMPGE. Everything works fine if I have just one file ( still encoded in TMPGE ) but not if I want to join them in their program. I get weird pinging sounds and the video is messed up several seconds before the clips are joined and last for several seconds after the union. The tech thinks it may have something to do with TMPGE codecs vs. U-lead codecs, or something to do with headers and footers (whatever that is?). Anyway, they want me to use their codecs to convert to Mpeg and then bring them in to Movie Factory to join with their "Make Movie" and see what happens. They are sending me Video 5 free so why not experiment? I'm game!!

Also you say you have Main Actor. Did you get Video Wave as well?
Both Main Actor and Video Wave came with my Hollywood Bridge. I could not get Video Wave to work in Win XP so I called Dazzle and they said I needed to upgrade and so they sent me Movie Star which comes with the Hollywood Bridge now. It has something called "background rendering" but I have not had a chance to try it.

Please let me know if you can see a difference in DV AVI vs Mpeg after all the encoding in TMPGE and in the VCD. If there is no difference in the final project then it sure would save some time going in to TMPGE with a Mpeg clip.

[BKL]

I started with Ulead VS 4 and have been through VS 5 and then 6. Ulead with Win98/ME faces the same 4G limit due to FAT32. Using an OS suporting NTFS will eliminate this. Personally, I use Win98SE. I haven't tried using VirtualDub yet, but I understand it will let you edit your AVI files and send them to TMPGenc for encoding without having to create an intermediate edited AVI file, so this should save time and HD space and may also eliminate any possible audio noise sometimes associated with merging MPEg files.
For best quality, capturing in AVI and then converting to MPEG gives the best results. If you are making VCDs, then I would probably cap straight to MPEG-1 using Ulead VideoStudio 6 andyou should be pleased with the results. Personally, when I capture movies, etc., I cap AVi and convert, but for general use how-to videos I just cap straight to MPEG-1 and make a VCD.
The cheaper DVD tools all seem to make relatively large MPEG-2 files, so I am looking at getting Ulead DVD Workshop or DVDit PE (the cheaper DVDit also appears to make larger files due to how it processes audio), but both of these packages cost $200+!!! ADS Technologies offers a Firewire card with the FULL versions of Adobe Premiere and DVD Workshop for as low as $250 or so (www.cruxworks.com), so you get the card and $1000 worth of software at a good price. I have read that Dazzle's DVD Complete will also produce good results, but I haven't verified this with the free trial. I have read both good and bad reviews on DVD Complete.
I have VideoWave, but prefer Ulead's products.
I think you will find the DV-bridge to give you very good captures whether you cap AVI or straight to MPEG.
Again, if making a VCD, I cap straight to MPEG-1. For best DVD quality, AVI cap and then converting to MPEG-2 gives the best results.
If you haven't checked out KWAG's work at www.kvcd.net, be sure to check his stuff. His KDVD template for TMPGenc gives very compact high quality MPEG-2 files, as long as you have a product such as DVD Workshop that will convert them to VOB for DVD use without reencoding them to larger sizes. Good Luck!

[BKL]

I just wanted to add that I was wrong about needing DVD Workshop or another similarly high-priced program to get my KDVD TMPGenc files converted to VFOB for DVD recording. Turns out Ulead VideoStudio 6 will let you open the file into the Storyboard and then select Export to bring up the DVD Wizard and create the VOB files without reencoding. I was pleased to find that I won't need to spend big bucks just to get my TMPGenc files converted without reencoding. Just goes to show I should read the manual!

[dannee]

Hi BKL,

I have not done anything with DVD or Mpeg2 yet, just VCD. I'll probably stay with VCD for a while due to the high cost of blank DVD's.
I am using XP but Movie Star still puts the video clips in separate 4GB files which still have to be joined. I can capture a whole 2 hr. movie in one capture but again, they are separated into 4GB clips that have to be joined at some point. If I join them while still in .AVI format then I have (2) >20GB files until one is deleted only after the one is joined (that is a lot of space and that is just for one hour!). As long as the quality is good I'll probably start capturing in Mpeg1 as soon as I get Video 5. But if I see that quality drops off a lot as compared to .AVI then I'll just have to deal with the huge files. So far, combining them in Tmpg as Mpeg has worked really well and I am very pleased with the quality. Everyone who has looked at the movies agrees that they look much better as a VCD & played in the DVD player than they do when played as VHS in a VCR. I know people say that you only get as good as your source but so far the VCD look better, enough for people to notice.

When you capture in .AVI format, where do you join the clips and at what stage? If it weren't for the slight pause between clips when burned in Nero, I wouldn't even worry about joining the smaller clips because then I could use the (skip) on the remote control (like chapters without menus) but "darn it" you can't get passed that slight pause. If I wasn't a perfectionist I would just let it go at that, but I can't, at least not yet. I'm still hoping they can get the bugs out of Movie Factory. Then I would be home-free!

Good Luck to You!

[BKL]

Since I use TMPGenc, I use the Wizard to setup a batch conversion process and then use the MPWG tools in TMPGenc. Over the course of a 2 hr show, I usually see no more than a .2-.3 sec difference in length between the audio and video portions. Normally, I don't seem to have a problem with clicks. I haven't tried it, but I wonder f using VirtualDub or AviSynth as a frameserver to TMPGenc might allow the .avi files tobe fed to TMPGenc in a more or less continuous manner, allowing the creation of a single MPEG file and avoiding anmy possile sync problems. I have only started looking at VirtualDub, since I have usually had no problems with joining MPEG files together after they have been produced from .AVIs.