Video Editing

[Guest]

Hi,

I have been using for a while, but after having some issues, am going to try and get myself moved accross to Linux Completly (plus my virus subscription is due soon )

1. I am looking at converting Topfiled .rec files (I understand they are simular to .ts files) to .mpg, does anyone know how I can achieve this ideally with a simple command line that I can run which would give me a combined video & audio mpeg output file, I have used ProjectX in the past, but never got it to work properly (Usually I have 2 output files or the audio is out of sync)

2. Also looking at some software that can allow me to Edit the .mpg files, I have tried Avidemux, but again I have had audio/video sync problems

3. This should be the easiest, I also need to be able to on occasions write the .mpg files to DVd Video disks, so any software which can create the DVD disks easily would be helpful.


Thanks,



Gavin,

[shane]

1- will these files play in mplayer? if they do, then the easiest way would be to use mencoder to convert the files to .avi or whatever... Most of these extensions are simply containers that still have the audio encoded in some common format such as mp3 and video also as divx... or some other common formats. In this case you should just copy the video and audio streams and not re-encode them. This way you do not lose any quality. A simple command to do this with mencoder would be something like this:

Code: Select all

mencoder original-file.rec -oac copy -ovc copy -o output-file.avi

Read this: http://web.njit.edu/all_topics/Prog_Lan ... oding.html

If you want a GUI for mencoder... use AcidRip... simply enter the directory path instead of DVD in the Load field.

http://untrepid.com/acidrip/

2- Have a look at Kdenlive This has been a life saver for me when it comes to video editing. It has quite a few fancy effects too.

http://www.kdenlive.org/

3- have a look at devede. It really makes making DVDs a breeze.

http://www.rastersoft.com/programas/devede.html

All these are available in the repositories!

[rhodry]

OK, usual disclaimer here. There are many ways to do things in Linux, but I have a Topfield PVR producing .rec files and this has worked EVERY time ( in various distros including Mint) for me to turn them into dvds. YMMV.

1. Create a folder (called DVD or whatever) under your /home to keep this work together. Place .rec file(s) in this folder. (say test.rec)

2. Load the .rec file into ProjectX and demux it. The only change from default setup is that you must set 'PreSettings' options under 'audio' to 'Fill gaps with prev.frame' ie turn that option on with a tick in the box.

This will create 2 or 3 files, depending on source; a test.m2v - the video file, test.m2a(or mp2) - a stereo audio file, and test.ac3 - a digital surround audio file. This is 'demuxing'.

3. Now you need to 'mux' the files back together encoding the output as a "dvd compliant" mpg file. This is really important - not all .mpg files are "dvd compliant" in their natural state!! To do this I use a program called 'mplex' at a terminal command line. It is part of the mjpegtools package that is in the repos. Install mjpegtools & you get mplex. Read 'man mplex' to understand its options. It is important to choose the right options to get the right sort of mpg file. Particularly, I am in a PAL area so I use option '8' whereas someone in NTSC area will use something else ( I think 7 but can't remember). It's all in the man page. Here is the command I would use:

$ mplex -f 8 -o test-output.mpg test.m2v test.ac3

- this command uses format 8 (pal dvd) and creates a file called test-output.mpg or whatever you want to call it, using the demuxed video file and ONE of the demuxed audio files. You choose the audio file on the basis of how high you want the final dvd audio quality to be. stereo is much smaller file size than digital ac3.

You now have a "dvd compliant" mpg file in the form of test-output.mpg, fully synced.

4. I then use Avidemux to load and edit that mpg file - you must let Avidemux index the file when asked or it will not edit properly. My editing is minimal, usually just deleting ad breaks. When edited use the 'auto' option in Avidemux to create the final dvd files.

5. I then design the dvd with DeVeDe if necessary - only if I want menus etc.

5. I use K3b to burn the dvd from the folders created by DeVeDe (or Avidemux). I only burn to dvd-r - that's a compatibility thing.

I delete all the files except the re-muxed .mpg ( test-output.mpg in this example) which I archive to external video storage.

I have done many many dvds this way and have only ever had one not work, which I burned too fast.

As I said, others will have other methods but I hope this helps.

Rhodry.