video trimming options - vaious formats

[ZetaVu]

Ok, I have a new favorite video editor - Avidemux. It's open source (GNU GPL) and multiplatform. It's not as robust as Videoredo for mpeg files (not sure if I can get the same quickstream fix repairs of mpeg files, and it doesn't automatically recognize showsqueeze and cutter projects) but it handles a wider assortment of files, including Btv's divx files and Autogk's Xvid files. It does not handle H.264 files well (you either get crashes or might get audio unsync).

I was playing around with Showsqueeze on HD PVR H.264 files (New Battlestar season) and got a pretty good quality Divx to archive, but I was stuck with Commercials. There is a program called h264ts_cutter_v111 (might have a new version by now) that will edit H.264 files, but it is slow and prone to crashes (also you have to change the extension from .tp to .ts, then back again after done). Instead, I first showsqueezed the file using intelligent quality selection, then manually removed the commercials with Avidemux. It takes a little while to open files as it scans and rebuilds various settings, but then navigation, marking and cutting, and saving the new file are very fast. I was able to showsqueeze my 3.5gb H.264 file to a good quality 900mb divx file, and then strip this down to a 600mb commercial free file. Hopefully they will fix the H.264 on this over time. It's also open source so maybe it can be tuner to read smartchapter files, and since it's multiplatform I can run this in lunux without wine (which I need for Videoredo). That and it is free.

Oh, I also tried Handbrake, took about twice as long to showsqueeze an H.264 file to xvid (as BTV to Divx), but it does seem to work. Any other free editors please post as well.

[Bigbird999]

Zeta, how does the quality of your final file compare to say an SD recording of an HD program (svideo from the STB to an analog card)? This is how I archive HD programing that I watch/record/delete from my cableco DVR. The quality of the recordings is not HD, but it is very good, say DVD quality, (at least to these old eyes) on my 42 in plasmas. Not great for sports, but for movies and TV series it is excellent.

What I am asking, is all of this encoding/editing/re-encoding really worth it?

BB

[Terminal]

Originally Posted by ZetaVu

There is a program called h264ts_cutter_v111 (might have a new version by now) that will edit H.264 files, but it is slow and prone to crashes (also you have to change the extension from .tp to .ts, then back again after done).

Actually you don't have to change them back to TP. BTV seems to recognize them fine as TS files.

[ZetaVu]

The divx HD is 1500 kbps, and 29.971 fps. FOr Battlestar it is 720x400 picture size. I haven't compared the compression directly to my sd recording (which I've already wiped) but it is significantly better than an sd recording showsqueezed to the same settings. File size this is 500mb vs 3.5gb (well 2.6 w/o commercials) for mpeg sd. QUality (particularly frame rate and motion) is better than what I get with autogk xvid and pretty good compared to H264 original.