How do I join MOV files?

[Web Junkie]

I think this belongs in this forum, I did a search too but couldn't find a relevant topic for what I require!

I know I can use QTPro to cut/paste MOV files into one big MOV file, but the ones I have don't allow cut/copy or paste operations in the Edit menu?

Is there any other way to join several MOV files together so they play as one continuous file?

[Mug Funky]

that's a tricky one - i don't know how to do it without recompressing.

you could always join them in avisynth and play back as an avi file, but this isn't ideal (you need to use a VFAPI plugin to decode the movs, and this means converting to rgb24.)

perhaps one of the 3ivx guys can help you - they play with quicktime a lot. most of us here are either windoze or linux boys (usually windows people who wish they were linux peeps :))

[bond]

i assume your .mov files dont use the same resolution etc... thats why you cant merge them in quicktime

this means you will have to reencode them to get them to the same format

[Web Junkie]

:eek: I don't want to muck about with converting/re-encoding :scared:

The MOV files are the same format 007 :) If I choose 'Show Movie Info' from the 'Window' menu of Quicktime Player it shows all the same info apart from 'Duration'!

I think they may have been doctored to stop you editing them within Quicktime itself, a bit like the dreaded DRM crap, except not as draconian!! Question is, how do I un-doctor them if that's the case so I can edit them?

[Stux]

Okay, if your mov files have been doctored to prevent you editing them with QT Pro, then you can probably fix it by remuxing them with the 3ivx tools... this will probably only work if they're using MPEG-4 video and audio (AAC), which is probably unlikely.

The way that this 'copy protection' is done is by adding an 'NSAV' atom to the file (3ivx does not respect this atom)

The problem is to prevent you just opening up the file in a hex editor (or the like) and editing the 'NSAV' atom into a 'free' atom, authors will normally compress the movie headers, so you can't simply edit the atom...

And then you can't use QT to decompress the headers... whcih means you're out-of-luck unless you can use a tool which ignores the NSAV atom but allows you to copy the streams out of the file...

Which 3ivx would do if the streams were MPEG-4

Good luck

PS: I believe Cleaner might allow you to copy *any* QT video/audio/text track out of NSAV protected file... but it does give you a scary warning first ;)