Need some help to demux MOV/AVC file ...

[MarcioAB]

I need some help to figure how to accomplish this task:

The source are several small MOV (QuickTime) files containing H264 (avc1) video from a Kodak Zi8 camera.

The need is to remove some scenes from some files and merge all files in a single one. The big condition is: No re-encode (all splits on keyframes).

The final container is not an issue. Can be the same as the source (MOV) but MKV, WMV, etc are also welcome containers.

A big plus will be if the audio kept synchronized after all.

Is there a single product that I can do all this ?


In the mean time, I found SolveigMM Video Splitter could be this product but got a road block because this product does not work with MOV files, so I need to remux in one of it's supported containers like MTS, MPG, WMV (and others, but no MOV).

How can I demux MOV and re-mux as MTS, MPG or WMV without any single re-encode ?

Thank you
Marcio

[poisondeathray]

For simple cutting & appending videos that begin in mov container, I find quicktime pro is the best, but it's not free

Other free options would be mp4box (or a gui for it like yamb), avidemux (supports many formats & containers), or remux into mkv with mkvtoolnix and use mkvtoolnix to split & append .

[Blue_MiSfit]

For this type of task, QuickTime Pro is a good choice. Wow I can't believe I actually reccommended using QuickTime for something (!)

MEPG Streamclip should be fine as well, since it lets you use QT Pro features without buying QT Pro ;)

Derek

[MarcioAB]

Well, Ambarella AVC (used by Kodak Zi8) is knocking me out.

MEPG Streamclip can not render this MOV/AVC file.

I can remux the content from MOV/AVC to MP4/AVC (with MP4Box/Yamb).
Then, split the MP4/AVC with Yamb/MP4Box is possible but ... complicated, not practical.

I can render the remuxed MP4/AVC with VLC but I can not render with Media Player Classic even with ffdshow MPEG-4, neither with MEGUI/AviSynth script creator.

MEGUI says I do not have the correct filters. What should be the correct filters ?

SolveigMM Video Splitter is nice to split supported files by keyframes but it does not support AVC.

So, QuickTime Pro .. before I buy it, is that correct I can split & merge MOV/AVC files by keyframes and no transcode ? I can not find that information in Apple site and there is no demo version.

Thank you
Marcio

[poisondeathray]

MEPG Streamclip can not render this MOV/AVC file.



Do you have quicktime alternative installed with it? Try that before spending any money . You can also try avidemux (but it won't export mov container, you will re-wrap into mp4)



So, QuickTime Pro .. before I buy it, is that correct I can split & merge MOV/AVC files by keyframes and no transcode ? I can not find that information in Apple site and there is no demo version.



Yes it can. But it's not that elegant of a solution either. You basically cut & paste . You can have multiple instances open and copy & paste sections from one to another. There is no timeline like a real editor

If you want to upload a sample specific from your camera I can volunteer test it out for you to see if it's compatible

[MarcioAB]

Do you have quicktime alternative installed with it? Try that before spending any moneyJust installed. It requested to uninstall QuickTime, what I did. Now, the QuickTime Preferences panel says QuickTime 7 Pro, but there is no GUI ... ?
You can also try avidemux (but it won't export mov container, you will re-wrap into mp4)AviDemux says:
H.264 detected: If the file is using B-frames as reference it can lead to a crash or sturrering. Avidemux can use another mode which is safe but YOU WILL LOSE FRAME ACCURACY. Do you want to use that mode?

I said NO. Then it says ...

Index is not up to date: You should use Tool>Rebuild frame. Do it now ?

I said NO again, because with YES it will crash.

Anyway, AviDemux seems to be the most promising path so far.
Yes it can. But it's not that elegant of a solution either. You basically cut & paste . You can have multiple instances open and copy & paste sections from one to another. There is no timeline like a real editorOk. But ... AviDemux seems to be not that elegant also. Is there a real "no-transcode-based" editor I can use ?
If you want to upload a sample specific from your camera I can volunteer test it out for you to see if it's compatibleGreat, thank you. Where can I upload it ? The sample is 19 MB.

[nm]

AviDemux says:
H.264 detected: If the file is using B-frames as reference it can lead to a crash or sturrering. Avidemux can use another mode which is safe but YOU WILL LOSE FRAME ACCURACY. Do you want to use that mode?

I said NO.

Say YES here.

[poisondeathray]

Just installed. It requested to uninstall QuickTime, what I did. Now, the QuickTime Preferences panel says QuickTime 7 Pro, but there is no GUI ... ?


mpegstreamclip works with quicktime pro (which I have installed) , but also works with quicktime alternative (the free version) . I can't debug this for you because I have quicktime pro , so someone that has quicktime alternative will have to sort it out for you . IIRC there is a special version of quicktime alternative on the author's homepage to be used with mpegstreamclip




Anyway, AviDemux seems to be the most promising path so far.
Ok. But ... AviDemux seems to be not that elegant also. Is there a real "no-transcode-based" editor I can use ?



quicktime pro is just as "inelegant" or maybe even worse. You are basically using instances of the player ("I" to mark in "o" to mark out, then trim or copy & paste selections)

the mkvtoolnix and mp4box options are even less elegant than that (no video preview)

There is no cuts only editor that I know of that has a timeline or organized like a real editor. They all decode to RGB internally (so complete re-encoding)

Another option might be videoredo beta which handles h.264 (not just mpeg2). It's not free, but it even smart renders (not limited to keyframe cuts). It was buggy and prone to crashes when I tested it, but that was a long time ago when the earlier betas came out.


Great, thank you. Where can I upload it ? The sample is 19 MB.

You can upload to a free hosting site e.g. mediafire.com, sendspace.com . You can PM the link if you want

[MarcioAB]

Another option might be videoredo beta which handles h.264 (not just mpeg2). It's not free, but it even smart renders (not limited to keyframe cuts). It was buggy and prone to crashes when I tested it, but that was a long time ago when the earlier betas came out.This was a great suggestion, thank you. I own a license of VideoReDo Plus (back to 2007, mpeg2 age) so I'm evaluating this new AVC version. So far so good but need more test.