Cutting MPG files

[readingril]

Anyone have software recommendation for cutting MPG files into more manageable sizes?

[stanger89]

Video ReDo, Womble MPEG VCR are the favorites around here, quick and easy.

[readingril]

Thanks.

After posting this I downloaded a program called Easy Video Splitter to try... but it says the MPEG format is invalid. Would this be a codec problem? The program's website didn't have a whole lot of info on it.

[ruel]

there is DVtool at http://www.musclesoft.de/combatman/s...ol.html&lang=e -- in addition to DVtool's capability to split a mpeg file, DVtool has other functions including DVD backup and an IFO editor. i've only tried out the split and merge capabilities. i'm using public release version 0.53 of DVtool.

DVtool will cut without re-coding. so it's fast. and it's easy to use once you figure out how it works. if you just want to copy the mpeg to a DVD-R without doing any editing (like if you don't care that your mpeg of a two-hour TV recording still has commercials in it), then you may want to try out DVtool if you want be able to play the mpeg on a standalone DVD player. i have one of those standalone DVD players that is DVD-R compatible and that can play mpegs off of DVD-R data discs. however, the whole mpeg can't be a single file that is larger than 2gig -- or else the DVD player may only show a file directory on the TV screen and refuse to play the mpeg when you hit the play button on the remote control. for example, i would use DVtool to split a 3gig mpeg file into two files (each split file under 2gig) in about 8-9 minutes time and then copy the split files to a DVD-R. when playing the split mpeg files on my standalone DVD player, the files are played one after another seemlessly with only a quick momentary pixelation on the screen when you go from the end of the first split file to the beginning of the next split file.

(of course, you can burn a single 4gig mpeg file to a DVD-R and play the whole mpeg as a single file on the PC, but there's no joy when my standalone DVD player won't play it.)

DVtool can merge split mpeg files back into one single file but i found that you may lose a second or a few seconds at the merge point. but if the split is somehow miraculously made during a commercial in the mpeg recording, then it may not matter if you lose anything during a merge. if the split is made elsewhere and if you want to "merge" the files, then you may want to use another mpeg editor software program to do a "merge" -- i personally prefer using NeroVision for editing videos and authoring DVD-video files.

also when copying the split files over to a DVD-R, if you use Nero like i do to copy the files over to the DVD-R, then use Nero Burning Rom and not Nero Express. Nero Express may choke when trying to read the beginning of split-up sections of your mpeg as Nero Express tries to display a frame from the video on the Nero Express window panel. so, for those who have Nero, use Nero Burning Rom to burn the mpeg files to a DVD-R.

ruel