What is mpeg2?

mpeg2 video editing software (saving to DIVX)

• I have a ton of mpeg2 files copied from my ReplayTV. I want some software that will allow me to edit those files, clip off the bits I don't want, and then save the result in DIVX (avi) format. Specifically, I want to be able to open an mpeg2 file, select a position in the timeline, click play to watch the movie and then click a button to indicate that this point is the start of a cut then then move to another place and click something else to select the end of the cut and then click apply to cut that bit out. Basically, I want to clip the ends off and the commercials out. I know there are tons of mpeg splitters and whatnot out there, but I don't want software that requires that I figure out the specific times to start and stop the cut or which only work from the command line. I want something that just allows me to navigate the video and edit it. I don't care anything about saving videos to DVDs or VCDs or anything like that. Being able to save to DIVX format would be preferable due to its higher compression than mpeg2.

• Answer:

  Hi, VirtualDubMod allows you to do what you require. You can download VirtualDubMod from: VirtualDubMod http://virtualdubmod.sourceforge.net/ 1. Editing your file Once you've installed it and run it. You need to open the file using VirtualDubMod. Either drag and drop the file, or use the File->Open menu. It needs to do some conversion process for MPEG2 files, so that might take some time. Once the file is open, use the slider at the bottom to move around the file. Go to the start of the clip you want to cut. Then click on the button that looks like a "P" turned left by 90 degrees. It's the second button from the right in this picture: http://www.esgroup.org/modules/My_eGallery/gallery/manuales/manOGM/virtualdubmod.jpg Then go the the end of the clip and click on the button on the right. You should now have a highlighted section in blue. Using the Edit->Cut menu, you cut out that part of the clip. 2. Saving your file as DivX Go to the Video menu and make sure that "Full Processing Mode" is selected. If you then go to Video->Compression, you can choose DivX and configure the codec for bitrate, resolution etc. By default the audio is copied over as-is. If you want to recompress the audio. Go the Streams->Stream list. Right click on the audio stream and change "Direct Stream Copy" to "Full Processing Mode". Right click on compression, and choose the new codec. Clicking on File->Save as Avi, will save your file to the specified location with the specified codecs. Depending on the DivX settings you chose, and the speed of your computer, it can take anything from "half real-time" to "twice as long as real-time" to convert and save the file. If you need anymore help or advice, please do not hesitate to ask. Thanks. endo