VOB, MPG & Premiere 6.5

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Jim Blacklock
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Joined: Apr 29 2001

Not long back from a boat trip from Moscow to St Petersburgh. For one reason or another did not take my camera, however, the holiday company had a guy taking video throughout the trip and sold them to passengers at the end. I bought the "British" version.
Got home and copied on to my hard drive using DVD Shrink. This resulted in 9 folders but the actual video was split into 3 parts of just over a gigabyte each.
Having previously consulted the forum I changed these files from VOB to MPG and then imported the first into Premiere. Intially tried to play it but instead of being smooth it seemed to jump from frame to frame (played perfectly in Windows Media). I then tried to render the video. Sterted fine but then said it would take 3 hours for just over 17 minutes of video !!
It never makes the 3 hours but freezes less than an eigth of the way through.

Bob Aldis
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Joined: Mar 7 2001

I find that Premiere only really works with stuff that I download straight from camera.

I have a Topfield PVR which allows downloads to the computer and the files from it when converted to mpg always play up and freeze.

BobA

Bob Aldis

Alan Craven
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Joined: Jan 26 2001

PVR mpgs are usually "transport" rather than "program" or "elementary" and give problems with the usual mpg editing software.

Womble will convert them to standard DVD formats if the file extension is changed to .mpg, but it re-encodes and there is some loss of quality.

Haenlein DVR studio Pro will convert this sort of file to program or elementary without re-encoding, and gives much the best results.

Both can be downloaded as free trial versions.

tom hardwick
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Joined: Apr 8 1999

You could try importing them into Windows Movie Maker, as that seems happy with *.mpg files.

Alan Roberts
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This might not be too helpful, but Edius has no problem with DVDs. The new, cut-down version (Neo) is very cheap and should be able to rip the files from the DVD from inside Neo. I kn ow it works in the full version.

Get my test cards document, and cards for 625, 525, 720 and 1080. Thanks to Gavin Gration for hosting them.
Camera settings documents are held by Daniel Browning and at the EBU
My book, 'Circles of Confusion' is available here.
Also EBU Tech.3335 tells how to test cameras, and R.118 tells how to use the results.

Jim Blacklock
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Joined: Apr 29 2001

Thanks folks. So it's not just a matter of changing settings in Premiere ?
Thought I'd try your solutions one by one, starting with Windows Movie Maker as I already have that. Imports fine and plays fine from timeline but can't see how to export back to camera. Assume it will be possible to write directly to DVD.
Also can't find any transitions. Are they not available in Windows Movie Maker ?

tom hardwick
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Joined: Apr 8 1999

Yes, WMM has all sorts of transitions and some very clever titling options - better than my Premiere 6.5 in some instances. The help files are also well laid out and very clear, so go have a read. You can indeed export back to your camera.

tom.

Bob Aldis
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Alan Craven wrote:
PVR mpgs are usually "transport" rather than "program" or "elementary" and give problems with the usual mpg editing software.

Womble will convert them to standard DVD formats if the file extension is changed to .mpg, but it re-encodes and there is some loss of quality.

Haenlein DVR studio Pro will convert this sort of file to program or elementary without re-encoding, and gives much the best results.

Both can be downloaded as free trial versions.

A free program MPEG Stream converts them to mpegs, but premiere, although accepting them doesn't reallly like them and wont allow scrubbing without crashing. DVD workshop will deal with them, but again will crash if scrubbing is tried.

BobA

Bob Aldis

tom hardwick
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I'm just fascinated to know how it is you can just change the file extension from vob to mpg and continue to play these files. I'm betting it's a rather deep explanation that I won't understand.

harlequin
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tom hardwick wrote:
I'm just fascinated to know how it is you can just change the file extension from vob to mpg and continue to play these files. I'm betting it's a rather deep explanation that I won't understand.

a vob is an mpeg with attitude.
it can contain numerous audio channels etc , but must not , as far as i can gather , exceed 1GB in size.

renaming a vob to mpg ( on a pc ) allows the file association to enable double click and open with relevent program.

ok thats my simple explanation ..... i'll await the technical version from those who know better.

i edit mpegs with

edius
womble mpeg editor
videoredo
panasonic moviealbum se

Gary MacKenzie

sepulce@hotmail.com ( an account only used for forum messages )

Thinkserver TS140 , 750ti Graphics card  & LG 27" uws led backlight , Edius 8

Humax Foxsat HD Pvr / Humax Fox T2 dvbt

Danny Lawrence
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Edius availability

The new, cut-down version (Neo) is very cheap ...

Do you know where either the full or a download trial version can be found?

Cheers
Danny

Alan Roberts
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I guess there's a full download version for evaluation, there certainly used to be for the full Edius. Check on the wesite.

Get my test cards document, and cards for 625, 525, 720 and 1080. Thanks to Gavin Gration for hosting them.
Camera settings documents are held by Daniel Browning and at the EBU
My book, 'Circles of Confusion' is available here.
Also EBU Tech.3335 tells how to test cameras, and R.118 tells how to use the results.

Danny Lawrence
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Joined: Oct 1 2007
Alan Roberts wrote:
I guess there's a full download version for evaluation, there certainly used to be for the full Edius. Check on the wesite.

That's the problem: there doesn't seem to be one of Edius Neo. When you go to the Edius Neo section of the site and click on download trial you are only offered a download of the full 4.5 version of Edius. Perhaps I'm missing something but that's how it look to me.
Regards
Danny:confused:

John Disdle
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Joined: Dec 28 2000

I've also tried to find the Neo trial version, without any luck. Logged on and registered, but it just goes round in circles.

Alan Roberts
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I'll see what can be done, Richard Payne should know.

Get my test cards document, and cards for 625, 525, 720 and 1080. Thanks to Gavin Gration for hosting them.
Camera settings documents are held by Daniel Browning and at the EBU
My book, 'Circles of Confusion' is available here.
Also EBU Tech.3335 tells how to test cameras, and R.118 tells how to use the results.

Bob Aldis
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Joined: Mar 7 2001
Danny Lawrence wrote:
That's the problem: there doesn't seem to be one of Edius Neo. When you go to the Edius Neo section of the site and click on download trial you are only offered a download of the full 4.5 version of Edius. Perhaps I'm missing something but that's how it look to me.
Regards
Danny:confused:

Also if you go to the buy link and follow through to the UK link, there are three dealers two of which have no mention of Edius and the third (Holdan) don't seem to have Neo.

I just wanted to get a price.

BobA

Bob Aldis

Alan Roberts
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I've asked Richard to look into this.

Get my test cards document, and cards for 625, 525, 720 and 1080. Thanks to Gavin Gration for hosting them.
Camera settings documents are held by Daniel Browning and at the EBU
My book, 'Circles of Confusion' is available here.
Also EBU Tech.3335 tells how to test cameras, and R.118 tells how to use the results.

Bob Aldis
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Joined: Mar 7 2001

Alan, in the minimum requirements there is a USB port needed for software protection.

I assume thats a dongle, or is there some hardware involved?

BobA

Bob Aldis

Alan Roberts
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It's a dongle. The software's free, you pay for the dongle. That means you can load the software onto as many PCs as you've got, but the dongle will only enable one at a time. I find that no problem.

Get my test cards document, and cards for 625, 525, 720 and 1080. Thanks to Gavin Gration for hosting them.
Camera settings documents are held by Daniel Browning and at the EBU
My book, 'Circles of Confusion' is available here.
Also EBU Tech.3335 tells how to test cameras, and R.118 tells how to use the results.

Bob Aldis
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Joined: Mar 7 2001

Ta

So different dongles for different versions and an upgrade is a new dongle?

BobA

Bob Aldis

Danny Lawrence
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Bob Aldis wrote:
Ta

So different dongles for different versions and an upgrade is a new dongle?

BobA

This is all very interesting but I still don't know where to go to download a trial version of Edius Neo - dongled or not.:confused:

Alan Roberts
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As far as I'm aware, the dongle is the licence, so once you've bought one, you can upgrade away. That's certainly been true from Edius 3 onwards, when I started with Edius.

Get my test cards document, and cards for 625, 525, 720 and 1080. Thanks to Gavin Gration for hosting them.
Camera settings documents are held by Daniel Browning and at the EBU
My book, 'Circles of Confusion' is available here.
Also EBU Tech.3335 tells how to test cameras, and R.118 tells how to use the results.

Alan Roberts
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Joined: May 3 1999

Danny, I've asked Richard Payne about this. He or I will post the answer when he/I get it.

Get my test cards document, and cards for 625, 525, 720 and 1080. Thanks to Gavin Gration for hosting them.
Camera settings documents are held by Daniel Browning and at the EBU
My book, 'Circles of Confusion' is available here.
Also EBU Tech.3335 tells how to test cameras, and R.118 tells how to use the results.

Danny Lawrence
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Joined: Oct 1 2007
Alan Roberts wrote:
Danny, I've asked Richard Payne about this. He or I will post the answer when he/I get it.

Thanks Robert. I appreciate you helping in this way.
Danny
:)

Jim Blacklock
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Joined: Apr 29 2001

So far have succesfully loaded and edited the first gigabyte into Windows Movie Maker. However there seems to be a problem when I play the video back on the computer. There is a substantial zigzag effect on any horizontal camera pan, or movement of people.
Also find that the project is extremely unstable and locks up very easily.

Can't find any render application so assume that that's not the problem.

Jim Blacklock
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Joined: Apr 29 2001

Have just searched the internet for a VOB to AVI converter and come up with AVS Video Converter 5.5. Anyone have any experience of this product or any other VOB to AVI converter. Do they work and would it provide AVI files that would work in Premiere ?

tom hardwick
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Andy E
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Joined: Oct 17 2007
Jim Blacklock wrote:
Have just searched the internet for a VOB to AVI converter and come up with AVS Video Converter 5.5. Anyone have any experience of this product or any other VOB to AVI converter. Do they work and would it provide AVI files that would work in Premiere ?

Personally, I didn't have much luck with AVS Video Converter. I've been using a program alluded to at the start of this thread called MPEG StreamClip available at the following address:

http://www.squared5.com/

For me it has converted both VOBS and VRO files without problem to DV-AVI which I've then used in Premiere.

Hope that helps.

Andy.

Bob Aldis
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Andy E wrote:
Personally, I didn't have much luck with AVS Video Converter. I've been using a program alluded to at the start of this thread called MPEG StreamClip available at the following address:

http://www.squared5.com/

For me it has converted both VOBS and VRO files without problem to DV-AVI which I've then used in Premiere.

Hope that helps.

Andy.

Only ever used MPEG Streamclip for converting to MPEG. I will have to try the DV-AVI sometime.

BobA

Bob Aldis

Bob Aldis
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Tried a small clip and it worked fine, the more I use MPEG Streamclip the more impressed I am with it.

BobA

Bob Aldis

tom hardwick
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Joined: Apr 8 1999

Andy - I can't get anything to download from the MPEG Streamclip site - any more thoughts on how to get the program?

Gavin Gration
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Joined: Jul 29 1999

Downloads are working here Tom - at 315k I could email it to you......

tom hardwick
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Joined: Apr 8 1999

Would you? Thanks Gavin

tomrhardwick 'at' gmail.com

Gavin Gration
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Joined: Jul 29 1999

Done

Jim Blacklock
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Joined: Apr 29 2001

Tom, any chance you could forward it on to me as I'm having the same problem - Jim.Blacklock@NTLWorld.com.
Would be much appreciated.

tom hardwick
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Joined: Apr 8 1999

I would Jim, but nothing's arrived from Gavin. I don't think this program is meant for me.

PaulD
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Joined: Aug 31 2002

Hi Tom
Gmail won't accept attachments that contain a zipped executable file - so the email gets bounced, with error Reason 552.5.7.0 Illegal Attachment.

Alan Craven
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Joined: Jan 26 2001

I have just downloaded both V1.1 (491 kb) and the new V1.2b2 beta (315 kB) of Streamclip, in less than 10 seconds. Oh, the joys of being 100 metres from the exchange with new copper!.

It is no use to me but I can send either/both to anyone who would like a copy.

Gavin Gration
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Joined: Jul 29 1999

Hi Tom,

I've resent the files with .old file extension. If they get through you need to rename them .zip

Andy E
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Joined: Oct 17 2007

Hope everyone who needs it has managed to download a copy. If not it is also available from the Videohelp site here:

http://www.videohelp.com/tools/MPEG_StreamClip

Choose "Download from mirror download"

Andy.

Jim Blacklock
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Joined: Apr 29 2001

Paul, thanks very much for e-mail and download, it was very good of you. Received okay and unzipped okay. The first time I used the program to convert my VOB to AVI I set quality to 100%. Took a long time but eventually crashed at 60% complete with the message "write error or disk full". There was plenty of space on the disk.
Just tried it again at 50% and it completed. Looked at it using Windows Media and it played fine. However when I tried to import the file into Premiere I got the message "Unable to open that file. Fle uses an unsupported compression format"

Andy E
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Joined: Oct 17 2007

What settings did you use in the Export to AVI screen?

Jim Blacklock
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Joined: Apr 29 2001

I changed frame size to 720x576 (DV-PAL) & set Field Dominance to Lower Field First. The rest I left as they were
Compression - Apple Photo - JPEG
Interlaced scaling ticked
Reinterlace chroma ticked
Zoom - 100%
Rotation = No
X/Y = 1

Sound MPEG Layer 2 stereo auto 256 kbps

Andy E
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Joined: Oct 17 2007

Ah I can see the problem. You need to change the compression drop-down to Apple DV-PAL. It's no surprise that Premiere choked on it. It's also no surprise that I spotted it so quickly since I did exactly the same thing first time round. :)

Make sure Audio is also set to "Uncompressed".

Once you change the compression, it should choose the other settings for you apart from audio IIRC. Click on the options button if you need to change to 16:9 and then click on the presets button to save your choices for next time.

Hope that helps.

Andy.

Jim Blacklock
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Joined: Apr 29 2001

Magic - worked a treat. Thanks to all for advice and help.