Re: Editing MPEG-(?)


"couchpotatoe" <pandd@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1153305321.510509.299820@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Is MPEG format editable using whatever video package on a PC.

Not using "whatever video package," but yes, though with a qualifier.
Standard definition mpeg is a delivery format, not a capture or editing
format. Mpeg uses temporal compression, i.e. the frames that come before
are used to calculate the compression for the frames that come after -- in
theory, only changed data is preserved. This makes editing difficult
because frames subsequent to the reference frames must be uncompressed and
then re-transcoded back to mpeg to apply effects, titles, color correction,
transitions or even frame-accurate cuts.

Everything depends on what you mean by "editing." If all you want to do is
cut out and re-arrange material, a problem like VideoReDo can handle that
efficiently. If you want to do more, there are a very, very few consumer
editing programs that handle things like transitions and titles -- Womble is
one that seems to be mentioned often.

However, the full editing packages, e.g.Microsoft Movie, which is free,
Studio Adobe Premiere Elements on the entry-level side, or Premiere Pro or
Sony Vegas at the prosumer level, do not easily handle mpeg2 -- you'll need
either the latest versions of either or expensive plug-ins for earlier
versions, and an extremely powerful computer with a lot of memory.

The standard for editing consumer and prosumer standard-definition video is
not mpeg, but D-25, i.e. miniDV. This is easily edited, supported by
virtually all PC-based editing packages, and easily transcoded to mpeg so
that it can be burned to DVD.

DVD camcorders, hard-drive camcorders and memory card camcorders all use
mpeg2 and, at the consumer level, are entry-level gadgets intended for users
whose interest in video goes no further than shooting their kids' birthday
parties and producing unedited DVDs to give to the grandparents.

MiniDV camcorders run the gamut from the cheap-and-crappy that appeal to the
demographic described above to prosumer and professional cameras capable of
filming Hollywood features (Open Water and 26 Days Later were shoot with
prosumer miniDV camcorders).

I had
thought that MPEG-2 format was DVD format and the compression made this
non editable?

Standard definition DVDs use a susbset of the mpeg2 spec. As noted above,
though not impossible to edit, it is very difficult.


I note that a number of 2nd hand DV tape camcorders record to MPEG-1
while the newer models record to MPEG EX or something. Are these
formats fundementally different than MPEG-2?

HDV, the consumer high-definition digitial video standard, uses mpeg2, but
in a form that is incompatible with the spec for standard-definition DVDs.
Among other things, it is capable of a bit rate of nearly 25 mbps, whereas
DVDs are limited to around 8 mbps.


This is a followup to my previous post about "Pass through" function on
Camcorders. Not wanting to convert an analogue signal to digital only
to find that I am not able to "fiddle" with it once on my PC.

If you are concerned about the quality of your video, do not convert video
from an analog camcorder to digital unless you also purchase a high quality
capture card (NOT the consumer cards that are available for a couple of
hundred dollars). Buy a miniDV camcorder and transfer (not "capture") the
video from the camcorder to your computer via the 1394/Firewire port. The
video will be stored as a DV-codec-encoded AVI which, in turn, can be edited
with virtually any PC-based editing package. When you're finished
"fiddling," transcode the project to mpeg2, author the DVD and burn it.
There are entry-level all-in-one programs that will accomplish this. For
the best quality, though, you'll want to use a dedicated stand-alone program
for each step. By doing that, you can produce DVDs at home that approach
the quality of commercial DVDs.


TIA

Perry



.

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