Video Splitter

[seekermeister]

I have a number of MKV and MPG videos that are joined features that I want to separate, however I have been trying out a few programs, and they either don't work, or lack the ability to locate the split point by visually browsing through the video.

I do want something that is freeware...is there something that will do the job?

 

[Arc]

Try Media Cope .

Set the start time and end time, and set the output format . It supports a lot of formats .

 

[seekermeister]

I just tried it, and didn't get far. I couldn't use the link that you gave, because the website was ultra slow to open, and when I selected the download, it froze at .1%. So I went to Major Geeks and downloaded it from there without any problem, except that the file size was ~.2GB larger than it should have been. That may be due to the fact that the installation wizard included an option to install some search toolbar...which I opted out on.

The first time that I tried to use the program, it froze the system when I selected a video file for it to load. On reboot, It tried it once more, and though it didn't freeze as before, and it did display the video, I found no means to determine the exactly split location by time. Therefore, I just stopped the playback at the desired point, hoping that I could instruct it to split there. However, while the video stopped as it should, the audio continued in loop, which continue even after shutting the program down. I stopped the audio by termininating something called mplayer in the Task Manager.

Before doing that, I went to the cutting screen, but nothing on it seemed to work. Maybe I'm just doing something wrong, but I found no help file. Do you have any idea of where I went astray?

 

[seekermeister]

I kept fiddling with it, and I think that I got it to work. Won't know until it finishes cutting the first video. I guess this is going to take longer that I hoped, because it appears that it goes through the file at normal playing speed.

 

[Arc]

I can describe what I do with this program . I open media cope, and then go the the Audio\video cutter tab. IN this tab, click on the open button .... a file browser appears. Select my desired file, and then select the starting point of the clip using the seek slider, and select the end point by the same way, that is using seek slider.

The next button is play selected, I usually dont touch it. The next is for the output format... select mkv or whatever you like. The next button is quality .... generally shows a text medium on it. I change it to same quality. Then it is the save button . click on it, and put the target destination of the output clip, usually it is desktop for me . The clip is processed then, and gives excellent result.



Hope it helps .

Edit : Longer encoding time = better output quality and the reverse. There are many a programs makes those things faster .... but the output quality is not upto the mark .

 

[seekermeister]

I did get it to split one joined video, but I don't know that I will have the patience to continue with it, because on the last one, it did as before and went into an audio loop when I selected the end point. I went into the Task Manager and killed the mplayer, which stopped the loop, but that was replaced by a loud buzzing sound that I couldn't kill until rebooting. I turned the audio down, until it has finished making that last clip, and it and the other video are good, but the problems that I'm having with the program are very annoying.

 

[seekermeister]

Update...not finding a better alternative, I went back to fiddling with Media Cope, and I found a solution. Just mute it before beginning a video, and it works great! Thanks for the tip.

 

[kado897]

This will allow you to cut and convert most video formats. Freemake | Best Freeware Alternatives To Paid Video Software

 

[seekermeister]

I've tried Freemake, and I didn't like it. I can't remember now why, but I rarely make u-turns on a computer.

 

[kado897]

I've tried Freemake, and I didn't like it. I can't remember now why, but I rarely make u-turns on a computer.

Everyone to his own. I've tried quite a few myself and Freemake Converter offers the simplest(if you want it to be) yet most complete solution I have found. It is also very fast with hardware accelleration. It can rip a full length DVD movie to mp4 in 45 minutes.

 

[seekermeister]

Since I broke my own rule, and retried FreeMake as a converter, I thought that I should post my thoughts about it. While it is quick for the purpose of converting files, I doubt that I will ever use it for ripping, because I have faster encoders than it. My main objection to using it for a converter is that I found no means to adjust the output quality of videos. This is not to say that it's output is poor, because comparing it to Media Code, it has about the same size and quality of Media Code's highest quality output. The problem with that is that the file sizes are larger than I really care for. With Media Cope, there are 5 preset choices available, as well as a custom setting, which permits me to get a size and quality combination that I prefer. With FreeMake, the file size of a 1:34 video was ~ 1.19GBs, which many people would consider small, but not I. If all of my videos were that large, the 1400 videos that I now have on my 1.5TB HD would probably not fit. As it is, I still have 800GBs of free space.

I did not check for every input/output format available, but it only seemed comparable to Media Code's. Therefore, the only particular positive that I found with FreeMake was speed. I'm not saying that is insignificant, only that there is more to consider than that.

 

[kado897]

Since I broke my own rule, and retried FreeMake as a converter, I thought that I should post my thoughts about it. While it is quick for the purpose of converting files, I doubt that I will ever use it for ripping, because I have faster encoders than it. My main objection to using it for a converter is that I found no means to adjust the output quality of videos. This is not to say that it's output is poor, because comparing it to Media Code, it has about the same size and quality of Media Code's highest quality output. The problem with that is that the file sizes are larger than I really care for. With Media Cope, there are 5 preset choices available, as well as a custom setting, which permits me to get a size and quality combination that I prefer. With FreeMake, the file size of a 1:34 video was ~ 1.19GBs, which many people would consider small, but not I. If all of my videos were that large, the 1400 videos that I now have on my 1.5TB HD would probably not fit. As it is, I still have 800GBs of free space.

I did not check for every input/output format available, but it only seemed comparable to Media Code's. Therefore, the only particular positive that I found with FreeMake was speed. I'm not saying that is insignificant, only that there is more to consider than that.

I agree about the lack of filters and such. However the product is only one year old and still under active development. There are requests outstanding for those sort of improvements which have not been rejected. So hopefully in the future. The file sizes can be a problem but you do have the facility to to adjust the frame size, the frame rate and bit rate to influence the size. What that will do to quality is another matter.

 

[seekermeister]

It doesn't have anything to do with FreeMake, but I have been wondering how some videos that I download, such as from Hulu, which are .flv, are smaller in size than anything that I can rip myself, yet the quality is just as good? I have a lot of downloaded full-length movies that are only ~300MBs. If I attempt to target a file of that size, the quality will be shot.

 

[kado897]

Yes, very strange. I've noticed that too. I've also noticed that some so called HD movies you download are poor quality also. I guess that if you start with really good quality you tend to end up with a reasonable quality no matter how much you compress it.

 

[seekermeister]

Is it possible to compress a file more than what the typical encoder does within any particular format?

 

[kado897]

I think the compression is done primarily by varying the frame rate and bit rate. You can also decrease the frequency of "key" frames with some converters.

 

[seekermeister]

That sounds like the compression is accomplished by removing parts of the video, which is going to effect quality. How about keeping everything and just compressing it closer together?

 

[kado897]

I don't think you can do lossless compression on videos. have you ever tried zipping one (or any other type). It just doesn't work very well.

 

[seekermeister]

I'll take your word for it...there is a lot of things that I haven't done. I found a Wikipedia article that said:

Lossless compression

Some forms of data compression are lossless. This means that when the data is decompressed, the result is a bit-for-bit perfect match with the original. While lossless compression of video is possible, it is rarely used, as lossy compression results in far higher compression ratios at an acceptable level of quality.

Sounds like it would be a waste of time.

 

[kado897]

LOL. It's just one of the unfortunate facts of life.