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iMacfan · May 8, 2004, 04:29 PM

Hi,

I need to convert a Quicktime movie to an mpeg-1 file. Can I do this with any of the software that came with my powerbook - I'd prefer not to pay out any money.
Thanks,

David

brianb · May 8, 2004, 06:12 PM

The easiest way would be Quicktime pro which is a 30 dollar buy. I know you don't wnat to pay money so this may be an option

http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/15473

Now it isn't as simple as QTPro would be as you need to Download some other components and have OS X.2.2 to run it I believe. A lot harder but free

Nap · May 9, 2004, 05:48 AM

QT Pro will not export to mpeg-1 format. If you use OS X you can download a shareware called ffmpegX that will do the export. Look for it via VersionTracker.
If you have Toast Titanium 5 you can create mpeg-1 files. Version 5 makes separate mpeg files while version 6 will make a VCD. I use version 5 so I am not sure how to extract the mpeg-1 file from the VCD.

brianb · May 9, 2004, 10:13 AM

yea my mistake on the MPEG1 in quicktime i Spaced out when I wrote that for some reason .

The link I put in though takes you to the ffmpegx application

iMacfan · May 9, 2004, 03:02 PM

Thanks,

I'm tantalisingly close to doing what I wanted. I'm actually trying to create a file which will play on my Sony Clie PDA. The settings for the ffmpeg engine don't want to use my specified low bit rate (251kpbs), so a 3 min music video turns into a huge 40mb file, instead of the ~10mb it should be. The mpeg2enc settings produce a decent file size, but the audio goes haywire. Any ideas?

Thanks,

David

brianb · May 9, 2004, 10:30 PM

describe Haywire out of sync. garbled audio??? If you are looking to put something on a handheld with need for small file sizes you may really want to look at mpg4 or some other streaming codec

iMacfan · May 10, 2004, 07:36 AM

Originally posted by brianb:
describe Haywire out of sync. garbled audio???

Thanks for the reply. The problem is that the audio is out of sync for the first 20 seconds, then stutters, then stops completely. That is when I play it on my mac. On the handheld, it will only play 2 seconds, then stops. It will play any 2 seconds that you choose, but that's it.

The reason why I am using mpeg-1 is that this is supported by the inbuilt sony player, which I believe uses the multimedia processor, hence better playback and less battery usage. I know this can work well, as I have downloaded a video that someone else created for this purpose, and it is excellent, at only ~2.5 Mb/min.

I have emailed the author of ffmpegX, and he has suggested something which I may have been overlooking. I'll check it when I get back this evening, and will keep you posted...

Thanks for all the help,

David

brianb · May 10, 2004, 06:28 PM

yes do keep us posted I have tried to use the ffmpegx and failed to do what I was looking for, but then I haven't ried real hard with it.

iMacfan · May 11, 2004, 04:41 AM

I'm nearly there - demuxing and remuxing the mpeg file from the ffmpeg engine gives the proper size file, but this seems to have a VBR video component. This stops and starts on the clie. I'm waiting for more suggestions from the developer, but I know that it is possible (other people have done it).

Any suggestions appreciated!

David