[JHromadka]

I want to take some videos I got off the TiVo (mp2 I think) and off the Internet (.avi) and create some DVDs that can be played on a standard DVD player. What video format should I use in iMovie? DV, MPEG, what?

Right now I'm importing the Fiesta Bowl to DV format with the intention of using iDVD to create a DVD, but the Time remaining started at 88 minutes and keeps climbing up instead of down. Right now it's at 253 minutes!

[mduell]

The file from the TiVo is MPEG2, and the video stream for a DVD is MPEG2, so you want to keep the video as MPEG2 all along and avoid reencoding (which decreases quality). I'm not sure if Apple's consumer-grade apps will let you do that; they may insist on double-transcoding, reducing quality significantly.

[Uncle Skeleton]

If all you want to do is cut out commercials, MPEG StreamClip is perfect, though you will have to get Apple's $20 MPEG-2 Decoder to use it for this. The only other native MPEG editor I know of for Mac OS is EyeTV's app.

Also, iDVD will not let you use existing MPEG-2 files, AFAIK (I haven't used it in a few versions). You will want another DVD authoring tool like DVD Studio Pro ($$$) or Sizzle (free and open source).

I'm pretty sure iMovie only allows DV as a native editing format (I haven't used this in a few versions either).

[JHromadka]

Update: After importing the files into iMovie as DV format, playback is a white screen and audio stutters.

Here is the information on the file from VLC:



Uncle Skeleton, when you create a new project in iMovie, you have the option for DV, HDV, MPEG-4, and iSight.

[mduell]

Originally Posted by Uncle Skeleton 

Also, iDVD will not let you use existing MPEG-2 files, AFAIK (I haven't used it in a few versions).

Wow. What crippleware.

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by Uncle Skeleton 

Also, iDVD will not let you use existing MPEG-2 files, AFAIK (I haven't used it in a few versions).

I think more to the point, QuickTime doesn't normally support MPEG-2 files, and QuickTime is what iDVD uses to do its thing. There's a QuickTime component you have to buy, presumably to pay for licensing fees.

[Uncle Skeleton]

Originally Posted by JHromadka 

Update: After importing the files into iMovie as DV format, playback is a white screen and audio stutters.

Here is the information on the file from VLC:

And do you have an Xvid codec installed? Does it play in QT Player? Try exporting from QT Pro (or QT Amateur for free) to your chosen editing codec.

To answer your first question, DV is designed for editing, so it has advantages like faster effects (because it's not as compressed), and no P frames (which depend on previous frames). Mpeg-4 is more compressed so doesn't use as much hard drive, but needs more cpu power to decompress for editing, and depending on where you cut it will have to re-encode some of the frames adjacent to the ones you're editing (quality loss).

Uncle Skeleton, when you create a new project in iMovie, you have the option for DV, HDV, MPEG-4, and iSight.

Good to know, thanks

Originally Posted by mduell 

Wow. What crippleware.

No, not anymore than OS X neglecting to add support for Windows exe applications natively. Muxing and authoring existing MPEG-2 files is a different job than what iDVD was invented for.

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

I think more to the point, QuickTime doesn't normally support MPEG-2 files, and QuickTime is what iDVD uses to do its thing. There's a QuickTime component you have to buy, presumably to pay for licensing fees.

Yeah, there's that, but by "use existing MPEG-2 files" I meant without re-compressing them. I know there's room for interpretation there, but in the context of DVD authoring I think there is an implicit assumption that by singling out MPEG-2 you intend for it to be authored without re-compression. But I'll be more specific in the future.

[McDave]

Originally Posted by JHromadka 

Update: After importing the files into iMovie as DV format, playback is a white screen and audio stutters.

Here is the information on the file from VLC:



Uncle Skeleton, when you create a new project in iMovie, you have the option for DV, HDV, MPEG-4, and iSight.

Try installing the latest DivX (DivX.com: DivX Video Player & DivX Video Codec) offering for OSX it should contain most additional codecs for Quicktime though I had to google an AC3 codec as well. It's also worth doing the same at 3ivx D4 4.5 - MPEG-4 Audio and Video Compression

Haven't got an easy fix for MPEG2. Ideally your iApps would edit the file natively to avoid quality loss but there's no support at the moment (though check any iLife announcements from Macworld tomorrow as it's getting to be a common problem and Apple will need to address it). Currently you face one reduction on import & the other on DVD burning/image rendering so the best scenario would be to transcode non-destructively to MPEG4 (I believe MPEG2 is a subset), edit & take a quality hit on the burning. The usual suspects...

VisualHub: The Universal Video Converter for Mac.
Squared 5 - MPEG Streamclip video converter for Mac OS X
ffmpegX a DVD, SVCD, VCD, CVD, VOB, DivX, XviD, H.264, PSP, iPod, MP4, MOV, FLV encoder for Mac OSX - though not as friendly as it claims


Check out SourceForge.net: TivoTool though I don't know if it transcodes also hang on for a day as there should be some Tivo announcement at the show which may produce some utilities

Have fun, McD

[mduell]

Originally Posted by McDave 

Haven't got an easy fix for MPEG2. Ideally your iApps would edit the file natively to avoid quality loss but there's no support at the moment (though check any iLife announcements from Macworld tomorrow as it's getting to be a common problem and Apple will need to address it). Currently you face one reduction on import & the other on DVD burning/image rendering so the best scenario would be to transcode non-destructively to MPEG4 (I believe MPEG2 is a subset), edit & take a quality hit on the burning.

MPEG2 is not a subset of MPEG4, and transcoding from MPEG2 to MPEG4 will reduce the quality (unless you set the quality to 100%, but that's going to generate a huge file), and you'll get another reduction in quality when you transcode back to MPEG2 to burn it on the DVD.

It's a shame that iDVD "isn't designed for" using the native DVD format end to end to preserve quality. At least now the OP has the option of plunking down $100 for TiVoToGo, which allows burning shows from your TiVo without reencoding.

[Uncle Skeleton]

I think also that Toast will let you burn native MPEG-2 files, if they are DVD compliant. It also allows you to trim the start and finish (not sections from the middle, but you could get that by adding the same file a number of times, if you're willing to put up with separate DVD titles).