Use DGIndexNV for simple split / join?

Anything related to video and my tools that is not a support request.
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Deadeye
Posts: 14
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2010 3:28 pm

Use DGIndexNV for simple split / join?

Post by Deadeye »

Hi,

Now that DGIndexNV has the 'Output Trimmed TS' functionality, I'm wondering if it's appropriate to use the tool for simple split & join operations ala VirtualDub.

This being kind of an oddball question, here's some background-

Before I got my HD video camera, life was as simple as my editing needs. Being a family / amateur videographer, all I'm really interested in at this level is capturing raw footage for use in later editing. But seeing as only 50% of the footage I take can justify it's existence, I used VirtualDub to simply trim MPEG2/AVI footage and archive the result for future use.

Now with my HD camera's AVCHD data format, that is no-longer an option, and I haven't found a good free/cheap tool to do the same. So at the time I just bought some bigger hard drives, shrugged, and kept everything I captured. A few years of this has really added up - I now have over 1 TB of captured footage and a killer backlog of trimming to do.

I don't want to transcode the footage, thats not an option - just trim the unwanted footage.

I was wondering if it's reasonable to try using Output Trimmed TS to save chunks of footage that I'd like to keep, use copy/b to glue them back together, then re-index the result.

I know this isn't the intended usage of the tool, and the last time I tried it (several months ago) there were seeking glitches.

I guess my question is, should I expect this technique to work? If not, can you or anyone suggest a tool that will meet my stone-age simple needs?

Thanks in advance
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admin
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Re: Use DGIndexNV for simple split / join?

Post by admin »

You don't have to use copy /b to join the segments. Just save with the same file name and answer the prompt that you want to append.

The feature is not really designed for clean trimming, but rather for cutting samples.

One alternative is VideoRedo.
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Deadeye
Posts: 14
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2010 3:28 pm

Re: Use DGIndexNV for simple split / join?

Post by Deadeye »

Thanks for your help, I really appreciate it.

Unfortunately I'm having problems with the files I joined together using copy /b using your tool as well as VideoRedo. (Should this go on a new thread?)

Originally I used DVIndexNV as well as video players such as MPC/Homecinema to test the MTS files generated using copy/b and they appeared to work. So I assumed the operation was safe and joined all of my MTS segments, mostly to facilitate recreating the DGI index files using a simple batch script when you bump file version compatibility in new updates.

Recently I started using DGIndexNV to trim files, and ran into problems. I suspected DVIndex problems at first, but (long story short) using VideoRedo also results in similar behavior.

Basically the core issuesappear to be that the output file size isn't correct and seeking in the resulting file doesnt work right. For example, opening a 2.8GB file in VideoRedo, then immediately save the file, answering YES to the 'There are no cuts defined. Do you wish to re-mux the entire input file?' dialog results in a 1.4GB output file.

I get slightly different results using DVIndexNV. Selecting the entire clip and using Output Trimmed TS results in an output file with EXACTLY the same size and the same problem. Selecting subsets, using Output Trimmed TS and appending them results in video (not audio) freezing when seeking past a certain point.

I assume this is some sort of wrapper issue where there's some sort of extra EOF packet in the data stream (sorry, I'm not that technical) left over from the copy/b process that is confusing the parsing & seeking algorithms.

Do you have any insight that might help me repair these precious family video files? Can you suggest any tools that can analyze & re-mux the files without transcoding?

Worst-case, I can still use the untrimmed files as they seem to work, at least with your tools, so I'm not panicking. Yet. But I am a little concerned that these files effected by copy/b will be somehow orphaned in the future due to this quasi-internal corruption. My whole intention was to hand-down nice clean (not transcoded) family videos raw footage to my kids for them to enjoy into the future.
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admin
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Re: Use DGIndexNV for simple split / join?

Post by admin »

I want nothing to do with VideoRedo. Don't ask me and don't tell me about it.
I get slightly different results using DVIndexNV. Selecting the entire clip and using Output Trimmed TS results in an output file with EXACTLY the same size and the same problem.
Exactly the same as what? Just describe the problem using only DGDecNV. It's too ambiguous as is.
Selecting subsets, using Output Trimmed TS and appending them results in video (not audio) freezing when seeking past a certain point.
Seeking in what, DGIndexNV or DGDecodeNV? You have to be very precise in your descriptions if you want help.

Best to post a link to one of these files you made that won't seek right.

We'll have to see whether DGIndexNV can be helpful to you for this cutting without transcoding scenario. As I said it wasn't designed for that but maybe we can get it working. The most important thing is for you to give me one of the segmented files that won't seek.

Copy /b on the source files will not have introduced any issues unless the files were incompatible, or you have end of stream NALUs at the end of the files. I can tell the latter from the sample you give me.
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