[tooheys]

First of all apologies if this can been covered already - I did search but didn't find an answer.

I have imported a 60 minute DV tape via Firewire to my pc with Windows Movie Maker. Annoyingly this has been split into 39 different AVI clips (total size 13 GB), so I now want to join these to one long AVI videofile. I have used Windows Movie Maker, but the output file comes to just 10 GB. I have also tried the program Ultra Video Joiner, but the results are even worse.

1. Is there a way of importing a whole dv tape into one file with Windows Movie Maker?
2. What (preferrably) free video editing software is available that can merge videofiles without quality loss, i.e. the output file will be 13 GB as well?

Many thanks for your help.
Erik

[grahamlthompson]

Try a different capture utility

eg

DV Capture - Download.com

http://windv.mourek.cz/

Make sure you are capturing to a NTFS volume and that any options for splitting based on timecode, 4GB file limit (for FAT drives) or scene content is disabled.

I use scenalyzer live which isn't free but it's excellent

http://www.scenalyzer.com/download.html

[rogs]

Yuo can take your existing files and link them together using the Freeware program VirtualDub.

You simply import the first file, by using:
(file menu) - 'open video file', and then
(file menu) 'Append AVI segment' to add all the others, one by one.
Select the 'direct stream copy' option from the 'video' drop down menu, and save all the files as a single DV file, using:
(file menu) -'Save as AVI'

It's a direct digital copy, so no quality loss.

[simplicity96]

Originally Posted by rogs

Yuo can take your existing files and link them together using the Freeware program 'Virtualdub'.

You simply import the first file, and then 'append' all the others. Select the 'direct stream copy' option from the 'video' drop down menu, and save all the files as a single DV file.

It's a direct digital copy, so no quality loss.

+1 for Virtualdub

[tooheys]

Originally Posted by rogs

Yuo can take your existing files and link them together using the Freeware program VirtualDub.

You simply import the first file, by using:
(file menu) - 'open video file', and then
(file menu) 'Append AVI segment' to add all the others, one by one.
Select the 'direct stream copy' option from the 'video' drop down menu, and save all the files as a single DV file, using:
(file menu) -'Save as AVI'

It's a direct digital copy, so no quality loss.

Thanks for this, but it looks like I'm doing something wrong. I followed your instructions, but the file size was getting huge, I stopped at 35GB as I expected the new file to be only 12GB. When I looked at the 35gb file it contained nearly 3 hours of video, the original one hour and then looped back to the beginning again. What am I doing wrong?

[rogs]

Sounds as if you've missed out the step to 'direct stream copy' -

Virtualdub will default to the 'full processing mode' which, unless you tell it otherwise, will output uncompressed video.
That, as you've discovered , will give you huge files!!

So after you've appended all your files, go again to the 'video' drop down menu, and make sure you select 'direct stream copy' and not 'full processing mode'.

That will give you identical file sizes to your original (obviously -it's just a copy!!)

It'll also be a lot quicker!!

[tooheys]

Originally Posted by rogs

Sounds as if you've missed out the step to 'direct stream copy' -

Virtualdub will default to the 'full processing mode' which, unless you tell it otherwise, will output uncompressed video.
That, as you've discovered , will give you huge files!!

So after you've appended all your files, go again to the 'video' drop down menu, and make sure you select 'direct stream copy' and not 'full processing mode'.

That will give you identical file sizes to your original (obviously -it's just a copy!!)

It'll also be a lot quicker!!

Strange as I was sure I selected this option and have tried again but get the same result. I'm not sure what else to do?

[rogs]

Sounds as if you've got the whole thing copying 3 times?... that would account fro the looping back to the beginning, and 3x13GB (39GB) for a 3 hour file.

I've just checked my instructions with a DV.AVI file from my camcorder, and just for fun 'appended' the same fileon to the end. As a 'direct stream copy', it was, as I expected, exactly twice as long, and played back the same thing twice.

Can you try and just append one segment to your original segment, and make sure that just plays back once?. It should also be exactly the same length as the two separate files.

You can check the exact details of any video file using the freebie MediaInfo , just to check it's not being changed at all.......

[simplicity96]

Don't forget after adding the first avi you have to go to the end of the file before adding another segment

[rogs]

Now you come to mention it, I seem to remember doing that, with earlier versions of Virtualdub.

I've not found it necessary with the version I'm using now (1.9.11).
'Append AVI Segment' adds the new AVI onto the end of the current file, regardless of the cursor position?...

[Ann Perry]

I usually convert and merge my mp4 and mts files with brorsoft video converter so that I can view them on my tablet without stop. It is easy to use and the merged videos remians the same quality as the orginal ones. You can try the demo version and see whether it is helpful to you.

[rogs]

Originally Posted by Ann Perry

I usually convert and merge my mp4 and mts files with brorsoft video converter so that I can view them on my tablet without stop. It is easy to use and the merged videos remians the same quality as the orginal ones. You can try the demo version and see whether it is helpful to you.

OP specifically asked for lossless DV merging.

If he wants to convert to mp4, there's no need to pay for software to do that. Squared 5 - MPEG Streamclip video converter for Mac and Windows works very well for that task , and is free.

[tooheys]

Well, I finally cracked it!

After selecting the first file, I then went to 'append' the second one and closely studied the bar at the bottom of the program. This said: 'appended 38 files in total'. So even though I only selected and appended file 2, it did append them all (and saved me some time).

I then continued as normal and the output file is 13.9gb: perfect!

Many thanks rogs for all your help!

[rogs]

Glad you've got it resolved!

I hadn't realised that Virtualdub appends them all automatically. Makes sense, and I know it does that with sequential bitmaps....I should have known really......

Although it's a freebie, 'Virtualdub' is a very powerful video editor.

It's not always that intuitive though ..I find there are some things you need to 'practice', to remember the sequence correctly.......

I like it because it allows me to import my Canopus HQ files, and lets me use a whole bunch of very adjustable filters, to get exactly the output I want.....