Looking for working free video editing software

[dmelgar]

I'm trying to edit some video I recorded to a DVD on my DVD recorder with my Macbook. I looked on videohelp.com and have tried most of the applications listed that are supposed to be able to read a VOB file and create an MPG file from it and/or applications which can edit a VOB and/or MPG file.

I've had a remarkable string of failing applications.
I had used "Mac the ripper" before on a PowerPC mac with no problems. On the Macbook it crashes before you can do much of anything.
I've had similar failures with all the packages I've been able to find.

I'm running Mac OSX 10.4.8.

Has anyone experienced similar problems?
Is there a suggestion for a easy DVD/VOB to MPG converter and editor? I want to edit out the commercials.

Thanks

 

[Kingsly]

Have you tried Handbrake?

 

[SumDumGuy]

How about MPEG Streamclip?

 

[dmelgar]

Have you tried Handbrake?

Yes I did try handbrake. It generally works, ie no crashes. However it seems geared towards compressing video from a DVD. In my case, I'm primarily concerned with editing the video from a DVD to cut out commercials. I haven't found an editor that works with the formats that Handbrake can produce.
I also had issues with the video quality of Handbrake's compression but haven't spent to time to tweek all the options.

One of the most promising has been "avidemux". Its an X11 application. It did a great job editing, however I can't create an output file in a format that recognized by any program I have.

I've also tried "MPEG Streamclip". It doesn't crash, but says it needs the MPEG2 component of Quicktime. I naively don't understand why I have to spend more money to get Quicktime to be able to play mpeg2 files when there are innumerable programs which play mpeg2 files already, including DVD player, RealPlayer, VLC, etc.

 

[Kingsly]

Use handbrake and export it as a recognizable file using Quicktime Pro. Doesn't iMovie recognize the .mov files generated by Handbrake?