Difficulty converting .m4v and .ts

[MintyJ]

Hi guys, I have been having a bit of difficulty lately and wondering if anyone could lend a hand. Just to offer a tiny bit of background, I have a YouTube channel where I edit TV trailers for fun, I use Final Cut Express so need the files in .dv. Thats what I have been doing for the past 5 years or so anyway.

So, recently, I have downloaded some .m4v videos and trying to convert them to .dv. I open them in MPEG Streamclip and start to export but get the message "Error: Can't prepare the movie"

My understanding was that this was because I didn't have the MPEG-2 Playback component. I bought it from Apple, stupidly, without reading the notes and found that my version of OS X is too late (I have just upgraded to Yosemite). I downloaded the Snow Leopard MPEG-2 Playback file that comes with the latest MPEG Streamclip beta from their website. However, this hasn't changed anything.

I have also now got Quicktime 7 Pro and I am managing to export the .m4v file to .dv. However the video seems to be a smaller size and I am definitely losing some quality. When I preview the video it is a lot lighter and there is definitely some grain there. It isn't too bad but I would rather it matched the quality of my other videos.

Can I get MPEG Streamclip to work on these files?

Issue 2:

I have also recently downloaded some videos from the same series that are .ts files. When I originally tried to load them in MPEG Streamclip I was getting an error message saying I needed the MPEG-2 Playback. Once I downloaded the Playback from the MPEG Streamclip website with the current beta I could start to load the .ts files into MPEG Streamclip. However, that is as far as I can get, the application freezes and I have to quit it.

I have started to convert the files with Flv Crunch for now but getting the same problem as above where the picture quality isn't quite right and it is giving me a small video (default to iPod setting and that cannot be changed).

It also seems like a lot of videos these days are being put up in .mkv files. Never had any success with them either. How could I get them into .dv?

If anyone could offer me any advice on how to get these files working with MPEG Streamclip, as I know they should, I would really appreciate it. I have read lots of different bits of advice across this forum and a couple of others and tried everything. Although I'm making progress, I'm losing too much quality in the video and would rather not.

Sorry if I'm being an idiot and missing the obvious and if you need to know any info about the computer I'm working on or the software on it, let me know.

Thanks in advance

 

[MisterMe]

.... I bought it from Apple, stupidly, without reading the notes and found that my version of OS X is too late (I have just upgraded to Yosemite). ...

Where are you getting this nonsense? The MPEG Playback Component works just fine with MPEG Streamclip under Yosemite.

 

[MintyJ]

Where are you getting this nonsense? The MPEG Playback Component works just fine with MPEG Streamclip under Yosemite.

The nonsense is coming from Apple themselves. This is what it says on their website, "On OS X Lion and later, MPEG-2 playback functionality is built into QuickTime X. The QuickTime MPEG-2 Playback Component is not required and cannot be installed."

When I try to install it to my HD I get an error message saying it is made for an earlier OSX so cannot be installed.

If it is built into QuickTime X, MPEG Streamclip was still asking for it. Hence, why I got confused. Now I have installed one that came with the latest MPEG Streamclip beta but it just freezes MPEG Streamclip.

Like I said, I've tried lots of ways around this, but it is not working, so wondering if anyone knows why.

 

[MisterMe]

...

Like I said, I've tried lots of ways around this, but it is not working, so wondering if anyone knows why.

I will repeat that the MPEG Playback Component works just fine with MPEG Streamclip running on Yosemite. I installed the codec back in 2010 and have never had an issue with it.

There is one obvious thing that you have not done. You may move a working installation of the MPEG Playback Component from a Mac running an older version of OS X to your Yosemite-based Mac.

 

[Chad3eleven]

.dv files are old and dead... and I'm pretty sure your locking yourself to SD resolution. Why not move forward in time a bit and stick to .mov? When I started as an intern in the video editing business.. 12 years ago.. we would deal with dv files, dv streams, etc.. those days are long past.

Where are you downloading your material from, torrent sites? And those .m4v you are speaking of, are those purchased videos from Apple? If so they are copy protected, which means converting them can be troublesome.

And you mentioned .mkv.. which is definatly a format used on copyrighted material.. I'm not sure which software you could use to convert those.. Keep digging, hopefully someone will come along and provide some more help.

And you mentioned quality loss.. well that happens when you recompress an already compressed source (garbage in, garbage out) you may need to read up on codecs, containers, gamma settings, bit rates, etc to help out in the video compression/conversion/editing world.. I'm not trying to insult your intelligence, but I know 15 yr editing vets that couldnt compress a file to save their life (their assistants do it) .

 

[MintyJ]

I will repeat that the MPEG Playback Component works just fine with MPEG Streamclip running on Yosemite. I installed the codec back in 2010 and have never had an issue with it.

There is one obvious thing that you have not done. You may move a working installation of the MPEG Playback Component from a Mac running an older version of OS X to your Yosemite-based Mac.

Ok, sorry, I have no doubt it works but I cannot install it.

I've attached a photo to show you my problem

 

[Dave Braine]

The MPEG2 playback component has been included in OSX since either Lion or Mountain Lion. That's why you're getting that message, you already have it.

 

[MintyJ]

.dv files are old and dead... and I'm pretty sure your locking yourself to SD resolution. Why not move forward in time a bit and stick to .mov? When I started as an intern in the video editing business.. 12 years ago.. we would deal with dv files, dv streams, etc.. those days are long past.

Where are you downloading your material from, torrent sites? And those .m4v you are speaking of, are those purchased videos from Apple? If so they are copy protected, which means converting them can be troublesome.

And you mentioned .mkv.. which is definatly a format used on copyrighted material.. I'm not sure which software you could use to convert those.. Keep digging, hopefully someone will come along and provide some more help.

And you mentioned quality loss.. well that happens when you recompress an already compressed source (garbage in, garbage out) you may need to read up on codecs, containers, gamma settings, bit rates, etc to help out in the video compression/conversion/editing world.. I'm not trying to insult your intelligence, but I know 15 yr editing vets that couldnt compress a file to save their life (their assistants do it) .

Hi,

Yeah they are torrents so shouldn't be copyright protected I don't think. Honestly just use .dv because it is a habit. I didn't know that .mov was better. Will definitely use it if it is. Do you know how I could convert .mkv/m4v/ts to .mov. I have usually used handbrake to MPEG Streamclip to convert.

Don't worry not insulted at all, like I said just a hobby. Would really like a simple conversion process. I know quality will always be lost but this is different to usual. The colour is being drained basically.