Streamclip - I'm Lost (.VOB to .MOV?)

[gakaley]

I am trying to convert files with the extension of .VOB to .MOV files to be used in a simple editing exercise in iMovie. Here is what I have been able to do so far...

1) I have 3 .vob files on my DVD. I opened them, and "fixed" them in Streamclip. I am not sure what the suggested "fix" does, but it seems to be the right thing to do?

2) Once opened, I went to File on the menu and choose "Export to Other Formats..." And I choose QuickTime Movie from the dropdown.

3) Then, I hit "OK" and I get "Error: Can't create the file"

None of these steps are intuitive to me as I am not a video file professional. But some experts at my place of work suggested I use Streamclip to convert these files to .MOV.

I am in the process of trying to edit customer focus group video down to a manageable 3 minutes of important customer feedback to be shared with executives at my place of work. So any detailed help walking me through how to get from my .VOB files to a place where I can easily open them up in iMovie for editing would be greatly appreciated.

 

[spinnerlys]

.vob and .mov files are only containers for a variety of codecs (glasses for different liquids if you want).

.vob files usually use MPEG-2 as a codec, which can't be read my MPEG Streamclip, unless you have Final Cut (Studio/Pro) or the QuickTime MPEG-2 Playback Component installed.

If neither is the case, then MPEG Streamclip (MSc)will not help you to convert those files.

You could use Handbrake first, and then MSc to convert to .mov files using the DV codec or the Apple Intermediate Codec (AIC) as those are meant for editing. H264 and its compressive sisters are not.

If you use MRoogle you will find plenty of threads about this issue, I'm just too lazy to find my (again and again) pasted posts to copy them and past them here.

 

[gakaley]

Thank you for helping me out. I'm so thankful.

I have downloaded the QuickTime MPEG-2 Playback Component and am now trying to figure out the next steps. I'll be playing with it for a bit, but if you get this and can point me in a certain direction....more thanks.

 

[DoFoT9]

to be honest, i think you are doing the wrong process/steps.

personally, i would use MacTheRipper to rip the VIDEO_TS file, then use handbrake to convert that into anything that you want. there is probably a program to losslessly convert the .vob files, i cant recall any methods first hand.

are you after a lossless method?

 

[spinnerlys]

Thank you for helping me out. I'm so thankful.

I have downloaded the QuickTime MPEG-2 Playback Component and am now trying to figure out the next steps. I'll be playing with it for a bit, but if you get this and can point me in a certain direction....more thanks.

Copied from one of the many threads:

Mroogle would have answered that question for you many and plenty of times.


There is MacTheRipper, RipIt and Fairmount to rip (copy the DVD to your HDD while removing the copyright protection) the video DVD to your HDD.

Then there is Handbrake to convert the ripped DVD to a file like .mkv, .mp4 and .avi with MPEG-4 codecs like Xvid and H264, which are not meant for editing though, as they don't store every frame of the video (video DVDs use MPEG-2 as a codec, which also only stores every 15th frame and the frames in between are approximations).
After that you can use MPEG-Streamclip to convert the compressed video file to a .mov file encoded with the DV codec (or AIC - Apple Intermediate Codec), a codec iMovie can read and is meant for editing, as it stores every frame and takes up approx. 220MB/min.
You can also skip Handbrake and use MPEG-Streamclip for converting directly to a DV/AIC encoded .mov file from the ripped video DVD, but you need the QuickTime MPEG-2 component (19USD) to be able to access the MPEG-2 encoded video DVD footage via MPEG-Streamclip.
But it would save one encoding process.

OR

In order for you to edit your videos stored on the video DVD, you need to rip it via MacTheRipper / RipIt / Fairmount, if the video DVD is copy protected (all commercial video DVDs are).
If it is not copy protected, you might be just able to copy the Video_TS folder onto your HDD.

Now there are two ways to convert the MPEG-2 compressed footage.

1. Get Handbrake and convert the footage to either an .avi file with the Xvid codec (2-pass or Constant Quality of 100% and highest bitrate for video and audio) or an .mp4/.m4v file with the H264 codec (the same as with Xvid).
Then use MPEG Streamclip to convert/export the .avi or .mp4/.m4v file to a QuickTime (.mov - CMD+E) file encoded with the DV codec or the Apple Intermediate Codec (AIC) or to a DV file (CMD+OPTION/ALT+E).
Both, .mov and .dv, can be read by iMovie.

2. Get the QuickTime MPEG-2 Playback Component from the Apple Online Store for 20USD, open MPEG Streamclip, in there go to File > Open DVD and select your Video_TS folder on your HDD.
Then either export it as QuickTime with the DV codec or AIC or as DV file as explained in step 1.
This saves you one encoding process, therefore time and image quality loss.


Screenshots:

MPEG Streamclip export options

Handbrake export as .mp4 - example

to be honest, i think you are doing the wrong process/steps.

personally, i would use MacTheRipper to rip the VIDEO_TS file, then use handbrake to convert that into anything that you want. there is probably a program to losslessly convert the .vob files, i cant recall any methods first hand.

are you after a lossless method?

Handbrake is not the ideal way of converting MPEG-2 video if one wants to edit that footage. MPEG Streamclip saves one transcoding process if one uses the QT MPEG-2 Playback Component.
Also Handbrake is not recommended for doing those conversions, as Handbrake says it itself:

How do I use HandBrake to import my DVD into iMovie?

We strongly recommend against doing this.

MPEG-2 is a lossy source (meaning that visual data has been removed in order to compress the video). MPEG-4 (and H.264), the video codecs used by HandBrake, are also lossy. Since you will be using iMovie to render your content with yet another lossy codec, this represents a third generation of loss, which will make your final product look rather poor.

Instead, we recommend use of another tool ( MPEG Streamclip is one solution) to convert your DVD to a less-lossy intermediate format called DV, which will import into iMovie but result in far less generational loss (thus improving the quality of the final output). There are no plans to introduce DV output in HandBrake.

from http://trac.handbrake.fr/wiki/SupportFAQ#imovie

 

[DoFoT9]

Handbrake is not the ideal way of converting MPEG-2 video if one wants to edit that footage. MPEG Streamclip saves one transcoding process if one uses the QT MPEG-2 Playback Component.
Also Handbrake is not recommended for doing those conversions, as Handbrake says it itself:

i know that, i even said that in my post

so you recommend another lossy method? seems like a bit of a waste. sure .dv is going to be a bit better then anything handbrake could do (except for mayb using 100% quality in handbrake-which would look divine) - surely there is something out there?

compressor! maybe - ill try .

 

[spinnerlys]

i know that, i even said that in my post

so you recommend another lossy method? seems like a bit of a waste. sure .dv is going to be a bit better then anything handbrake could do (except for mayb using 100% quality in handbrake-which would look divine) - surely there is something out there?

compressor! maybe - ill try .

There is also AIC as a choice, which many say is a better choice than DV.

As MPEG-2 encoded video is already lossy as hell, "up"-converting it to DV and AIC should not bring any visible loss, as any other information is already missing from the source.

That's why MPEG-Streamclip and QT MPEG-2 Playback Component are quite good choices, especially for someone who does not have FCS and only iMovie.

One can also go the rip, Handbrake and MPEG Streamclip route, especially if one just wants to exercise, as most probably the finished film is likely not used for any broadcast, just YouTube maybe, which really has no quality requirements at all.

 

[DoFoT9]

There is also AIC as a choice, which many say is a better choice than DV.

As MPEG-2 encoded video is already lossy as hell, "up"-converting it to DV and AIC should not bring any visible loss, as any other information is already missing from the source.

That's why MPEG-Streamclip and QT MPEG-2 Playback Component are quite good choices, especially for someone who does not have FCS and only iMovie.

One can also go the rip, Handbrake and MPEG Streamclip route, especially if one just wants to exercise, as most probably the finished film is likely not used for any broadcast, just YouTube maybe, which really has no quality requirements at all.

i guess MPEG streamclip is the way to go. there is VOB2MPG on the PC, but its a shareware app and probably is lossless anyway.

MPEG stream clip seems to be the best way, Toast Titanium cant do anything?v i might check that now.

edit: ok, using the convert tab in Toast Titanium i seem to be able to convert the VIDEO_TS folder into anything that toast can handle! which includes uncompressed formats such as 10-bit and 8-bit, whatever they are! it can also do DV, h264 etc....

 

[gakaley]

How awesomesauce. Thanks to both of you for additional discussion. I haven't read through it all yet. But here is what I did (or rather, what I was trying to do) last night. I started with MPEG Playback, and quickly found that same error message, so I pulled down HandBrake. It then said I had to have VLC (why?) so I got that too. But then it said I had to have the 64 bit version so I went and grabbed that, but HandBrake never really recognized it so I eventually started all over again and got the 32 bit version of HandBrake. Finally...some success. I was at least able to use HandBrake to convert to an mp4 file. Then...bagk to MPEG Playback which actually recognized my mp4 file and seemed to start exporting to .mov file. HOWEVER...I walked away from my system as the encoding process was taking place and when I came back it was doing it a 2nd time. I wondered if this was by design and let it go through. Well, of course it started doing it a 3rd time after that. So....I stopped the process and went to iMovie to see what I might have. I opened the .mov file in iMovie and had a 5 second clip. Ugh. I stopped as it was 11:30pm, I was tired and now back at it this morning.

My guess here is that I'm fine I just allowed that 3rd encoding attempt to start which probably deleted the previous job and left me with the 5sec clip. So gonna try that again, and stop it at the end and see what I have.

As an aside...I came across all this encoding mess a few years ago doing home movies. I can't remember the details but essentially the video encoding application I had (on PC) didn't recognize the file types I had from my home video player which was only 2 yrs old at the time (not like we're talking about old reel-to-reel here). I had to purchase a $99 version of something or other to get it to re-encode those files. I've since moved to a glorious MacBook but the same old issues come creeping into these types of efforts.

All of these applications should come with a warning: "Working with this product can be hazardous to your health. Please consult with your video professional before attempting to use."

I actually do have Final Cut, but the Express version. I've never been able to figure that application out. If you know of a professional in the Raleigh-Durham area, let me know. I would love to learn how to use it as I'm sure the flexibility is 1000 times better than iMovie (which definitely has its limitations).

I'll let you know if I'm successful.

 

[DoFoT9]

cant reply to everything now you just said OP, im going to bed.. but handbrake uses VLC codecs/libries etc to encode the movies..

will get back to you tomorrow.

 

[KeithPratt]

Assuming the DVD doesn't have Macrovision protection (as a Hollywood movie would), the following should work:

• Insert DVD; open MPEG Streamclip
• File > Open DVD; click 'OK' and 'Fix' to any messages that appear
  Your video should now appear in the viewer
• File > Export to Quicktime; select 'Apple Intermediate Codec' as the compression
  MPEG Streamclip will hopefully guess the settings you want correctly — if the resulting video doesn't look right, post again with details
• Click 'Make Movie'

This isn't the only way this can be done, but it's the simplest and highest quality. What I've suggested above is subtly different from what you detailed in your first post and may well work. If not, there's something a little unusual (but hopefully fixable) going on.

to be honest, i think you are doing the wrong process/steps.

I disagree.

are you after a lossless method?

The only lossless method would be to edit the MPEG-2 file directly. You can't do this in iMovie or Final Cut Express, and you're very limited in what you can do in MPEG Streamclip.

 

[gakaley]

Eureka! That worked like a charm. It's the same thing as was detailed in the #2 option above, so I decided to try that since it was consistent and it worked. Now for the easy part.

Thanks again to each of you, this was very helpful.

 

[DoFoT9]

Assuming the DVD doesn't have Macrovision protection (as a Hollywood movie would), the following should work:

I disagree.

The only lossless method would be to edit the MPEG-2 file directly. You can't do this in iMovie or Final Cut Express, and you're very limited in what you can do in MPEG Streamclip.

hhhmmmmmm..

i converted a VIDEO_TS file using toast. i converted with apple intermedia codec. it ended up being 18GB and looked TERRIBLE.

 

[TheStrudel]

Toast's video encoding is notably poor if you're doing anything other than a quick push out to DVD - and still I find it best to pre-encode or build your Video_TS folder before handing over to Toast.

 

[DoFoT9]

Toast's video encoding is notably poor if you're doing anything other than a quick push out to DVD - and still I find it best to pre-encode or build your Video_TS folder before handing over to Toast.

im not sure you are following?

i took an already ripped VIDEO_TS "hollywood" folder, handed it to Toast, and told it to convert to the Apple Intermediate Codec. away it went. pretty sure it uses the standard QuickTime libs/etc for converting anyway doesnt it? the end result should be the same no matter what program i use.

 

[gakaley]

Note: For me, picture quality was not important to the project at hand which was a customer focus group session with people sitting around a table talking about a product. So I was all set as soon as I could get it into iMovie. In fact, just finished scaling down the first of two sessions. 1:30 of film scaled down to less than 4 mins of quality customer feedback. MacRumors FTW!

 

[DoFoT9]

awsome work gak! im glad we helped out in one way or another

 

[gakaley]

I'm back with a new related question

So I get everything down pat all the way to having .mp4 files burned to disk and shared with folks at work. However, some less tech savvy's there don't have quicktime and its not easy getting it (you have contact tech support, etc because its not a standard system app).

To help out, I tried to use MPEG Playback to get the movie into .wmv. I opened the original mp4, then chose Export to Windows Media File. It seemed to work fine as it took quite some time to go through the conversion. But then I went to play the new file and its only the first 20 seconds of the original video.

Any thoughts???

 

[DoFoT9]

So I get everything down pat all the way to having .mp4 files burned to disk and shared with folks at work. However, some less tech savvy's there don't have quicktime and its not easy getting it (you have contact tech support, etc because its not a standard system app).

To help out, I tried to use MPEG Playback to get the movie into .wmv. I opened the original mp4, then chose Export to Windows Media File. It seemed to work fine as it took quite some time to go through the conversion. But then I went to play the new file and its only the first 20 seconds of the original video.

Any thoughts???

hmm there are a few things you can do here...

1. use iDVD to burn project to DVD
2. use Toast Titanium to burn project to DVD
3. use visual hub to burn project to DVD

hahahahaha

if they are using PCs, its probably better to convert to .avi - or tell them to download VLC Player.

 

[gakaley]

Unfortunately, given the realities of our corporate gestapo, asking someone to download a tool is not viable. Oh well...it seems like most were able to eventually get QuickTime loaded.

 

[DoFoT9]

Unfortunately, given the realities of our corporate gestapo, asking someone to download a tool is not viable. Oh well...it seems like most were able to eventually get QuickTime loaded.

thats annoying, i know the feeling but - we have the same situation at work. convert to avi? that should play natively.