Using video made by a Sony Handycam mini-DVD with iMovie

[Dragonchilde]

Ooookay. I've already done a LOT of research on this, but I'm a new Mac user (and by new, I mean since Sunday, people) and I'm not finding much help.

I've got the better part of 30 gigs worth of video imported from a Sony Handycam (I hate this thing, but in my defense, it's my church's camera, and they bought it before I was hired, else I would have told them to get a real camera) that I need to edit. They all have .mpg extensions.

I've got a brand-new iMac, and I'm walking a little blind here.

How can I covert these videos to a format iMovie will understand and work with? I don't mind complicated - I'm a power Windows user, but this is my first real computer. So I'm sorta like a newborn chick in a very big, big forest full of scary looking trees.

 

[spinnerlys]

Most likely those .mpg files use MPEG-2 as a codec.

Anyway, use MPEG Streamclip to transcode the videos (it even has a batch function - Command + B) to .mov files (File > Export to QuickTime - Command + E) using the Apple Intermediate Codec for video (Compressor drop down menu) and Uncompressed for audio (Sound drop down menu).

If the .mpg file is not being read by MPEG Streamclip, you might need the QuickTime MPEG-2 Playback Component (19 USD), but check one of the files via VideoSpec and post the report here.

 

[Dragonchilde]

I don't know if you need me to post the report now, but I figured I might as well go ahead and do so (no such thing as too much info, right?)


***** First Analyzed File Results *****

*** General Parameters ***
- Name: 20100613112037.mpg
- Container: Mpeg Program Stream
- Creation Date: 2010-11-07 12:12:17 AM
- Size: 1214.6 MiB
- Duration: 0:31:19
- Bitrate: 5 420 Kbps
- Encoding Library: Undefined
- Encoding Application: Undefined

*** Video Track Parameters ***
- Format: MPEG-2 Video
- Size: 1.08 GiB (91%)
- FourCC: 0x10000002
- Track number(s): 0
- Bitrate: Max.: Undefined
Average: 4 949 Kbps
Min.: Undefined
- Frame rate (fps): Max.: Undefined
Average: 29.970
Min.: Undefined
- Bitrate mode: Variable
- Encoding profile: Main@Main
- Resolution: Undefined
- Width (Pixel number): 720
- Height (Pixel number): 480
- Pixel Aspect Ratio: 32:27
- Display aspect ratio: 16:9
- Chroma subsampling format: YUV420p
- TV standard: NTSC
- Interlacing: Interlaced - Top Field First
- Encoding library: Undefined
- Additional Parameters: Matrix: Default
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) ratio: 0.478

*** Audio Track(s) Parameters ***
- Format: AC3-A52
- Size: 57.4 MiB (5%)
- FourCC: 0x2000
- Number(s) and language(s): 128 (0x80): Undefined
- Details: -
- Profile: Undefined
- Bitrate: 256 Kbps
- Bitrate mode: Constant
- Resolution: Undefined
- Rate: 48.0 KHz
- Channel(s): 2 (stereo)
- Position: Left Right
- Encoding Library: Undefined
- Additional Parameters: Not available

 

[spinnerlys]

I don't know if you need me to post the report now, but I figured I might as well go ahead and do so (no such thing as too much info, right?)

...

*** Video Track Parameters ***
- Format: MPEG-2 Video
- Size: 1.08 GiB (91%)
- FourCC: 0x10000002
- Track number(s): 0
- Bitrate: Max.: Undefined
Average: 4 949 Kbps
Min.: Undefined
- Frame rate (fps): Max.: Undefined
Average: 29.970
Min.: Undefined
- Bitrate mode: Variable
- Encoding profile: Main@Main
- Resolution: Undefined
- Width (Pixel number): 720
- Height (Pixel number): 480
- Pixel Aspect Ratio: 32:27
- Display aspect ratio: 16:9
- Chroma subsampling format: YUV420p
- TV standard: NTSC
- Interlacing: Interlaced - Top Field First
- Encoding library: Undefined
- Additional Parameters: Matrix: Default
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) ratio: 0.478
...

Thanks for the report. As you can see from my blooded and bolded and enlarged part of the quote, the video uses MPEG-2 as codec, thus you need the component I linked to earlier.
You could also try Handbrake first, but that will not give you an iMovie compatible format and you have to use MPEG Streamclip again and Handbrake has no real batch function, only the queue, thus I recommend using the QT Component for 19 USD.

 

[MisterMe]

...
How can I covert these videos to a format iMovie will understand and work with? I don't mind complicated - I'm a power Windows user, but this is my first real computer. So I'm sorta like a newborn chick in a very big, big forest full of scary looking trees.

The product of a miniDVD camcorder is a miniDVD that can be played in any DVD player. You cannot edit a DVD. You must transcode it into an editable format. spinnerly's suggestion to use MPEG Streamclip is good. You may also use HandBrake.