July 7, 2001 11:10 AM

...i hope this makes sense.

Crank up Tmpeg.
Cilck "file", "mpeg tools", then the "Merge & Cut" tab.
Click on "add", and select the file you want to work with (let's say we want to cut out the commercials) and click "open".
In the output box, enter a output file name. If you don't specify a path, it puts the output file in whatever directory the input file was in.
Then click "run".
In basic quality, the file from the tivo is 352x480. This will simply convert the file to 704x480 and allow you to edit it.
Once it's finished, (takes just a couple of min on a athlon900 w/256m ram) click "clear" to remove the input file from the list.
Click on "add", and select the file you you just created. Then click "edit".
You'll get a "Edit Merge Item" window.
By moving the slider or by pressing the right or left arrow on the keyboard, (the arrows let you move a frame at a time) find the first point in the video you want edit. By clicking on the "{", you set a start point. This will be the beginning of the edited file.
Now find the end point you want in the video and press "}" to mark that point.(first commercial break)
Then click "ok".
Enter an output file name in the Output box and press "run". This will output a video of the section of the file you slected in the "Edit Merge Item" window.
When this is done, click on "edit" again and select the next section you want to keep by repeating the steps above. Continue doing this until you have all the sections you want to keep.
With a regular 30min tv program, you'll end up with 3 or 4 sections without the commercials.
Back in the "Merge & Cut" window, click clear to remove the input file from the list.
Then click "Add" and select the first section you created and click "Open". Continue doing this until you have all the sections you want, in the order you want. Enter an output file name and click "Run".
When it's done, you've got your video without commercials AND without re-compression!
Then it's ready to be converted to whatever format you want!

July 28, 2001 9:03 PM

Originally posted by Fugg:
...i hope this makes sense.

Crank up Tmpeg.
Cilck "file", "mpeg tools", then the "Merge & Cut" tab.
Click on "add", and select the file you want to work with (let's say we want to cut out the commercials) and click "open".
In the output box, enter a output file name. If you don't specify a path, it puts the output file in whatever directory the input file was in.
Then click "run".
In basic quality, the file from the tivo is 352x480. This will simply convert the file to 704x480 and allow you to edit it.
Once it's finished, (takes just a couple of min on a athlon900 w/256m ram) click "clear" to remove the input file from the list.
Click on "add", and select the file you you just created. Then click "edit".
You'll get a "Edit Merge Item" window.
By moving the slider or by pressing the right or left arrow on the keyboard, (the arrows let you move a frame at a time) find the first point in the video you want edit. By clicking on the "{", you set a start point. This will be the beginning of the edited file.
Now find the end point you want in the video and press "}" to mark that point.(first commercial break)
Then click "ok".
Enter an output file name in the Output box and press "run". This will output a video of the section of the file you slected in the "Edit Merge Item" window.
When this is done, click on "edit" again and select the next section you want to keep by repeating the steps above. Continue doing this until you have all the sections you want to keep.
With a regular 30min tv program, you'll end up with 3 or 4 sections without the commercials.
Back in the "Merge & Cut" window, click clear to remove the input file from the list.
Then click "Add" and select the first section you created and click "Open". Continue doing this until you have all the sections you want, in the order you want. Enter an output file name and click "Run".
When it's done, you've got your video without commercials AND without re-compression!
Then it's ready to be converted to whatever format you want!

Hi Fugg --

I have been trying to follow your instructions for using TMPGEnc to edit streams above. However, I am unable to get the position slider in the Merge & Cut "Edit" screen to move. Strangely, it remains stuck to the left side of the time bar and cannot be moved, either by mouse or keyboard, regardless of play or pause mode.

Have you ever used this procedure with MPEG-2 files, or just with MPEG-1? I have tried doing this with MPEG-2; I've tried both a multiplexed SVCD-ready MPEG-2 file and the same file after following your steps for upping the resolution to make it editable. Either way, the slider won't move, making it impossible to do any editing.

I'm stumped. Any ideas??? :confused:

thanks!
--slthood