how to physically trim recorded mpeg2 video file

jonners wrote on 1/5/2012, 8:53 AM

I recorded a VHS video using Movies on DVD 7 directly to MPEG2 format. I left it to record for a long time after the tape had already stopped and there is a lot of blank footage at the end taking up space on my hard drive unnecessarily.

Using the editor in "Movies on DVD 7" to remove the unwanted stuff leaves the actual file untouched, so I can't shorten my file that way. Does anyone know if there is a way to physically trim the file using the program?

I could use the editor to trim it then export the movie to MPEG2, throw away the original file and keep the exported one. However if the export involves re-encoding the file, I expect it would be a lossy operation and I want to retain the quality of the original recording.

Comments

blubb444 wrote on 1/5/2012, 10:21 AM

I don't know if such an option exists in your program, but in Video deluxe / Movie Edit Pro 17 there's an option of "smart encoding" which doesn't re-encode MPEG2 material that hasn't been altered other than trimming.

Just go to the MPEG2 export dialog, click "Advanced" and then check the box which says "Smart Rendering":

jonners wrote on 1/5/2012, 5:50 PM

Excellent blubb444. Thanks for answering so soon. There is indeed a smart encoding checkbox in the advanced section of my mpeg2 export settings. It says in the manual that the settings for the original and the export must be the same and there is a button to get the settings from the original file, so that's sorted it out