Does anyone happen to know of an inexpensive or free utility that converts mpeg2 files to ts or m2t file. I need one to complete a workflow idea I am trying.

Thanks

Apple or PC? Go back to the main HDV Editing Solutions site, and click on both the Apple and PC edit solutions at the top.

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=63

There are great solutions for what you're looking for. You can also do a search on our site, as well.

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/search.php?s=

heath

VLC will go from MPEG2 program stream to MPEG2 transport stream (.ts or .m2t)
VLC is available from videolan.org

Start VLC, use the "file" menu, then "open file"
click on the "Browse..." button and find your mpeg, check on the "advanced output" check box and then click on the "Settings.." button, make sure the "file" radio button is picked click on the "Browse..." button save the file as whatever you want. Make sure that the "Encapsulation Method" is MPEG TS, leave everything else blank. Click OK, which brings you back a screen, click OK again.
VLC will convert the file to a transport stream in real time.

If this does not work for you, please say more about the method that you use to produce your MPEG2 files, and like Heath asked, "Apple or PC?".

I am using a PC. I will try VLC and report back on my progress. By the way Ulead told me they will have a HDV plug-in at the end of Feb for mediastudio pro 7. I follow the work arounds, but frankly they are second best from my simple need to produce good footage and edit them in one application.

For the PC change "advanced output" to "stream output" in the above instructions

I was wondering if I were to use vegas to render the m2t file into uncompressed avi, and then edit the avi file, will converting the file back to m2t or ts cause a loss in the quality or resolution of the m2t file that is created, compared to the original. Also, on a more basic level, is there a significant difference between m2t files and ts files, or am I looking at the same file with a different name.

Thanks

going from MPEG2 program stream to MPEG2 transport stream shouldn't give you a loss in quality, it is just remuxing the data.

Going from uncompressed AVI to MPEG2 program stream will give you a loss in quality because MPEG2 is a lossy compression scheme.

You shouldn't lose resolution unless your mpeg2 encoder does not support HD. How much quality loss there is also depends on the encoder.

.m2t and .ts are both extensions for the same thing, MPEG2 transport streams