Quick question on MpegStreamclip workflow
 

Hello all,

I just have a pretty simple question about using Mpeg Streamclip. I capture the m2t file using DVHSCap and when trying to transcode it to a quicktime file in Mpeg Streamclip, it tells me that I need to purchase the Quicktime Mpeg2 codec before it can do anything.

Does this mpeg2 codec come with Quicktime Pro? Or is this an add-on that is necessary to purchase? Because I dont want to buy both quicktime pro and the mpeg2 codec if its already included in the "pro" package.

Thanks,

Drew

Which editing software are you using
 

Drew,
What software are you using for editing.

At the moment I am using Premiere CS3. Which I despise.

If you had FCP the mpeg2 component would have been automatically installed. I'm surprised Premiere on a mac doesn't also use it.

Have you tried the demo of ClipWrap with Premiere? It requires the HDV component which may not be installed with Premiere either.

Investigate using ClipWrap instead.

Yes clipwrap is an easier way of getting .m2t into .mov files and there is no quality loss:

ClipWrap

And much faster!!!!

Does Clipwrap actually change the m2t files into frame-based codec files? Or does it keep its original GOP structure?

It keeps it as original mpeg2 using the Quicktime HDV wrapper. I believe the only transcoding done is to the audio to uncompress it into 48Khz/16bit AIFF.
This is why it is so much faster than transcoding with Mpegstreamclip. There is no tax on the system processor. It only takes about as long as it would take for the system to copy the files from one hard drive to another.

So does that mean you would be essentially editing in native HDV? I thought that was advised against?

From a speedy workflow/space saving perspective it is preferable to edit in the native format and set just your rendering codec (FCP6 only) to ProRes422. In FCP5 you may save some net time by transcoding everything up-front and using an intermediate codec but I wouldn't bother if you have a fast machine.

When the edit is locked you can render/transcode & master just the final sequence into any codec you would like, or simply print back to tape in native HDV.

Thanks for explaining everything guys. I think that just about answers my questions.