merging m2ts files

[Rich Petruccelli]

Hello.

I have 10 small m2ts files that I'd like to merge into one.

Is there a quick way to do this in Vegas? It seems to be re-coding everything which takes quite some time.

Thanks,
Rich

[Edward Troxel]

You could try something like this:

Open a command prompt window and type:

copy 00000.mts /b + 00001.mts /b + 00002.mts /b output.mts

[Rich Petruccelli]

I think I may have found my answer with TSMuxer.

[Danny Fye]

Originally Posted by Edward Troxel

You could try something like this:

Open a command prompt window and type:

copy 00000.mts /b + 00001.mts /b + 00002.mts /b output.mts

If you look at my *.bat file I talk about over in the Focus FS-4 HD section that is what I do.

In fact it works with most files I try it with. Just change the extensions.

Note: If I put an hours worth of Church service on the time-line with all those little 2 gig files there will be an audio drop-out between clips. This is 100% unacceptable with a sermon! Imagine the uproar if certain important words are missing from a recording of a sermon and how it can be taken out of context?

So, if I combine the clips using the *.bat file I created then I will have one long clip with no audio drop-outs and it is much easier to edit because I won't hit the beginning and end of a clip while dragging them.

Here is the *.bat file I use for the *.mts files. This assumes going from a drive t: to v: with the original folder being named 'fs' to the destination folder being 'Capture'. A carry-over from what I used with the HDV files for the FS-4. Also assumes the file name on the output is Cam-1.MTS

Files are automatically renamed unlike my original *.bat file. All one needs to do is change the folder names to what they need. This *.bat file works best from drive C:. So this is based on a 3 drive or more system. It doesn't always work well when run on the source or destination drive.


---------------------------------

t:
cd fs
rename *00.MTS 001.MTS
rename *01.MTS 002.MTS
rename *02.MTS 003.MTS
rename *03.MTS 004.MTS
rename *04.MTS 005.MTS
rename *05.MTS 006.MTS
rename *06.MTS 007.MTS
rename *07.MTS 008.MTS
rename *08.MTS 009.MTS
rename *09.MTS 010.MTS
rename *10.MTS 011.MTS
rename *11.MTS 012.MTS
rename *12.MTS 013.MTS
rename *13.MTS 014.MTS
rename *14.MTS 015.MTS
rename *15.MTS 016.MTS
rename *16.MTS 017.MTS
rename *17.MTS 018.MTS
rename *18.MTS 019.MTS
rename *19.MTS 020.MTS
rename *20.MTS 021.MTS
rename *21.MTS 022.MTS
rename *22.MTS 023.MTS
rename *23.MTS 024.MTS
rename *24.MTS 025.MTS
copy /b 001.MTS+002.MTS+003.MTS+004.MTS+005.MTS+006.MTS+007.MTS+008.MTS+009.MTS+010.MTS+011.MTS+012.MTS+013. MTS+014.MTS+015.MTS+016.MTS+017.MTS+018.MTS+019.MTS+020.MTS+021.MTS+022.MTS+023.MTS+024.MTS+025.MTS v:\Capture\Cam-1.MTS
exit

------------------------------------

There will be errors where the rename looks for files that are not there but that can be ignored. I was too lazy to put in an error trap for it. It still works though.


This has basically (in variations) has been over in the Focus Enhancements FS-4 section here for a good while now.

What a nifty way to get one long file for editing.

Note: It does not work with files that were created at different times such as when one started and stopped the camera. At least it didn't for me.

Danny Fye
VidMus Video - Music Productions

[Edward Troxel]

Originally Posted by Danny Fye

Note: If I put an hours worth of Church service on the time-line with all those little 2 gig files there will be an audio drop-out between clips.

I noticed this when I edited our Christmas musical this year. We taped with two cameras and both split between two files. The split was at different places so I simply moved to the other camera at that time because of the dropout (I think I cut 2 frames to be safe). I just tried this on two of those clips - it worked GREAT - no audio dropouts at that spot at all!

Certainly wish I had know this trick a few months ago!

[Danny Fye]

Originally Posted by Edward Troxel

Certainly wish I had know this trick a few months ago!

Merry late Christmas present!

I just had a thought. It should be doable to include this ability in Excalibur.

One could select the files to be 'merged', the location and name for the destination file and click ok and it is done. Well, there is the time it takes to copy the files but you get the idea. The destination file could then be optionally automatically loaded into Vegas with the project properties properly set and ready to go!

Would be better than a dos batch file because there would be a lot more flexibility in how the files are selected. It may be that one may want only certain files to be merged instead of all of them. That can be done with the dos batch file but it would take some doing to make those changes from one project to another. Built into Excalibur, it would be easy!

Something to think about?

Danny Fye
VidMus Video - Music Productions

[Edward Troxel]

Definitely something to think about. Even the, it may be simpler to just have it create the BAT file and then call it. At least it could automate THAT process. Definitely something to think about, though.

[Jack Bellford]

Originally Posted by Edward Troxel

I noticed this when I edited our Christmas musical this year. We taped with two cameras and both split between two files. The split was at different places so I simply moved to the other camera at that time because of the dropout (I think I cut 2 frames to be safe). I just tried this on two of those clips - it worked GREAT - no audio dropouts at that spot at all!

Certainly wish I had know this trick a few months ago!

The "dropped frames" are actually where the cam cut to a new file. These cams don't pay attention to the gop structure when they chop the file and start a new one. The end result is an incomplete gop which appears to be dropped since your editor can't read the incomplete gop. If you rejoin these files BEFORE importing to your editor then the gop structure becomes complete once again and the frames can now be read.

[Rich Petruccelli]

I didn't even think to look to DOS. It will merge everything with no loss? And the order of the files in the copy statement will be kept?

[Edward Troxel]

Yes, DOS will work fine. It will copy the files bit for bit and will merge them in the order you type them in.

[Rich Petruccelli]

Thanks Ed. Will give that a try tonight.

[Hale Nanthan]

Pavtube MTS Converter. You are allowed to join multiple videos into a single file for conversion.
I've had good results converting the .mts files to .mov, with the settings h.264, 1200, 1280*720, 25fps, aac
How to convert AVCHD video?