How to join 2 or more raw DV files together without re-render?

[Brent Marks]

How to join 2 or more raw DV files together without re-render?



The title says it all!

Thanks

[Edward Troxel]

If they are truely DV-AVI and you are going TO DV-AVI, simply add them all to the timeline back to back, choose File - Redner As and pick DV-AVI as the output format. To get the new "combined" file, Vegas will simply COPY the original files.

[DJ Kinney]

Perhaps, though, you mean something more like this:

You want to connect two clips in a project and have them joined and act as one. In this case, select them both and then create a new group from the "group" option in the context menu (right click).

Maybe this isn't what you mean, but maybe it is.

DJ

[Rob Lohman]

As Edward indicated a good NLE (like Vegas) does not need to render the
files if you have all the settings the same. So make sure your project and
render settings are set to interlaced/progressive depending on what the
file is. If this is all the same then it will just copy the two files into the
output file (this will still take time, how much mainly depends on your harddisk.
If you have more than one, put the sources on one disk and have the
output written to another).

[Owen Hughes]

I used to have problems like this when rendering files into a harddrive with Fat32 format (because of its maximum file size) What I used to do was render in full DV-AVI non-compressed format then stitch them together in Canopus Procoder. All you have to do in Procoder was add the files in order and tick the 'Stich' box and it creates seemless links. It does take a long time tho!

Of course its easier to simply render DV-AVI into a NTFS drive!

Owen

[Rob Lohman]

Originally Posted by Owen Hughes

render in full DV-AVI non-compressed format

That is not possible. There is no such thing as DV-AVI non-compressed. The
DV format uses the DV codec. This codec uses a fixed rate 5:1 ratio lossy
compression (DCT based). You either have uncompressed AVI or DV-AVI.

I don't see how a FAT32 format has anything to do with this "problem" (which
not really exists to begin with). The only issue with a FAT32 partition is that
files cannot be larger than 2 or 4 GB (depending on which AVI version you
are using). If you want to combine two 800 MB DV-AVI files nothing is stopping
you on FAT32 and the quality will be the same (a filesystem has to be atomic
for it to work in the first place).

As said earlier, any good NLE with the proper project and export settings
(ie, if the file is interlaced make sure the project and export settings are set
to interlaced as well, same goes for progressive [or not-interlaced / none])
will just stitch the files together (yes, it may display the word rendering)
into the final output file.

The main speed problem is usually the issue of combining two large files on
the same harddisk (which is always "slow").

[DJ Kinney]

Well, Rob...

I'm sure what he meant was an uncompressed AVI, not an uncompressed DV-AVI. A slip of the tongue, as it were. And what FAT32 has to do with it, is that stitching together two 800mb files would be cherry. But stitch together two five minute uncompressed files and you are way over the maximum file size (which is 4gb minus one byte for fat32).

[Owen Hughes]

Yes, it was a slip of the tongue, and I dont think I needed to be jumped on so harshly for it, Rob.

[Edward Troxel]

Originally Posted by Owen Hughes

Yes, it was a slip of the tongue, and I dont think I needed to be jumped on so harshly for it, Rob.

Actually I read it as a clarification. Many people DO believe that DV is uncompressed when, in reality, it is not. Therefore we see statements to that effect many times. I, too, was about to reply that there is no such thing as uncompressed DV but saw Rob had already done so.

Bottom line, my first answer still stands. To combine two DV-AVI files into a single DV-AVI file, just put them both on the timeline back to back, choose File - Render AS, and pick the same DV-AVI format (i.e. NTSC vs PAL for example). A new file will be created by simply copying the two original files.

Yes, FAT32 has a file size limit. That really didn't play into the answer of the question. It *could* become a factor if, indeed, the original poster's drives are formatted in FAT32. That is unknown based on the post. If the files are short enough, it won't matter. If they aren't, the resulting file would be broken into 4Gig slices automatically. So, yes, I definitely recommend NTFS as the hard drive format since it allows files larger than 4Gig.

I would NOT recommend going to "Uncompressed AVI" as an interim format. That will just add tremendously to the render time AND require much more hard drive space. If you're starting with DV-AVI, stick with DV-AVI.

[Rob Lohman]

Exactly as Edward said. I just wanted to set the record straight. Remember
that a lot of people are reading this board/threads without ever registering
or replying etc., so it is good to set something straight the minute something
"incorrect" shows up, whether or not it is a slip. Someone else may still
believe in this slip up....

[Magnus Helander]

Originally Posted by Rob Lohman

so it is good to set something straight the minute something "incorrect" shows up, whether or not it is a slip.

It's friday, so here is a true story for the weekend...
Client contacts post production house (not mine...) to get his movies onto a CD-rom. Producer asks "Allright, how long are your clips?" Client replies - "How should I know, you guys are doing the compression."

Another day at the office....

/magnus