DV (MPEG2)-Trim to selection - Export - MPEG4=Original DV format/quality?

Question

DV (MPEG2)-Trim to selection - Export - MPEG4=Original DV format/quality?

I have imported DV Video into iMovie 08 then opened the files in Quicktime and 'Trimmed them to selection' and want to save the trimmed selections in the original DV format (MPEG2) so instead of saving them as a self contained movie in QT I have gone to 'File' drop down menu and selected 'Export' to find that you have a choice of everything including 'DV Streaming' which seems to reduce the file size dramatically, and MPEG 4 basic and MPEG 4 improved....whatever the difference is I don't know...
Anyway, basically I just want to be able to chop pieces out of my original DV (MPEG2) footage and save them in the same format without any loss of quality. Should I select MPEG4 Improved? Is that the equivalent of MPEG2 the same as my original DV Video tapes or is some compression taking place?
I would appreciate it if someone out there knows what this is all about... Thanks Kevin

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.4.10), 2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Memory 2GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM

Posted on Jul 11, 2008 12:41 AM

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Answer 1

Jul 11, 2008 1:25 AM in response to kevin.mitchell@mac.com

If you don't want to change the format, use "Save As" from the "File" menu.

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Answer 2

Jul 11, 2008 2:52 AM in response to Malcolm Rayfield

Hi Malcolm

Thanks for getting back to me so quickly and I confirmed that you are correct because the file size is the same but I was confused because it changes the .dv to a .mov QT file so I was under the impression that it was no longer in the original format and had been compressed.
What actually happens for it to change from .dv to .mov and is it different in any way?

Thanks

Kevin

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Answer 3

Jul 11, 2008 3:12 AM in response to kevin.mitchell@mac.com

The .mov type is a container that can hold different data formats, links to external files, and video and audio setting. The "Save As" will not change the actual video data, so there is no loss of quality. The .mov format could be a problem for non-Apple applications, but anything on OSX should handle it.

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Answer 4

Jul 11, 2008 3:32 AM in response to Malcolm Rayfield

Hi Malcolm

Thank you for taking the time to explain that to me. I now have a little better understanding of at least one part of the jungle of codecs and formats and what they mean thanks to you.

Thanks again

Kevin

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Answer 5

Jul 12, 2008 8:41 AM in response to kevin.mitchell@mac.com

DV format (MPEG2)

DV is not the same as MPEG2!

I don't have iMovie 8, but in iMovie 6 you can use the export as Full Quality preset to export the DV project as original quality .dv file.

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Answer 6

Jul 12, 2008 8:10 PM in response to Matti Haveri

Hi Matti

What is the difference between DV and MPEG2?

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

Kevin

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