another, free mts-to-mov tool

Question

another, free mts-to-mov tool

for those lost souls, who are in need to re-wrap .mts into something useful for iMovie, and don't want to pay 50$ für CLIPWRAP, here's another, free solution

REMUX
http://www.nef.wh.uni-dortmund.de/%7Emt/remux/

usually, mts comes within a AVCHD-structure and can be imported by iMovie.
if you have a 'stray cat', a mts without that structure, there's no need to convert - inside the mts is a well-hidden h.264 file, iM can handle. REMUX 'strips off' the mts-wrapper, and puts it into a mov-container - ultra-fast and a 100% lossless.

enjoy!

https://sites.google.com/site/karstenschluter/mts-to-mov

hint: 50$ is still a good investement for CLIPWRAP, due to it offers much more than just re-wrapping ... 😉

MacMini2.26/2GB, Mac OS X (10.6.5), iM09/FCE4/Lumix FZ38 … MTP=better invention than warm water!

Posted on Dec 23, 2010 4:06 AM

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Answer 1

Dec 23, 2010 7:24 AM in response to Karsten Schlüter

Hi Karsten,

Just a quick dumb question if you don't mind. I've just got a panasonic HDC-SD60; I should have researched more about the AVCHD trials and tribulations with iMovie 09! Anyway, I like the idea of CLIPWRAP but what would my work flow be? Do I just copy the entire file structure from the device to my HDD for example? Then unwrap there then import to iMovie?

Would I lose the time-date stamp info? This is no big deal if I did, I prefer to have good looking video !!

Luke

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Answer 2

Dec 23, 2010 11:02 AM in response to lukethegooner

lukethegooner wrote:
... got a panasonic HDC-SD60; ... what would my work flow be? Do I just copy the entire file structure from the device to my HDD for example? Then unwrap there then import to iMovie?

as long as the whole file structure is avail, there is NO need or use for an Unwrapper.

those tools are only handy, if a single .mts has to be 'converted' - Unwrappers offer the advantage of being silly fast, it is no conversion process. the disadvantage is, it doesn't convert into a designated edit-codec (as iM does, into appleintermediate) but keeps the h.264. iM handles such files, but there's lot of processing in the background - I wouldn't use h.264 for long, elaborated, 'effected' projects on a 'small' Mac.

we have to look forward to future versions of iM and Quicktime, which are kind of hardware-accelerated ... ever saw an iPhone/A4-CPU encoding a 720p-HDef-video? 😉

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Answer 3

Dec 26, 2010 3:12 PM in response to Karsten Schlüter

Hi Karsten, Interesting news, because I was just about to buy
ClipWrap! ClipWrap can make MOV files, Remux can't.
I guess then MP4 is the right choice in Remux?

I tried to remux a test MTS file made by a Canon Legria HF S20
(1920x1080, 25p) to MP4, but got the error message
"+av interleaved_writeframe(): Operation not permitted+".
Why? What can I do?

I'm looking for a way to roughly and LOSSLESSLY trim and
join my h264 clips as a temporary storage solution.
(Fine cut / editing will maybe follow later.)
So for most cases my desired workflow - LOL - would be:
1. "Transwrap" the MTS files (h264) from my camera into MOV
so that they are visible on my Mac.
2. Roughly trim the h264 clips losslessly.
3. Join the h264 clips losslessly.
The final MOV file shall still be h264 and therefore small.

What do I need for doing this? Thanks!

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Answer 4

Dec 28, 2010 1:26 AM in response to coxorange

coxorange wrote:
... ClipWrap can make MOV files, Remux can't.

as mentioned: CLIPWRAP is much more than just a Unwrapper, it is a converter-tool too ...

Why? What can I do?

no idea, just found that 'project' recommended on my German boards, tested it with some of my files (=works), done. try to contact its makers....-

1,2,3 ... What do I need for doing this?

well, if you own QuicktimePro (for vers.7 only avail), all you have:
• inside the mts is a h.264
• unwrap that, you get the h.264 inside a mov
• trim and 'combine' (copy/paste) that in QTpro
• in theory, a 'save' should save the result without noticeable coompression. I'm not familiar with the innerts of h.264, perhaps some GOPs or whatever need some 'adjusting'/coding process...

Santa brought me an *Elgato Turbo Stick* , incl. some software, which claims to 'edit' too... haven't tested it yet.
the software is as a limited trial avail here:
http://www.elgato.com/elgato/na/mainmenu/products/Turbo264HD-software/product1.e n.html

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Answer 5

Dec 28, 2010 5:12 AM in response to Karsten Schlüter

In regards to joining files you can use the QTPro 7 and choose the mp4 format which has a pass-through mode.

There are also utilities for this such as SimpleMovieX.

The Elgato HW will not AFAIK do a lossless join.

HTH

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Answer 6

jb9573

Level 1

0 points

Jan 23, 2011 4:15 PM in response to Karsten Schlüter

Hello, Karsten. If my main goal of using an unwrapper like ClipWrap is to make MOV files (that aren't materially larger in size after the unwrap/rewrap process than they were as MTS files) visible to iTunes and, therefore, AppleTV for viewing on my TV, would I still need to hold onto the original MTS files for future use? Or will the new rewrapped MOV files be good enough? In other words will having the MTS files be valuable to have to future (or current) versions of iMovie if I ever wanted to edit them?

Right now my work flow seems to be:

1) copy files from camera to external HDD
2) ClipWrap the files thereby creating MOV files somewhere else (copy 2 of each)
3) Import into iTunes (copy 3)
4) Delete copy 2 that ClipWrap created
5) Remember to empty the Trash

I'm thinking that keeping 2 versions of the files, one MTS and one MOV, will become cumbersome as time goes on.

Thanks in advance!

-John

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Answer 7

Jan 23, 2011 11:14 PM in response to jb9573

jb9573 wrote:
... would I still need to hold onto the original MTS files for future use? Or will the new rewrapped MOV files be good enough? In other words will having the MTS files be valuable to have to future (or current) versions of iMovie if I ever wanted to edit them?

the .mts contains a h.264. an un-wrapper just strips-off the mts and changes it to a mov. => a 100% no quality loss, no changer in file size.

but ...
h.264 isn't meant (yet) for editing. therefor, tools like iM or FinalCut convert to an edit-codec _on import_ . another concept would be to convert 'on the fly' while editing, which needs a powerful CPU or GPU as co-processor.

actually, iM can not handle 'bare' mts but h264.mov ... but you lose many features of iM, especially the Library & Events, or features of iM11 as face-recognition ...

for future use, I would archive the whole AVCHD-structure ... c'mon, latest offer here: 1TB=49€ ... 😉

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Answer 8

Feb 22, 2011 11:04 AM in response to Karsten Schlüter

Hi Karsten, I remembered...

Santa brought me an Elgato Turbo Stick , incl. some software, which claims to 'edit' too... haven't tested it yet.
the software is as a limited trial avail here:
http://www.elgato.com/elgato/na/mainmenu/products/Turbo264HD-software/product1.e n.html

How can I use this Turbo.264 HD trial with iMovie '11 (export via QuickTime)?
I couldn't find out how...
Thanks!

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Answer 9

Feb 22, 2011 12:17 PM in response to coxorange

coxorange wrote:
... How can I use this Turbo.264 HD trial with iMovie '11 (export via QuickTime)?

no idea, how the trial works, the full version (in use here) shows up in the Export with QT dialog:

Uploaded with Skitch!

under 'Options' it allows the many presets of the Stick/Converter and manual settings ...

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Answer 10

Feb 22, 2011 12:43 PM in response to Karsten Schlüter

Thanks.

Did you get the pictured dialog via 'Share/Export using QuickTime...'?
I haven't got that 'Film - Elgato Turbo 264 HD' option in the list!

Was there an installation program or something which made
the Turbo 264 available for iMovie '11?

I really need a better export quality...!!

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Answer 11

Feb 22, 2011 11:22 PM in response to coxorange

coxorange wrote:
... Did you get the pictured dialog via 'Share/Export using QuickTime...'?
I haven't got that 'Film - Elgato Turbo 264 HD' option in the list!

yes.
I do.

Was there an installation program or something which made
the Turbo 264 available for iMovie '11?

in the box, there's the stick and an installation disk. but you can download software alone on Elgato's webste or via AppStore http://itunes.apple.com/de/app/turbo-264-hd-video-converter/id403705074?mt=12

it is a 'plug in' for Quicktime, so that option is given in ANY QT-based app, as iMovie, FC/e, Streamclip, QTpro, etc etc etc.

the software alone is 'convenience' only - drag'n drop = done. under the hood, you can play with zillions of settings. the stick is just for acceleration .. on my mini DRAMATIC improvement by factor 4-8x!

I really need a better export quality...!!

Turbo doesn't do better. technically, it is even 'worse' than a manual export and upload, but it uses some 'psycho optical'-tricks (=slight blurring + raising 'Kantenschärfe'/never found an english equivalent) so, files are small AND good looking. And ultra-fast done ... 🙂

.... I have no info, wether it uses Quicktime or its own routines & algorithms (as ffmpeg based apps as Handbrake/VisualHub/...).

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Answer 12

Feb 23, 2011 12:24 AM in response to Karsten Schlüter

Thanks!

(=slight blurring + raising 'Kantenschärfe'/never found an english equivalent)

'Unsharp mask'...?

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Answer 13

Feb 23, 2011 12:37 AM in response to coxorange

coxorange wrote:
... 'Unsharp mask'...?

that's it in Photoshop, but telling someone to 'unsharpen' the video increases the sharpness is a bit weird, isn't it ... ? 😉

(BTW: most people in age of <40 don't know, why it's called unsharp, and how that increases the impression of sharpness/contrast... )

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