Changing file extension vs. converting to .avi

[hold-onhope.livejournal.com]

Hey vidders,

I'm very new to this process, so of course the information out there is pretty overwhelming. I'm hoping you can help me decide my best choice as far as which program to use, how to go about ripping DVD files, codecs, etc.

I have both Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 and Sony Vegas Movie Studio HD. As far as making/editing clips, I really like Premiere (although it's possible that Vegas' trimmer is just as easy to use and I just can't figure it out...). I'm confused about ripping DVDs. Apparently Premiere doesn't like XviD/DivX, so I've been trying to avoid that.

What I've done is ripped a disc of episodes (S1 of Supernatural, not that it matters much) using CloneDVD5, which of course gave me .vob files. I looked around the internet a bit, and learned that Premiere will accept .vob files if you change the extension to .mpg, and it worked. I was able to import a .vob file and played around with editing it as well. The only problem I ran into is that the episodes were split into more than one .vob file - is that something my DVD ripper did, and if so, how can I fix it?

The big problem is that it seems too easy. Will I have trouble exporting/getting my finished vid onto the internet if the clips used were edited as .vob/.mpg files?

Basically I'm wondering if I should stick with Premiere, and if so, keep editing as .mpg or try to convert my .vob files into something else. Or, should I just convert them into DivX files and learn how to use Vegas? I realize that what program you use is just a preference issue, but I don't want further complications down the line.

Thanks!

Comments

[nestra.livejournal.com]

The only problem I ran into is that the episodes were split into more than one .vob file - is that something my DVD ripper did, and if so, how can I fix it?

That's the way they rip.

I'm sure someone will come along who can answer your technical questions, but you might find it helpful to check out this guide (http://www.animemusicvideos.org/guides/avtech3/), if you haven't already.

Deleted and reposted for HTML fail.

[mranderson71.livejournal.com]

If you rip with DVD Shrink 3.2 there is an option to rip the entire thing as 1 VOB. It might be more of an option when doing single episodes - though it could cause you problems as your system might have a heart attack trying to import a single 2 gig-ish file.

http://www.dvdshrink.org/

When ripping you uncheck the option of splitting into 1 GB chunks.

[littlesammy.livejournal.com]

I found that BitRipper (http://www.bitripper.com/) is perfect for episodes - it's freeware, and it rips single episodes and even converts them into single files, using the codec you want. It's like, it gives you a track list, you choose the track you want, you choose the output directory, a file name, and that's basically it. You can rip them as high-quality avi files, too, which will work with a lot more programs.

[littleheaven70.livejournal.com]

I've always edited raw .vob files in Sony Vegas, even though it's supposed not to work with them. I rip my shows by chapter so each file is not too massive (I use SmartRipper). You can also set that particular program to rip files in chunks of 50MB or 100MB or whatever you prefer, but you do run the risk of cutting the scene you want in half. At least ripping by chapter you normally get it broken on a cut between scenes. When you import the files into Vegas, just browse to the folder your .vob files are stored in and change the file type to "all files" and hey presto, your vobs will show up and should work just fine.

This is the cheating way to do it and I do need to warn you that at some stage Vegas may decide not to work with .vob files. This is because .vob is not a truly editable format. The "proper" way to do things is to use something like VirtualDub to convert the .vob files into lossless .avi files with the HuffyUv or Lagarith codecs. So far I've managed to get away with it, though, and I've made about 14 vids over the years, with many different versions of Vegas, so I've never bothered to go that extra step :o)