December 30

Digital Video File Formats: Free Conversion Software MPEG Streamclip

Converting Video with Streamclip Conversion Software

I love digital video more than ice cream.  BUT, incompatible digital video file formats can be a royal pain in the bazookie.

I heard from a reader the other day who bought a Sony HD video camera, then was sorely disappointed to learn that the video format the camera recorded in was incompatible with his video editing software.  In other words, he could not capture the video he shot on his new camera into his video editing software.

This is a very common problem.

He thought he had to run out and buy another camera, one that will record in a video editing friendly format.  Not necessarily, I said. (Although he might actually want to…)

Here’s the deal.

dvd video discs

Many cameras today record in mpeg2 format.  MPEG2 is a great format.  It is what works with common DVD players.  When you rented a Hollywood movie, it was on a disc in MPEG2 format.   Almost all commercial DVD discs are MPEG2 format, making it extremely common.

So naturally, MPEG2 does not work with most video editing software.  It does not work on the internet.

Yup, a pain in the bazookie.

Video camera manufacturers decided that more people were interested in playing their video on their home DVD unit than they were on editing their video on a computer.  So, trying to please the masses, many camera manufacturers opted to record in MPEG 2 format.  That way, you can immediately play the video disc you just shot in your DVD player.  But you can not capture it in your computer and edit it because it is an incompatible digital video file format.

Video Conversion Software to the rescue.

screen capture image of the download page for mpeg streamclip conversion software
This is an image of the Squared  5 website where you can download MPEG Streamclip video conversion software for free.

Every software incompatibility has its corresponding software conversion fix.  If you have MPEG2 video you need to convert in order to edit, you need some video conversion software called Stream Clip.  It is free.  You can download it here.

It’s created and distributed by a group from Italy called Squared 5.

Using Stream Clip is easy. You open the program, open your file, and then export it in any one of several formats.  DV stream and Quick Time are probably your best bets for editing.  AVI should work too.  Check your video editing software.

When you open the MPEG2 files, you will notice that the video is distributed across multiple file folders.  Open the VOB file, choose yes to opening all associated files, and then export it.

Stream clip also converts back into MPEG2 from any of the other formats.

So if you need to convert your video into a format compatible with editing, chances are good that Stream Clip is your answer.  There are versions for both Windows and Mac.

If you are buying a new camera, keep fie formats in mind.  If you know you are going to be doing a lot of editing, make sure your new camera does not record in mpeg2 unless you do not mind converting it every single time.  Honestly, I would mind.  I do a lot of editing, and having to convert all my footage would be a time-consuming chore I’d rather not hassle with.  Someone doing less editing might not mind as much.

I hope this information helps you make great videos!

Thanks for reading Video Production Tips.

Lorraine Grula, Internet Video Gal


Tags

Conversion software, free video conversion software, MPEG, mpeg streamclip, mpeg streamclip conversion software, software conversion fix, software incompatibility, video editing software, VOB, vob files


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  1. If any of you my fellow forum squad looking for video wmv to avi file or, simply saying do you ask yourself a question – how to convert WMV, AVI, MPG and other video formats into other ones? Have you ever had problems with creation of proper video content? Do you have no idea how converter programs work?. If you want to convert media files into various formats you should have one to do it with ease. With the help of this free video converter you can easy convert your media file into pefect one and save it in any video format: AVI, MP4, WMV, FLV, MP3, MPg etc. And that is for free! Hope that handy software will help you to make your processor get busy for a few spare evenings. 🙂

  2. Iam struggling to get a compatible format of my vedio image on a Cd to be played on a DVD player and TV. The image format is XVID, which cannot be played on a Digital player. Can someone help.
    Priyantha

  3. Hi Convertman

    Sounds good to me. Handy software indeed for converting video files. Thanks for the information. Conversion can be a pain in the bahunkis if you do not have software that will do the job. Conversion is real easy if you have the right software. Makes a big difference.

    Lorraine

  4. Hi Priyantha.

    Thanks for visiting video production tips.

    DVD players and TV take mpeg2. MPEG2 is a real huge file that looks terrific, but is not good for the internet because it is too big. Go to the XVID website and they should have some conversion software to get it into mpeg2. XVID is common as well so you should be able to find a decent conversion software.

    I hope that helps. Let me know!

  5. hi Lorraine,
    i have a nokia mobile and want to load movies on it from my laptop.the movies are in .avi file and of size more than 700MB,so kindly suggest me how to reduce the size or to change the format so that m able to load more number of videos onto my mobile and play it.
    thanks in advance…..keep up the good work!!!!!
    bye

  6. Hi Faizi,
    If you do a conversion on them you can change the format and reduce the size greatly. AVI tends to be huge. Try MPEG streamclip as your conversion software and try putting them in MPEG4 format. It will give you a very small size and is the most universally compatible with the mobile units.
    Lorraine

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