Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with mpeg-2

How to overlay a graphic onto one frame of MPEG-2 video

Crabby Appleton — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 13:14:48 -0800

Is there a video editing tool that can overlay a graphic onto a single frame of an MPEG-2 video? I need to take a graphic (still picture) and overlay it onto the first frame of an existing MPEG-2 video (or just graft it on as the first frame of the video, if that's significantly easier). The graphic has not been generated yet, so the format can be pretty flexible, although I imagine it would be a .gif or .bmp, or something similar.

I'd be amazed if there's not some video editor that can "just do it". But I don't know which editor(s) and I need to do it very soon. I'd prefer something free that runs on MS Windows, but don't hesitate to mention commercial software as well. If there's a simple Linux command-line program that would do it, I could probably use it. If you can tell me how to do it step-by-step for the software you recommend, I'd appreciate that, too. (I could probably figure it out eventually, but time is of the essence.)

What's the easiest way to join MPEG-2 segments?

aaronetc — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 09:25:02 -0800

I have a set of about two dozen DVD-ready MPEG-2 files that I'd like to combine into one file without re-encoding. What's the easiest way to do this? I can do under XP or OS X, but XP is preferred. I am using Sony DVD Architect to build the DVD itself, and it seems that joining separate MPEGs into one title is the only thing it won't do. The MPEGs were created using AviSynth, which craps out if I try to combine them in the source, so it seems I can only do it after the fact. If I Google for MPEG joining software, I get tons of results that all look similarly dodgy. As I said, Mac or Windows is fine, but the Mac is a MacBook and the Windows machine is a Dell desktop with about twice the processor and RAM, so I'd rather use the latter.

Looking for a DVD capture programme..

ascullion — Sun, 10 Sep 2006 12:13:36 -0800

Does anyone know a decent real-time MPEG-2 capture program for the PC? One that produces high-quality output (as good as a standard DVD recorder), produces DVD compliant MPEG2 files, and is preferably free (or cheap). I've tried a few - ASUS Digital VCR and InterVideo WinDVR 3 - but they haven't really been up to scratch. Thanks in advance.

How to burn a MPEG-2 file.

NoMich — Fri, 03 Mar 2006 11:12:11 -0800

How do a I burn a MPEG-2 file to a DVD-R with my Windows XP Pro (SP2) and Lite-On DVD R/RW drive? When I burn files to a CD-R in the same Lite-On drive, all I need to do is drag the files to the DVD R/RW drive and Windows XP does is wizardly magic. However, with a MPEG-2 file onto a DVD-R, I get some generic error that this action won't happen. Winamp can't burn video files, so that's right out the window.

Is there something I can use to open, edit and save MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 files in OSX?

erebora — Wed, 25 Feb 2004 09:04:54 -0800

Digital video: Is there something I can use to open, edit and save MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 files in OSX? Bonus question: What would I need to render said files from After Effects, Final Cut Pro, etc? I've spent some time downloading and testing various freeware/shareware solutions, but none of them are giving me the functionality I need. Any suggestions welcome.