How to import VP6 FLV file and output as same?

[gumby]

I want to crop and save a VP6 video but when I open the file in Avidemux (version 2.56 Windows), it opens ok, but then when I try to change the "Video" drop-down list from "copy" to the appropriate setting, there is no setting for VP6 listed. Nor is there a mention of VP6 in the "Format" drop-down box.

I have experimented and found that if I choose "Sorenson Spark" in the Video drop-down, I am able to crop the video and save it as flv or avi. But then the edited file becomes a Sorenson Spark file not a VP6 (according to mediainfo) and Sorenson Spark is a lower quality format than VP6, if I understand correctly.

Is there a way to save it in its original format, VP6? How do you do this? Why is VP6 not listed in the Video drop-down?

Thanks for any help.

[styrol]

But then the edited file becomes a Sorenson Spark file not a VP6 (according to mediainfo) and Sorenson Spark is a lower quality format than VP6, if I understand correctly.

Sorenson Spark (FLV1) is an (outdated ten years old) h.283 codec, you have to set higher bitrates to achieve good quality compared to h.264 resulting in bigger file size.

Is there a way to save it in its original format, VP6? How do you do this?

Just stay in copy mode and cut your video at keyframes (if you have to): Output container format: FLV, video: COPY, audio: COPY. I tested it with the latest Avidemux build (2.6r7740), available here. Maybe it also works in 2.5.6 (which I have not installed).

Why is VP6 not listed in the Video drop-down?

Because it's also outdated...? Today's flash videos are all h.264 encoded. And as long as you not have to use the flash container, there's no reason to use it. FlashPlayer also accept MP4 files. I assume Sorenson Spark is in the drop-down list as a fallback for users with very old computers (and therefore old FlashPlayers).

[gumby]

Just stay in copy mode and cut your video at keyframes (if you have to): Output container format: FLV, video: COPY, audio: COPY. I tested it with the latest Avidemux build (2.6r7740), available here. Maybe it also works in 2.5.6 (which I have not installed).

Thanks for the reply. But I'm not cutting at keyframes, I am trying to crop the black bars at the top and sides of the video so my player will maximize it in fullscreen mode. So I have to reprocess, can't just copy.

There are still plenty of VP6 files out there, Avidemux should support them.

When I choose from the Video dropdown, am I supposed to match the codec to what the video is? What do I do if I want to open the VP6 and save it as AVC or MP4 or some other recent format for better quality? choose that in "Video" or choose it in "Format" or both?

No good reason to choose FLV for output? Because that will always result in the finished prouduct being Sorenson instead of a better codec?

I have also had lots of problems trying to work with AVC files in Avidemux. I'm always getting "H.264 detected..." and never sure what to do about it.

[styrol]

When I choose from the Video dropdown, am I supposed to match the codec to what the video is? What do I do if I want to open the VP6 and save it as AVC or MP4 or some other recent format for better quality? choose that in "Video" or choose it in "Format" or both?

You don't have to match the codec while re-encoding your file. FLV is a streaming format, if you don't have to use it, don't use it. So I suggest you choose: MP4 (video: AVC, audio: aac).

I have also had lots of problems trying to work with AVC files in Avidemux. I'm always getting "H.264 detected..." and never sure what to do about it.

Use Avidemux 2.6 for h.264 content (I use 2.6 for all tasks..., it works well, but not all 2.5 features are implemented yet). Using 2.5.x results in AV sync issues.

There are still plenty of VP6 files out there, Avidemux should support them.

It supports them by opening it. If you really have to encode to VP6, use XMediaRecode: You can remove letterboxes and trim your movie (but not cut between).

If you don't do any cutting at all and wanna get a state-of-the-art movie, use HandBrake which has manual and automatic cropping feature and does h.264 encoding to mp4 or mkv container only.

[gumby]

Thanks again. I will download 2.6 and give it a try for AVC.

When I open the VP6, what do I set the Video dropdown menu to? Does it matter? And if I crop it and want to save it as an MP4, what do I set the dropdown menus to? There is an "MPEG-4 AVC" selection in the "Video" dropdown, but in the "Format" dropdown, there is a choice of "MP4" or "MP4 (PSP)". Which do I choose? I don't know the difference.

So, it would help me tremendously if you could tell me what those two dropdown menus, "Video" and "Format", should be set to when I open the VP6 for cropping and then re-encoding.

Sorry if this is a dumb question.

[Jan Gruuthuse]

My guess mp4 PSP would be for PlayStation Portable? If not for usage on PlayStation Portable use MP4?
Confirmed: MP4 PSP is for Sony

[styrol]

When I open the VP6, what do I set the Video dropdown menu to? Does it matter? And if I crop it and want to save it as an MP4, when I choose from the Video dropdown, am I supposed to match the codec to what the video is?

You can select container format, video and audio codec later, before saving at the latest. Codec doesn't have to match at all. But codec must be compatible to container format (e.g. don't put mp3 audio in MP4 container). If you don't want to change your video and/or audio track, you stay in Copy mode (default)

[..] So I suggest you choose: MP4 (video: AVC, audio: aac).

"MP4" not "MP4 (PSP)".

[Agent_007]

And if you want streamable MP4 files, AVIdemux 2.6 nightly builds should work better.

[gumby]

When I open the VP6, what do I set the Video dropdown menu to? Does it matter? And if I crop it and want to save it as an MP4, when I choose from the Video dropdown, am I supposed to match the codec to what the video is?

You can select container format, video and audio codec later, before saving at the latest. Codec doesn't have to match at all. But codec must be compatible to container format (e.g. don't put mp3 audio in MP4 container). If you don't want to change your video and/or audio track, you stay in Copy mode (default)

[..] So I suggest you choose: MP4 (video: AVC, audio: aac).

"MP4" not "MP4 (PSP)".

I can't stay in Copy mode because in Copy mode the Crop filter can't be used. I have to set the "Video" dropdown to something other than "copy."

I experimented, opened my VP6 with "video" set to MPEG-4 AVC, "format" set to MP4 and "audio" set to MP3, which is the audio codec of the original file. result was no audio. Changed it to AAC and the result had audio.

Not real happy with Avidemux's auto cropping, it left some black lines at the sides of the video, but I'm not sure how to manually crop it while retaining the aspect ratio. Will download handbrake and try that.

Thanks for the help. Sorry for this delayed response.

[nibbles]

To keep the same aspect ratio means to keep the same ratio of width to height.  That means if you crop 8 pixels off the width, then you have to crop 8 pixels from the height.  Autocrop?  That's a weird button.  Don't use it.  You mentioned Handbrake.  That's a great program, and cropping is the one thing it can do besides resize and re-encode.  Good luck.

[gumby]

Thanks Nibbles. I'm using Handbrake now. It seems to do a great job just left at the default settings. One thing that confuses me, though: your explanation about cropping equally from the height and width to preserve aspect ratio makes sense. So why does Handbrake's autocrop not do that? It's always cutting very different amounts from the height and width, yet the result does not appear to be distorted.

Let me amend that. in handbrake, when you select Cropping - Automatic, the top, bottom, left and right fields are dimmed, yet you can read the figures in them. In the vid I just cropped, for instance, the fields say Top 34, Bottom 34, Left 0, Right 0. Yet in the finished crop, it's obvious that equal amounts were cropped from the width and height. So the figures in the dimmed boxes were wrong. is this a handbrake bug?

[nibbles]

When it says a one sided crop but actually trims it evenly, that's probably just a quick and dirty way of letting people see the number of total pixels cropped without having to add.  But it's a good question.  Handbrake gets creative storing video in anamorphic mode sometimes.  I'm never quite sure what it's going to do.  It sure has great presets and logic, though.

[styrol]

I experimented, opened my VP6 with "video" set to MPEG-4 AVC, "format" set to MP4 and "audio" set to MP3, which is the audio codec of the original file. result was no audio. Changed it to AAC and the result had audio.

As I mentioned explicitly, you shouldn't put MP3 into an MP4 container...

[styrol]

To keep the same aspect ratio means to keep the same ratio of width to height.  That means if you crop 8 pixels off the width, then you have to crop 8 pixels from the height.

This is only true for 1:1 ratio. If you substract 8 pixels of the weight and height, ratio changes. Handbrake's preview window is a great tool to learn, what Handbrake actuallly does to the picture and what anamorphic video and PAR and DAR mean (keep aspect ratio is a default setting).

One thing that confuses me, though: your explanation about cropping equally from the height and width to preserve aspect ratio makes sense. So why does Handbrake's autocrop not do that? It's always cutting very different amounts from the height and width, yet the result does not appear to be distorted.

Handbrake acts like that to achieve original ratio as good as possible.
https://trac.handbrake.fr/wiki/PictureSettings
https://trac.handbrake.fr/wiki/AnamorphicGuide