MPEG Streamclip is a freeware video editor/converter for MPEG-1/MPEG-2, and transport streams. It is created and written entirely by Squared 5 in Italy.

• It can play, edit and export a variety of formats, using a compatible QuickTime codec
  Codec
  A codec is a device or computer program capable of encoding or decoding a digital data stream or signal. The word codec is a portmanteau of "compressor-decompressor" or, more commonly, "coder-decoder"...
  
  .

• It can convert between MPEG/MPEG-2 type formats with no loss of video quality.

• It can convert between formats compatible with QuickTime.

It is freeware

Freeware

Freeware is computer software that is available for use at no cost or for an optional fee, but usually with one or more restricted usage rights. Freeware is in contrast to commercial software, which is typically sold for profit, but might be distributed for a business or commercial purpose in the...

 that is available for Windows XP

Windows XP

Windows XP is an operating system produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops and media centers. First released to computer manufacturers on August 24, 2001, it is the second most popular version of Windows, based on installed user base...

, Windows Vista

Windows Vista

Windows Vista is an operating system released in several variations developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, tablet PCs, and media center PCs...

, Windows 7, and Mac OS X

Mac OS X

Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...

.

MPEG/MPEG-2 Conversion Features

The conversion features are compatible with most unprotected MPEG/MPEG-2 transport streams, and can convert them into the industry standard MPEG/MPEG-2 files without re-encoding.

MPEG-2 transport streams are used in MPEG-2 Devices such as:

• DVD Recorder
  DVD recorder
  A DVD recorder , is an optical disc recorder that uses Optical disc recording technologies to digitally record analog signal or digital signals onto blank writable DVD media...
  
  
• DVD Camcorder - Allows Mac and Windows users to transfer video from a DVD Camcorder such as a DVD-Handycam.

It can convert MPEG-2 type formats such as:

• VR Mode
  VR mode
  VR mode or Video Recording mode is a feature on stand-alone consumer and computer DVD recorders that allows video recording and editing on a DVD rewritable disc.In VR mode, users can create and rename titles for the scenes...
  
   (VRO)
• DVD-Video
  DVD-Video
  DVD-Video is a consumer video format used to store digital video on DVD discs, and is currently the dominant consumer video format in Asia, North America, Europe, and Australia. Discs using the DVD-Video specification require a DVD drive and a MPEG-2 decoder...
  
   Mode (VOB)

Into more compatible MPEG-2 formats:

• MPEG-2
  MPEG-2
  MPEG-2 is a standard for "the generic coding of moving pictures and associated audio information". It describes a combination of lossy video compression and lossy audio data compression methods which permit storage and transmission of movies using currently available storage media and transmission...
  
  
• MPEG-2
  MPEG-2
  MPEG-2 is a standard for "the generic coding of moving pictures and associated audio information". It describes a combination of lossy video compression and lossy audio data compression methods which permit storage and transmission of movies using currently available storage media and transmission...
  
   with MP2
  MPEG-1 Audio Layer II
  MPEG-1 Audio Layer II or MPEG-2 Audio Layer II is a lossy audio compression format defined by ISO/IEC 11172-3 alongside MPEG-1 Audio Layer I and MPEG-1 Audio Layer III...
  
   audio
• Headed MPEG
• MPEG-TS

With:

• No loss of video quality (losslessly) - This means it does not need to be re-encoded.
• Perfect audio/video sync
• Compatibility with DVD authoring
  DVD authoring
  DVD authoring is the process of creating a DVD video capable of playing on a DVD player. DVD authoring software must conform to the specifications set by the DVD Forum group in 1995...
  
   applications (Allows burning at full-quality)
• Joining of multiple VOB or TS files

It prompts/allows you to fix timecode breaks, if you recorded multiple times in the same file. This also improves compatibility. The preference "fix streams with data breaks" should be enabled.

Compatible/Required codecs include:

• QuickTime
  QuickTime
  QuickTime is an extensible proprietary multimedia framework developed by Apple Inc., capable of handling various formats of digital video, picture, sound, panoramic images, and interactivity. The classic version of QuickTime is available for Windows XP and later, as well as Mac OS X Leopard and...
  
  
• QuickTime Alternative
  QuickTime Alternative
  QuickTime Alternative is a codec package for Microsoft Windows for playing QuickTime media, normally only playable by the official QuickTime software distribution from Apple Inc.-Comparison:...
  
  

MPEG-2 Compatibility

For MPEG-2 compatibility with quicktime, the user must do either one of the following:

• Buy the 'MPEG-2 Playback Component' from Apple

or

• Select "Extra QuickTime plugins" when installing QuickTime Alternative
  QuickTime Alternative
  QuickTime Alternative is a codec package for Microsoft Windows for playing QuickTime media, normally only playable by the official QuickTime software distribution from Apple Inc.-Comparison:...
  
  

Editing Features

MPEG Streamclip can quickly cut and paste segments of video without re-encoding. You can cut, copy, and paste parts of the movie by selecting the in/out points.

Export Features

By using any Quick-Time compatible codec, it can convert (transcode

Transcode

Transcoding is the direct digital-to-digital data conversion of one encoding to another, such as for movie data files or audio files. This is usually done in cases where a target device does not support the format or has limited storage capacity that mandates a reduced file size, or to convert...

) from:

• MOV, DV, MP4, AVI, DIVX, MPG, MPEG, VOB, PS, MOD, M2P, VRO, TS, DAT, M2T, MMV, REC, VID, AVR, M2V

to

• MOV, DV, MP4, AVI, DIVX,

With

• Motion-adaptive deinterlacing
  Deinterlacing
  Deinterlacing is the process of converting interlaced video, such as common analog television signals or 1080i format HDTV signals, into a non-interlaced form....
  
   (Optional)
• Perfect Audio video sync

Transport Streams

You need the latest version of the Quicktime mpeg2 playback component (version 7.6, from January 2009) to edit transport streams in MPEG Streamclip. If you purchased an older version, you can download the latest version at the Apple store under Account -> Downloadable Software Purchases.

Even with the newest Quicktime component, some transport streams used by cable companies, which play perfectly well in VLC

VLC media player

VLC media player is a free and open source media player and multimedia framework written by the VideoLAN project.VLC is a portable multimedia player, encoder, and streamer supporting many audio and video codecs and file formats as well as DVDs, VCDs, and various streaming protocols. It is able to...

, don't play audio correctly in the MPEG Streamclip editor . Editing such a file nevertheless produces a new transport stream that plays perfectly well in VLC

VLC media player

VLC media player is a free and open source media player and multimedia framework written by the VideoLAN project.VLC is a portable multimedia player, encoder, and streamer supporting many audio and video codecs and file formats as well as DVDs, VCDs, and various streaming protocols. It is able to...

. Exporting such a file as mp4 audio and video also works correctly.

Reviews

• http://www.macupdate.com/reviews.php?id=15466
• http://www.tuaw.com/2007/02/08/mpeg-streamclip-complete-video-encoding-software/