Direct Stream Copy for MP4 and other videos

Solveig Multimedia video editing products: Video Splitter, WMP Trimmer Plugin, Video Editor, AVI Trimmer+ and TriMP4, use Smart Rendering mode during the editing process.

SolveigMM’s Smart Rendering Mode leverages Direct Stream Copy for MP4 and other compatible video formats, enabling lightning-fast processing without quality deterioration.

Smart rendering means lossless cut and join, keeping the original video quality while the editing thanks to that the video is not re-encoded.

So if you make only splitting, editing of your files by removing unwanted fragments, it works without re-encoding, so the output quality will be preserved.

Due to the fact that the file is not completely re-encoded during the editing, not only the original video quality is preserved, but it also allows you to quickly complete the editing and get the resulting file.

Experience the Benefits of Smart rendering:

• Faster Rendering Times: Say goodbye to long waits and get back to editing more quickly.
• Smooth Workflow: Enjoy a seamless editing experience without interruptions.
• High-Quality Output: Maintain the quality you expect from SolveigMM’s video editing products.

With Smart Rendering Mode, you’ll spend less time waiting and more time creating. Embrace the power of smarter video editing with SolveigMM!

SolveigMM Video Splitter

Effortlessly cut, trim, merge videos for presentations, projects, or social media. Video Splitter is a user-friendly tool designed to make video editing a breeze. Whether you need to create short clips for social media, remove unwanted segments from a longer video, or combine multiple videos into one seamless production, Video Splitter provides the tools you need. With its intuitive interface and powerful features, you can achieve professional-looking results quickly and easily.

Supported File formats: MXF, AVCHD, MP4, MOV, MKV, WEBM, FLV, AVI, DV AVI, ASF, WMV, MPEG2(TS,PS,VES), MPEG1(SYS, VES), MP1, MP2, MP3, WAV.

WMP Trimmer Plugin

Simplify your video editing workflow with this powerful plugin for Windows Media Player. WMP Trimmer Plugin seamlessly integrates with Windows Media Player, eliminating the need for separate editing software. You can quickly and easily trim, cut, and split video clips directly within WMP, saving you time and effort. This convenient plugin makes it easy to create shorter clips for sharing online, remove unwanted sections, or prepare your videos for other editing projects.

Supported File formats: AVCHD, MP4, MOV, MKV, FLV, WEBM, AVI, Windows Media files (.ASF, .WMA, .WMV, .WM), WAV, MPEG-2 files (.MPG, .VOB, .TS), MPEG-1 files (.MPG, .DAT, .MP1), MPEG Audio files (.MP1, .MP2, .MP3, .MPA).

SolveigMM Video Editor

Enhance your videos with a wide range of creative tools. SolveigMM Video Editor offers a comprehensive set of features for enhancing your videos. Add text, pictures overlays, transitions, and music to create visually engaging content. Utilize advanced editing tools fine-tuning your visuals to perfection.

SolveigMM Video Editor also uses the smart rendering technology of SolveigMM.

We would like to add that if you use other features of the Video Editor along with editing (adding audio, pictures, text overlay), then there will be re-encoding only in those places in the file where these elements will be used.

If the edited files have different parameters, then the different ones will be re-encoded.

Supported File formats: MP4 (AVC, AAC), MOV (AVC, AAC), MP3, M4A (AAC audio), MXF XDCAM, MXF XAVC.

Free AVI Trimmer+

A versatile tool for trimming and cutting your videos. Free AVI Trimmer+ is a handy tool for those who need a simple and effective way to trim or split video or audio files for free. It provides a user-friendly interface for cutting out unwanted parts of your videos, making it ideal for creating shorter clips for social media, removing unwanted segments from recordings, or preparing videos for further editing.

Supported File formats: MP4, MOV, MKV, WEBM, FLV, AVI, ASF, WMV, MP1, MP2, MP3, WAV, AVI, DV

TriMP4

Experience powerful video editing on your Android device. TriMP4 brings SolveigMM’s renowned video editing capabilities to your Android smartphone or tablet. With TriMP4, you can easily trim, cut, and split MP4 files directly on your device. This app is perfect for quick edits, creating short clips for social media, or preparing your videos for sharing with friends and family.

Supported File formats: MP4.

FAQ

What is direct-stream copy?

Direct Stream Copy is a video editing technique that bypasses re-encoding when the output file uses the same video and audio formats as the source file. This essentially involves copying the video data directly, preserving the original quality. This technique is particularly valuable for extracting specific segments from a larger video file, as it maintains the integrity of the original footage.

Below, you will see how, with the help of the direct stream, the MP4 file is trimmed. Let’s say that the original file had 324 unnecessary frames in the beginning that we would like to trim.

Pic. 1

And after saving the output file, we can see that its remaining frames have the same sizes (specified in parentheses in a frames list on the right) and types (I / P / B).

Pic. 2

And it clearly indicates editing without re-encoding, or, in other words – direct stream copy.

Why is direct stream copy important?

• Time is of the Essence: Direct Stream Copy eliminates the need for time-consuming re-encoding processes, significantly reducing the time it takes to edit your videos. This allows you to work faster and focus on the creative aspects of your projects.
• Preserving Perfection: When you use Direct Stream Copy, the video data is copied directly without any changes, meaning you maintain the original quality of the source material. No re-encoding means no loss of detail, color, or sharpness, ensuring your finished product looks as pristine as possible.
• Streamlined Workflow: Direct Stream Copy simplifies your workflow, making editing more efficient and enjoyable. You can focus on the creative aspects of your project instead of spending hours waiting for re-encoding to be complete.

What’s the difference between full processing mode and direct stream copy?

When editing videos, you have two main approaches to handling the video data: Full Processing and Direct Stream Copy. While both achieve the goal of creating a new video file, they differ significantly in their approach and impact on the final result.

Full Processing:

• Like Baking a Cake: Full Processing involves breaking down the video into its core components (video and audio), analyzing them, and then re-assembling them according to your desired settings. Think of it like baking a cake; you’re taking individual ingredients and transforming them into a new, delicious product.
• Benefits: Full processing allows you to apply various edits, transformations, and effects, offering greater flexibility and control over your video.
• Drawback: Re-encoding takes time, especially for high-resolution or complex video files. It can also introduce a slight quality degradation as the video data is processed again.

Direct Stream Copy:

• Like Moving Furniture: Direct Stream Copy acts like moving furniture from one room to another – you’re simply moving the existing video data without altering it. No re-encoding, no changes to the core video structure.
• Benefits: Direct Stream Copy is blazingly fast, preserving the original video quality in its entirety.
• Drawback: Limited flexibility. Direct Stream Copy works best for simple tasks like extracting specific sections from a video or quickly adjusting the file format.

In a Nutshell:

• Full Processing: More flexibility, but slower and might introduce minor quality changes.
• Direct Stream Copy: Faster, maintains original quality, works without re-encoding, but has limited editing options. This is essentially editing without reencoding, making it ideal for extracting sections or format conversions.

Many video editing programs default to Full Processing, so it’s important to understand your options and choose the best mode for your needs. Direct Stream Copy is often a faster and more efficient choice for tasks that don’t require extensive editing.

Choose Full Processing for complex edits and Direct Stream Copy for fast, quality-preserving tasks.

Can I edit my MP4 file frame-accurately without recompression?

Utilizing the direct stream copy video editor, you can usually achieve a Group-Of-Picture accuracy of trimming. This type of trimming requires that the interval must start from a key frame (also known as an I-frame).

If you need to edit down to an arbitrary frame, it is possible only for files where all frames are encoded as I-frames, which is quite a rare case. The compression specifics require that such files must be re-encoded by default, meaning that for all other non-I-frame files, stream copy will no longer be possible. Recompression, in turn, will take time and might change the video quality.

Nevertheless, Sоlveig Multimedia’s Smart Rendering Technology is there to help you save time and preserve the original quality of the video. To achieve the desired result, we’ll use a combined approach, selectively re-encoding a portion of the video at the beginning of the selected interval, while the rest will be left for direct stream copy.

In the following example, we would like to trim 315 frames from the beginning.

Pic. 3

Frame 316 is a P-frame, not a key frame, so editing without re-encoding is not possible. However, with the Smart Rendering capability of Solveig Multimedia’s engine, it is still possible to preserve as much of the original material as possible: only frames going before the I-frame would be re-encoded, while the direct stream copy will handle the rest of the frames in the interval.

Pic. 4

Looking at the trimmed video, we can notice that frames 0–8 are different from the original file frames (number 316-324) because of the recompression. But the rest, starting from frame 9. are the same as they were in the source.