Audio out of sync on exported and edited MPEG files

geoffree · Post by **geoffree** » Sun Aug 20, 2006 4:57 pm

An intermittant problem on MF 4 and 5:

-I import an mpeg file (As if I am going to make a new DVD)
- I edit it - say chop off a bit at the beginnng and a bit at the end.
- I save the edit as a seperate MPEG file.
- No matter what I do, sound is out of sync on saved edit file.

Tried lots of various experiments.
- checking that the output properties match the original file specs etc, etc

I found an article on ULEAD site that seems to imply that this is a fundamental problem with MPEG files and is unfixable (something to do with skipping frames!) - surely not! - Are ALL Mpeg files not editable without loss of sound sync?

If so, why is ULEAD selling this program?

Sometimes it works perfectly then it doesn't.
-Files size does not seem to be the issue.
-All files are taken from the same soruce - a TV tuner card on the computer. All files have same specs.
- I've checked that other programs are not running.
Yes. I have tried all the usual variations to no avail.
I just can't find a pattern here.

Any bright ideas?

I have writen to ULEAD support a number of times about this and NEVER NEVER received a reply! - Very unimpressed!!!!

Thanks- Geoffrey in Melbourne Australia.

maddrummer3301 · Post by **maddrummer3301** » Sun Aug 20, 2006 6:29 pm

geoffree · Post by **geoffree** » Mon Aug 21, 2006 4:47 am

Dear 'Maddrummer'

Thank you so such a quick response!
I'm relatively new to video editing, but I know enough to know that it can be a long fiddly process to get it right.
So I also know that helping someone get it right can be a long and frustrating process!
So thank you very much for taking the trouble to reply.

I did not know enough about where to even start to look for a solution, so you have helped point me in the right direction.

What I think I will do is go off and see if I can make sense of the technical details of your e-mail, and see if I can learn a bit more about all of this.

But just a few thoughts:

1. By the way, I was using the uptdated MF4 and just recently switched to MF5 , and this made no effect on the problem was having, so I don't think it is about which edition of the program I am using.

2. You mentioned using the "trim" section.
I had been doing my editing and exporting without going into that section.
(I do remember trying the "trim" section one and that didn't make a difference very early on, so I sort of abandoned that)
Would you be suggesting that I always use that "trim" section for this sort of editing?

thank you again for responding so quickly.

I'm very grateful! -- this is a frustrating problem!

Geoffrey.
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sjj1805 · Post by **sjj1805** » Mon Aug 21, 2006 5:21 am

Some more interesting reading here:
Audio/video synchronisation problems

maddrummer3301 · Post by **maddrummer3301** » Mon Aug 21, 2006 5:26 am

DVDDoug · Post by **DVDDoug** » Mon Aug 21, 2006 6:24 pm

For me, the solution was to get a special-purpose MPEG editor from Womble.. (I still use Ulead to author & burn the DVD.)

A better solution would have been to get a capture card that can capture to AVI/DV, because MPEG and other highly compressed formats are simply not designed to be edited.

In theory, trimming the ends should not be an issue. But, MPEG is lossy compression and most "real editing" requires a decode/recode cycle. You loose some quality/detail every time you encode. (The decode/recode cycle does NOT explain the loss of sync! There's no excuse for that!)

There are other tricks & work-arounds that may work for you. Some users even claim MPEG problems are a myth.