MPEG Append

Combine Separately Encoded MPEG Files

MPEG Append takes MPEG files that conform to the naming conventions of DVD Studio Pro (see Apple Knowledge Base Article #25283) and modifies the files as necessary to insure that they meet the timecode requirements for multi-segment files.

If the timecode requirements are not met, you will be unable to preview the track or to place markers within it.

MPEG Append can output either a single file containing all the data from the input files, or files of the same size and name as the original files.

MPEG Append always creates a new, modified file. It never modifies the existing files you provide.

MPEG Append can also be used on a single file to correct its internal timecode information. This is desirable when the source MPEG file did not contain timecode information or that timecode information was in non-drop frame form (NDF timecode will cause DVD SP to allow the audio to slip out of sync as the movie progresses during preview).

You can use MPEG Append to improve your DVD production workflow by encoding to MPEG 2 at the scene or chapter level instead of as a whole track. Then append the files together for inclusion in a DVD SP project.

If it becomes necessary to edit a small part of the track, just re-encode that scene after editing, and append again. Because MPEG Append generally takes less than 10 minutes to process a 4 gigabyte file, you can save hours each time.

Since you are encoding scene by scene, you can adjust the bitrate for each scene independently, allowing better rendering of difficult transitions, without wasting bits on the rest of the movie.