Forums | MacLife

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You'll need the MPEG-2 Components for Quicktime, which is $20 from apple, but it might come included with FCP. Either way, once you have it, the above software will convert .VOB files (inside the video TS folder) to DV or MOV or whatever you want.

You should be able to demux and convert .vob streams with ffmpegX, as long as it isn't copy protected.   Final Cut Studio does indeed include the MPEG2 codecs, so if you have them don't pay for them again.

I'll have to give that software a try next time that need comes my way again.  I hate clients that just hand you a DVD of some 3 year old corporate video and just expect you to be able to pull footage from it like it isn't a problem. :sigh:

I feel your pain about bad footage though.  I have a client down in southern california that I still do work with from time to time.  I'm doing a photo/graphic montage in Motion for them right now.  Last week they decided they wanted to toss in some client testimonials.  I can't get down there to shoot it for them, so the executive director has decided she can do it herself with her camcorder. The only saving grace is that it is an HDV camcorder, so the odds of the picture being somewhat decent are better than I thought, but I'm still cringing at the thought of watching that tape.