Mac Forum / Applications / Mac Applications / April 2007

Either buy QT Pro and MPEG2 extension or use Handbrake, both
work.

I wondered about the same thing a while back, finding a solution which
I believe can help.

Like mentioned earlier you need to buy the MPEG2 component from Apple
(http://www.apple.com/quicktime/mpeg2/) but you don't need to upgrade
to QuickTime pro as far as I know.
If you don't already have Quicktime Pro I suggest you first try
without it. If it still doesn't work following my instructions you
might need it anyway.

You also need the freeware MPEG streamclip (http://www.squared5.com/
svideo/mpeg-streamclip-mac.html).

1) Install the MPEG2 streamclip from Apple, then start MPEG streamclip

2) Inserted the DVD you want to extract a clip from into the Mac's DVD
drive. When you see it on the desktop, double-click its icon to reveal
its contents.
You'll find a folder named VIDEO_TS. Open this folder.
This folder may contain just a couple, or several .VOB files.
The part you want will be in one of these files.

3) Dragged one of these .VOB files to the MPEG streamclip application
window. At this stage it might either open the file or tell you that
the file seems to be part of a stream, and if you'd like to open them
all or just the one clip. You'll most likely want to open them all.

4) OK, by now you should see a still picture from somewhere in the
video. You can navigate back/forth in the movie by dragging the slider
in the horizontal timeline just below the movie window. You can also
play/pause using the space-bar, or the buttons next to the timeline
and below it.

5) What you want to do now is find the clip you want to extract. Use
the slider and/or playback functions for this. When you're at the
section you consider the beginning of the clip, press "i" (IN) or go
to the "Edit" menu and choose "Select IN".

6) Now move forward into the video until you're just past the section
you want to keep. Press the "o" button on the keyboard which stands
for OUT, (or go to the "Edit" menu and choose "Select OUT").
You'll see the section you've selected as a dark-grey section in the
timeline.

7) At this stage you can choose between a variety of formats to save
the clip as.
If you go to the "File" menu and choose "Save as.." you will be able
to save it as a new .VOB file, though with just the clip you've
selected.
You can for example save it as an MP4 file by choosing "Export to
MPEG-4" from the "File" menu.

can further edit, extract audio from, paste into iMovie for use with
other clips, transfer to your mobile phone, iPod etc.

Although this works fine I was also suggested a free alternative. An
application running under X11 on the Mac called "Avidemux" (http://
www.videohelp.com/tools?tool=AviDemux) will do the same job as MPEG2
streamclip, but doesn't need the MPEG2 component.
Unfortunately, although the application launched, I couldn't figure
out how to import the video, so I gave in and bought the MPEG2
component from Apple and used MPEG streamclip instead. Others may have
better results and end up with a free (though not as elegant) solution
to MPEG streamclip/MPEG2 Apple component.

I've only tried extracting video clips from DVDs burnt using a stand-
alone DVD-recorder, recording stuff from TV. In other words nothing
copy-protected, so I don't know how that would work out.

Hope this helps, and please post back to tell if it's worked with the
non-pro version of Quicktime or not.