ffmpeg

Concatenate files (MPEG-TS or other formats)

Create file containing paths to the parts you wish to combine.

file '/path/to/file1.ts'
file '/path/to/file2.ts'
file '/path/to/file3.ts'

Here’s a bash loop to generate the file.

for f in *.ts; do echo "file '$f'" >> mylist.txt; done

Concatenate using the following. Replace the output file’s extension depending on your desired output format.

ffmpeg -f concat -safe 0 -i filelist.txt -c copy output.mp4

Ripping DVDs

1. Rip to .mkv files using MakeMKV to strip DRM.
2. Pass the output .mkv files to Handbrake for encoding and compression.

Change aspect ratio

On one occasion I’ve had a property agent send me a 9:16 portrait video stretched to 4:3. May simply be a mistake, or perhaps maliciously done to make the apartment seem bigger than it is. Here’s a command to change a video’s aspect ratio.

ffmpeg -i "input.mp4" -c copy -aspect 16:9 "output.mp4"