Imported file split 20-30 times / need to multi-select de-flicker

Question

Hi all - first time poster and all-round noob.
First my set up - I'm running Win7 Home Premium (64 bit), with PRE8 on a custom build i5/750 + ATI5850 + 4GBram. I'm using an old (3+yo) Sony DVD digicam DC-706 if I remember correctly. My problem is twofold - but I'll start with the most immediate one. When I get media off the dvd's, they appear in as 2/3 VOB files (nothing unusual with that). However, when I drag them from the media window onto the Sceneline, these VOB files are automatically split. In some cases the one file can suddenly be split 20-30times. Now this is annoying, and I was wondering if (a) I can stop the splitting, and (b) whether I can merge these clips. I can't locate anything online to help.
Now the second part of the problem... when I do videos, I always have to select de-flicker on the video options. If I don't there's an awful jitter to the finished product. I thought that this was field reversal problem but switching field dominannce doesn't seem to stop it. When I use de-flicker, it goes away. This has been the same in Premiere Elements 5. Not sure if it's the cam or what... or is it my TV? Anyhow - it's annoying having to go into the clip>video>field options>flicker removal each time... especially when the software automatically splits into 20-30 clips.
Is there any way to set the flicker removal on a global level rather than on a clip by clip basis. Also does anyone have a better solution as to why changing the field order do anything, but why flicker removal does. [note - the jitter isn't just on horizontal lines - but looks exactly like an interlacing problem which most probably just gets smoothed out with flicker removal]
Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

I've spent a little bit of time trying to understand this... and the following examples might be helpful to explain what's going on (apparently). This experimentation was done by (a) getting a vob file from dvd camcorder, (b) setting up a project with either lower (default, case A and B) or upper field first (case C and D). I then change the combination of parameters between reversing the field or not, and turning on interlacing of consecutive frames or not. The final parameter is whether or not to set a lower field first on the output (case A and C) or upper field first (B and D). Here I've written an X for where there was the jitter evident and OK where there was no jitter evident.
TEST RESULTS
(A) PROJECT PRESET - LOWER FIELD FIRST / OUTPUT AVI - LOWER FIELD FIRST
                               REVERSE FIELD
                               ON               OFF        
Interlace   ON          OK                X
              OFF           X                  OK
(B) PROJECT PRESET - LOWER FIELD FIRST / OUTPUT AVI - UPPER FIELD FIRST
                               REVERSE FIELD
                               ON               OFF
Interlace   ON          OK               X
              OFF          X                  OK
(C) PROJECT PRESET - UPPER FIELD FIRST / OUTPUT AVI - LOWER FIELD FIRST
                               REVERSE FIELD
                               ON               OFF
Interlace   ON          OK               X
               OFF          OK               X
(D) PROJECT PRESET - UPPER FIELD FIRST / OUTPUT AVI - UPPER FIELD FIRST
                              REVERSE FIELD
                               ON               OFF
Interlace   ON          OK               X
               OFF          OK               X
The end results is that the solution to getting a no-jitter output is not trivial. It appears to not only depend on the input field dominance, but also on the output field dominance and both the reverse field dominance+interlace consecutive frames.
So from this very cursory examination - it would appear that if you had lower field first on both the import and export that there should be no need to do anything. Going for an upper field first however would still require you to reverse the field irrespective of whether you had an upper field first on output.
I hope this helps a bit in understanding some of the issues... but please be aware that this is just for AVI files created on my hdd. I will need to test it out on the real thing (i.e. burnt to dvd)... stay tuned.