Adding chapters to DVD title

[Fyrsten]

Hi guys and girls

(I didnt know where to ask this question, so I used the newbies section. Feel free to move it into a more suitable section if necessary.)

I have recorded a concert for a friend of mine using a mini-DV video camera. A local choir performing classic christmas songs like "Silent Night" and "Come all ye faithfull" (copyright restrictions and royalities are sorted, in case you wonder, because Im making this for that choir, which is gonna give it to friends and family for christmas. My friend is the leader of the choir, and Im doing this for free to make him happy.)

I've transferred the recording into my computer using Firewire and using some crap bundled software who were shipped along with my DVD burner. Pinnacle something.

Now I have VOB, IFO and BUP files, and its playable in PowerDVD. But the problem is that there are no chapters. There should be a chapter for each song so the poor viewers don't have to watch the entire feature every time, but being able to skip to their favorite songs.
But I dont know how to make them, or if there is any software out there capable of editing the VOB files and insert chapters where I want them.

I also wonder if the chapters are stored in the IFO, BUP or in the VOB files themselves, and if it's possible to add chapters using a IFO editor of some sort.

As it's christmas in just three weeks, I hope to have the master DVD disc ready this week. It's to be given to a DVD printing company for duplication, as the choir wants 200 copies of it.

If you need to know more, feel free to ask.

I hope that someone can help me solve this problem.

Thanks in advance.

[manono]

You can create chapters using VobBlanker:

http://jsoto.posunplugged.com/guides/VobBlanker/splitting_cells/index.htm

Me, I'd do it by demuxing (PGCDemux), creating the chapters for a celltimes.txt, remuxing, this time adding in the chapters (Muxman), and then adding the remuxed video back into the original (unless you don't have or don't need menus) (PGCEdit).

[Fyrsten]

You can create chapters using VobBlanker:

http://jsoto.posunplugged.com/guides/VobBlanker/splitting_cells/index.htm

Me, I'd do it by demuxing (PGCDemux), creating the chapters for a celltimes.txt, remuxing, this time adding in the chapters (Muxman), and then adding the remuxed video back into the original (unless you don't have or don't need menus) (PGCEdit).

Thanks for replying. I've tried Vobblanker and that link you gave me, but it's hard to find the exact time to put a chapter (in this seamless concert), especially since there is no audio/sound in vobblanker (at least I can not hear anything), so I eventually ended up with playing the DVD files in PowerDVD and wrote down the timestamp minutes and seconds where I thought there should be a chapter.

Then I had some difficulty getting it exact with the vobblanker, especially since the two sliders, the upper one and the bottom one seems to be not synchronized. However marking seems to work with only the upper slider, so I ended up using that one only.

After some messing around and two attempts, I finally managed to get it right. I wonder, isnt there any software out there who is more "userfriendly", in case I'll have a new DVD to divide into chapters in the future? I don't care if its cost money, as long as there is audio/sound and proper timecode and navigation to make it easier to insert chapters.

But you saved me this time, so thank you for your help Manono

[manono]

Chapters can only be created at I-Frames (roughly every half second), but I don't guess that's your problem. While VobBlanker can do it, as you discovered it may be difficult to choose the chapter points accurately. That's why I also said in my post that I'd do it a different way involving demuxing, creating chapters, remuxing, and then sticking the new DVD with chapters back into the old one that didn't have chapters, thus getting back the menus and anything else that might have been in the DVD. Doing it that way allows you to be as accurate as that I-Frame requirement allows.

Any authoring program can create chapters, but I believe that VobBlanker is the only program that can do it without first dismantling the DVD. Even those authoring programs that accept VOB input will still demux them internally.
I eventually ended up with playing the DVD files in PowerDVD and wrote down the timestamp minutes and seconds where I thought there should be a chapter.
That's pretty much a recipe for getting them set at the wrong place since PowerDVD uses non-drop frame timings. That is, it calculates times at 30fps while the film is playing at 29.97fps. So the times as given by PowerDVD will be before the real time, how much ahead depending on your place in the movie, but a little over 3 seconds per hour. This assumes you're in NTSC land. Maybe you discovered the problem. If you're in PAL land, ignore this paragraph.

Maybe someone else has a better solution.

[Fyrsten]

Chapters can only be created at I-Frames (roughly every half second), but I don't guess that's your problem. While VobBlanker can do it, as you discovered it may be difficult to choose the chapter points accurately. That's why I also said in my post that I'd do it a different way involving demuxing, creating chapters, remuxing, and then sticking the new DVD with chapters back into the old one that didn't have chapters, thus getting back the menus and anything else that might have been in the DVD. Doing it that way allows you to be as accurate as that I-Frame requirement allows.

Any authoring program can create chapters, but I believe that VobBlanker is the only program that can do it without first dismantling the DVD. Even those authoring programs that accept VOB input will still demux them internally.

That's pretty much a recipe for getting them set at the wrong place since PowerDVD uses non-drop frame timings. That is, it calculates times at 30fps while the film is playing at 29.97fps. So the times as given by PowerDVD will be before the real time, how much ahead depending on your place in the movie, but a little over 3 seconds per hour. This assumes you're in NTSC land. Maybe you discovered the problem. If you're in PAL land, ignore this paragraph.

Maybe someone else has a better solution.

Fortunately I am in PAL land. I tested the DVD files in PowerDVD after inserting chapters with VobBlanker, it looked perfect. Then burned the master disc and tested it in my normal DVD player connected to my TV set. Chapters were perfect, well as perfect as it could be. The chapters starts 1 second or less before the songs, and not after.

That demuxing thing sounds even more difficult than using Vobblanker. But the biggest problem for me was that there is no audio. You can not hear any audio while previewing the DVD in VOBblanker, and trying to find where to insert chapters. Is there any solution for that?

[manono]

Like I said, as far as I know VobBlanker is the only program that can add chapters without taking apart the DVD. Since I make chapters while creating the DVD the first time, I haven't had to do what you're trying to do so I can provide no further help.

I know that TMPG Authoring Works will accept VOB input and has a free trial, so you might want to check it out:

http://www.videohelp.com/tools/Tmpgenc_Authoring_Works

Maybe someone else has a better solution. Good luck.

[Ghitulescu]

I have recorded a concert for a friend of mine using a mini-DV video camera. A local choir performing classic christmas songs like "Silent Night" and "Come all ye faithfull" (copyright restrictions and royalities are sorted, in case you wonder, because Im making this for that choir, which is gonna give it to friends and family for christmas. My friend is the leader of the choir, and Im doing this for free to make him happy.)

You can do whatever you like with your tapes, you're the copyright owner. Unless you recorded that performance without their permission ;)
Now I have VOB, IFO and BUP files, and its playable in PowerDVD. But the problem is that there are no chapters. There should be a chapter for each song so the poor viewers don't have to watch the entire feature every time, but being able to skip to their favorite songs.
But I dont know how to make them, or if there is any software out there capable of editing the VOB files and insert chapters where I want them.


You can create chapters using VobBlanker:

http://jsoto.posunplugged.com/guides/VobBlanker/splitting_cells/index.htm

Me, I'd do it by demuxing (PGCDemux), creating the chapters for a celltimes.txt, remuxing, this time adding in the chapters (Muxman), and then adding the remuxed video back into the original (unless you don't have or don't need menus) (PGCEdit).

Both methods work. However, even with the original footage, you can't set chapter points anywhere else than an I-Frame. There are possibilities to place an I-frame during encoding to MPEG-2, so if you're unhappy with the original one try setting them manually.