How to create and add chapters simply in MKV ?

[Music Fan]

Hi,
I would like to know if there's a simpler way to create a chapters file than this (for AVC videos) ;
CHAPTER01=00:00:00.000
CHAPTER01NAME=Chapter 01
CHAPTER02=00:05:00.000
CHAPTER02NAME=Chapter 02
CHAPTER03=00:10:00.000
CHAPTER03NAME=Chapter 03

As the videos don't come from a dvd, we can't recover the chapters with a tool like ChapterXtractor, so we have to create ourselves a file with the chapters index.

For comparison, chaptering divx is very easy with DivxMediaBuilder : we have the choice between :
-loading a txt file containing only the numbers of the keyframes on which we want to add chapter index (identified previously with Virtual Dub for example) or
-let DMB put chapters every x minute(s).

I didn't find anything like that for MKV. The Chapter Editor of MKVMerge is not simple at all, it's a loss of time for me.

Is there a way to convert a very simple file like that (frames numbers) ;
1254
8576
12843

or that (frames timing) ;
00:05:23.437
00:10:40.079
00:14:28.576

to the above-mentioned format (if it's the simplest accepted format by MKVMerge) ?

And the possibility to let MKVMerge create chapters index every x minute(s) (from 1 minute) would be cool if we don't need to add chapters on specific locations.

Thanks for your help ;)

[Selur]

for mkv without subtitles I use Hybrid to add ChapterInfos:
1. load Source (main tab)
2. set audio&video handling to passthrough (main tab)
3. go to the chapter tab, and specify the start times and names for the chapters (or select to set a Chapter every X minutes)
4. add job to queue (main tab)
5. start queue (job tab)

Cu Selur

Ps.: No there's no passthrough subtitle option atm.

[Music Fan]

Thanks !
I tried it but it crashed when I opened a mp4 file and there was a message about Mplayer. Why should we install Mplayer ?
Id' like to avoid programs I don't need.

specify the start times and names for the chapters
That's what I try to avoid.

select to set a Chapter every X minutes
That's cool ;)


edit : I installed Mplayer, I specified its path in Hybrid, but when I close Hybrid, the path is not there anymore when I open it again. How to let the path in memory of Hybrid ?
And there is a big problem : Hybrid crashes every time I open a mp4 file.:o

[Music Fan]

I installed the full package and I can now open a mp4 file, but I have other problems which I explained in the Hybrid topic ;
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?p=1461118#post1461118

[julius666]

Hi!

The easiest (and maybe the only really working) way to make chapters in a mkv file is creating a xml chapter file and then loading it in mkvmerge (Global->Chapters->Chapter file). You can read from mkv's chaptering system (and other mkv features) here: http://mod16.org/hurfdurf/?p=8

If you have any questions after reading the linked description, feel free to ask.

Julius

[Music Fan]

Thanks but it's not easier than the first format I spoke about.
The Hybrid's chaptering system looks more like what I search.

[julius666]

Well, for basic chaptering modifying an example file written in xml (that is all you have to do) isn't really rocket science either. But if it's too much for you, good luck with the GUI-s out there.
I have very bad experiences with them, so you will surely need it. :)

Julius

[Mystiqq]

Just something i want to share regarding creating chapters.

I've used Subtitle Workshop v2.51 to do chapters for sometime now and it works pretty well. Only downside is that the chapters can be only simple OGM style chapters. Subtitle Workshop does not have OGM chapter output by default but you can do that using the "custom format" option in the "save as" dialog.

Here is the custom format project configuration for OGM chapters. Just create new text file, paste the code in and save as .cfp i.e. "ogm_chapters.cfp". In "save as" dialog choose "custom format", load the project file...

[Information]
Name=OGM Chapters
Extension=*.txt
Time structure=hh:mm:ss.zzz
Time=True
FPS=23,976
New line char=|

[Format text]
{RepeatSub}
CHAPTER0{SubCount}={swStart}
CHAPTER0{SubCount}NAME={swText}
{EndRepeat}



Start times of the subtitle is used for chapters, end times are ignored when saving as OGM chapters. Also warning for those that have not used Subtitle Workshop. The program is quite old, outdated and does not appear to work perfectly on newer OS like Vista or 7. I suggest saving often. ;)

I think mkvmerge supports these OGM chapters directly but i usually load the in the chapter editor in mkvmerge GUI, verify, save as XML and use that instead.

Cheers!

[Selur]

How to let the path in memory of Hybrid ?
And there is a big problem : Hybrid crashes every time I open a mp4 file.
1st please post Hybrid related problems in the Hybrid thread (since I probably won't see them otherwise ;))
2nd mplayer is needed for Preview and sometimes for decoding (depending on what you do with Hybrid)
3rd try the newest Version of Hybrid (110330)
4th I posted some basic infos I need to reproduce bugs
5th If you want Hybrid to remember something save defaults/profiles/models depending on what you want to save. ;) (in your case saving defaults or saving the globalModel should do the trick)
-> more in the Hybrid Thread (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=153035)

Cu Selur

[Music Fan]

Thanks, but I wrote that in ... november.:)
I found answers on Hybrid's topic.

[Selur]

LOL, I simply scrolled up after reading Mystiqq and forgot to check the dates. ;)