Matroska Menu Editor (MME)
The new MME helping a while Matroska files (mkv, mka, mk3d) that are located in a folder and
the same specifications (number of tracks in the correct order and the same codecs for video, audio, subs) have,
to connect with each other via the menu.
In this case, no files need to be remuxed.
The whole menu system is located in the _chapters.xml and _tags.xml, which in the saving
the selected Matroska file to be written.
In a short video which will serve as a tutorial, I show how to build such a Matroska menu.
Maybe the subtitles not good to read, here you find the original srt.
First of all:
A full menu as we know it in Bluray or DVD is currently not possible.
No splitters or players offers full support Matroska.
To use the Matroska menu requires you LAV Filters or the Haali Media Splitter.
There are in the current LAV Filters (0.63) even a tiny error. Then the menu does not work properly when Matroska files
were cut and the first frame have no IDR-frame. With Haali works but.
You can at any time download the latest nightly build of LAV Filters, there the problem is solved.
In both splitters the menu located in the system tray icon and is activated with a right click.
In MPC-HC you can right-click the screen -> filters -> LAV Splitter -> also access it.
The Matroska files must be identical in certain things. Number of tracks and the same codecs.
When I created the video tutorial, I noticed that the sound settings do not necessarily have to be equal.
So yes codec the same, but, I had a 2.0 Stereo Flac in the menu file and a 5.1 Flac used in the episodes.
It does everything without problems, and in AC3Filter you can see well that Flac is played.
In the MME, it is possible to use existing editions / chapters of the charged Matroska files.
Therefore, the menu always in a separate menu file should be stored (in the same folder).
To ensure that all Matroska files remain in the original condition and are still single playable (without menu).
How does the whole:
You have to know that each Matroska file has a SegmentUID (SUID).
LAV and Haali Splitter search for these SUID's within a folder.
With a chapter.xml and tag.xml you can on this SUID's access and process according to Matroska specs.
Currently I have two procedures known how to do it.
1. File Segment linking
This is the far most common and best known method.
In MKVToolNix (mmg) in the Global window there is a field for file / segment linking.
(Problem here is that the mux always new SUID's for the files are created and then not
longer match the entered SUID's.)
Personally, I find this method quite cumbersome.
First you have to manually determine the SUID's. This helps a header editor in the mmg.
Then all SUID's have to be entered in the correct order (PrevSUID and NextSUID).
But the biggest disadvantage is then the management of associated files.
If a series always has this "middle part" in it in the episodes.
The files should be divided up as follows.
Episode1_Start.mkv
Episode1_Rest.mkv
Episode2_Start.mkv
Episode2_Rest.mkv
and so on ... and
Middle_Part.mkv
Quickly you realize that you always have two files per episode.
2. Chapter Segment linking
In chapter.xml there is a "ChapterAtom" in which you can specify a SUID.
The chapter.xml must "ordered chapters" be constructed. Thus, one can refer to another file and play it.
The whole is done by the MME automatically. Manually, you can do that but also quite fast.
You only have a chapter.xml and Tags.xml created the in the XML editor and save it into a Matroska file.
For the above example, the folder with the files would look like this
Episode1.mkv
Episode2.mkv
and so on ... and
Middle_Part.mkv
What makes the MME
All SUID's are determined and depending on how one wants to build his own personal menu, processed.
In the middle part of the MME's the menu editions are created and managed. The order and labels
are reproduced in Matroska menu. Each menu edition can contain multiple files.
A special menu edition ("as menu") currently serves as a substitute for a Bluray / DVD menu, which is repeated again and again.
The default edition is started with the play. It must not necessarily start menu
are, you can also can start as a menu edition that includes all the episodes.
Another important function is the takeover of available editions/chapters of a file.
The episodes of the tutorial-video all have two editions. One with and one without the opening credits.
I created a menu edition with all episodes where I just want to see only the " without the opening credits editions".
If a file already have a chapters-segment linking, this will be recognized and taken over.
This case remain already created connections exist (middle part).
Creating a small menu-file
Simply load one of the episodes in mmg and the Global window for splitting - select split by time stamps.
Enter the timestamp 00:00:00.001
(of course very many files would be generated. So limit the number or quickly press cancel)
Mkvmerge then cuts directly after the first I-frame and you have a very very tiny but fully functional menu file.
The good is also the same, that all tracks and codecs match.
in the future (if I have time)
The created the menu editions automate.
The Haali function "TRACKSETEX" - A function with which you can directly select tracks in the file.
Nev asking whether he can install the Haali function in LAV Splitter.
Nev asking if he can add more Matroska features.