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  1. For a software demo video project that I'm preparing, I've been asked to create a video file that will reliably offer a chapter menu for playback in Windows computers.

    My research indicates that several formats and players support chapters, but I haven't found a clear method of actually accomplishing this.

    I'm planning on editing the project in Adobe Premiere Elements, but I'm open to any sub-$200 editor. It's also fine if I need a separate app to do the chapterizing.

    Aside from the creation method, is it even possible to automatically load chapters when the (whatever) player starts up after double-clicking?

    Thanks for any help.
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  2. I'm a MEGA Super Moderator Baldrick's Avatar
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    You can add chapters to mp4 or mkv but you wont see any chapters in windows media player. You need a player like vlc to access the chapters under playback and chapters.

    Or do you want to create a chapter menu like in a dvd menu?
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  3. I don't know about every software player, but support for MKV chapters seems fairly common. MPC-HC, for example:

    Click image for larger version

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    VLC also supports chapters in MKVs.
    I don't work with MP4 files much but MP4 supports chapters in a similar manner. I've never had a need to create and add chapters to an MP4.

    An MKV chapter file isn't anything complicated. It can be a text file something like this:

    CHAPTER01=00:00:00.000
    CHAPTER01NAME=Chapter one
    CHAPTER02=00:10:29.216
    CHAPTER02NAME=The next chapter
    CHAPTER03=00:14:29.520
    CHAPTER03NAME=Another chapter
    CHAPTER04=00:19:44.000
    CHAPTER04NAME=Chapter four
    CHAPTER05=00:25:43.735
    CHAPTER05NAME=One more chapter


    The chapter file can be "muxed" into an MKV with a program such as MKVMergeGUI. It has a section for adding chapters under the Global tab. MKVMergeGUI has it's own chapter creator although I've not used it myself. There's also programs which can extract existing chapters from DVD/Bluray.

    I have no idea if Windows Media Player supports chapters. I never use it. Although thinking about it, you'd probably need to install the Haali media splitter in order to play MKVs with Windows Media Player, and when the Haali icon pops up while playing an MKV, it can be clicked on to provide a list of chapters and should allow you to navigate that way. It'd probably also allow you to access MP4 chapters the same way if you're using Windows Media Player.

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    The pics used for examples above didn't have chapters with "names" as the sample text file does, which is why there's no names appearing in the chapter list. Without names, just the chapter timecodes are displayed.
    Last edited by hello_hello; 3rd Feb 2014 at 19:22.
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  4. Member
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    Australia
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    MP4Box (Apple/.ttxt Chapters):

    Code:
    <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
    <!-- GPAC 3GPP Text Stream -->
    <TextStream version="1.1">
    <TextStreamHeader width="480" height="368" layer="0" translation_x="0" translation_y="0">
    <TextSampleDescription horizontalJustification="center" verticalJustification="bottom" backColor="0 0 0 0" verticalText="no" fillTextRegion="no" continuousKaraoke="no" scroll="None">
    <FontTable>
    <FontTableEntry fontName="Arial" fontID="1"/>
    </FontTable>
    <TextBox top="0" left="0" bottom="368" right="480"/>
    <Style styles="Normal" fontID="1" fontSize="32" color="ff ff ff ff"/>
    </TextSampleDescription>
    </TextStreamHeader>
    <TextSample sampleTime="00:00:00.000">Genesis of the Daleks, Episode Five</TextSample>
    <TextSample sampleTime="00:04:25.840">A Virus</TextSample>
    <TextSample sampleTime="00:09:51.600">Revolution</TextSample>
    <TextSample sampleTime="00:15:33.000">Genocide</TextSample>
    <TextSample sampleTime="00:18:50.640">The Incubation Chamber</TextSample>
    <TextSample sampleTime="00:22:22.880">Credits</TextSample>
    <TextSample sampleTime="00:23:31.000" text = ""></TextSample>
    </TextStream>
    MP4Box (OGG/Nero Chapters), MKVTOOLNIX (OGG Chapters)

    Code:
    CHAPTER01=00:00:00.000
    CHAPTER01NAME=Genesis of the Daleks, Episode Five
    CHAPTER02=00:04:25.840
    CHAPTER02NAME=A Virus
    CHAPTER03=00:09:51.600
    CHAPTER03NAME=Revolution
    CHAPTER04=00:15:33.000
    CHAPTER04NAME=Genocide
    CHAPTER05=00:18:50.640
    CHAPTER05NAME=The Incubation Chamber
    CHAPTER06=00:22:22.880
    CHAPTER06NAME=Credits
    MKVTOOLNIX (xml chapters):

    Code:
    <?xml version="1.0"?>
    
    <!-- <!DOCTYPE Chapters SYSTEM "matroskachapters.dtd"> -->
    
    <Chapters>
    
      <EditionEntry>
    
        <EditionFlagDefault>1</EditionFlagDefault>
    
        <EditionUID>2528212991325365314</EditionUID>
    
        <EditionFlagHidden>0</EditionFlagHidden>
    
        <ChapterAtom>
    
          <ChapterUID>2149667045356269636</ChapterUID>
    
          <ChapterTimeStart>00:00:00.000000000</ChapterTimeStart>
    
          <ChapterTimeEnd>00:04:25.840000000</ChapterTimeEnd>
    
          <ChapterFlagHidden>0</ChapterFlagHidden>
    
          <ChapterFlagEnabled>1</ChapterFlagEnabled>
    
          <ChapterDisplay>
    
            <ChapterString>Genesis of the Daleks, Episode Five</ChapterString>
    
            <ChapterLanguage>eng</ChapterLanguage>
    
          </ChapterDisplay>
    
        </ChapterAtom>
    
        <ChapterAtom>
    
          <ChapterUID>17625766951139430599</ChapterUID>
    
          <ChapterTimeStart>00:04:25.840000000</ChapterTimeStart>
    
          <ChapterTimeEnd>00:09:51.600000000</ChapterTimeEnd>
    
          <ChapterFlagHidden>0</ChapterFlagHidden>
    
          <ChapterFlagEnabled>1</ChapterFlagEnabled>
    
          <ChapterDisplay>
    
            <ChapterString>A Virus</ChapterString>
    
            <ChapterLanguage>eng</ChapterLanguage>
    
          </ChapterDisplay>
    
        </ChapterAtom>
    
        <ChapterAtom>
    
          <ChapterUID>18178648756594595210</ChapterUID>
    
          <ChapterTimeStart>00:09:51.600000000</ChapterTimeStart>
    
          <ChapterTimeEnd>00:15:33.000000000</ChapterTimeEnd>
    
          <ChapterFlagHidden>0</ChapterFlagHidden>
    
          <ChapterFlagEnabled>1</ChapterFlagEnabled>
    
          <ChapterDisplay>
    
            <ChapterString>Revolution</ChapterString>
    
            <ChapterLanguage>eng</ChapterLanguage>
    
          </ChapterDisplay>
    
        </ChapterAtom>
    
        <ChapterAtom>
    
          <ChapterUID>9144860596800975552</ChapterUID>
    
          <ChapterTimeStart>00:15:33.000000000</ChapterTimeStart>
    
          <ChapterTimeEnd>00:18:50.640000000</ChapterTimeEnd>
    
          <ChapterFlagHidden>0</ChapterFlagHidden>
    
          <ChapterFlagEnabled>1</ChapterFlagEnabled>
    
          <ChapterDisplay>
    
            <ChapterString>Genocide</ChapterString>
    
            <ChapterLanguage>eng</ChapterLanguage>
    
          </ChapterDisplay>
    
        </ChapterAtom>
    
        <ChapterAtom>
    
          <ChapterUID>7550932843978132960</ChapterUID>
    
          <ChapterTimeStart>00:18:50.640000000</ChapterTimeStart>
    
          <ChapterTimeEnd>00:22:22.880000000</ChapterTimeEnd>
    
          <ChapterFlagHidden>0</ChapterFlagHidden>
    
          <ChapterFlagEnabled>1</ChapterFlagEnabled>
    
          <ChapterDisplay>
    
            <ChapterString>The Incubation Chamber</ChapterString>
    
            <ChapterLanguage>eng</ChapterLanguage>
    
          </ChapterDisplay>
    
        </ChapterAtom>
    
        <ChapterAtom>
    
          <ChapterUID>9847495469640570137</ChapterUID>
    
          <ChapterTimeStart>00:22:22.880000000</ChapterTimeStart>
    
          <ChapterTimeEnd>00:23:31.000000000</ChapterTimeEnd>
    
          <ChapterFlagHidden>0</ChapterFlagHidden>
    
          <ChapterFlagEnabled>1</ChapterFlagEnabled>
    
          <ChapterDisplay>
    
            <ChapterString>Credits</ChapterString>
    
            <ChapterLanguage>eng</ChapterLanguage>
    
          </ChapterDisplay>
    
        </ChapterAtom>
    
      </EditionEntry>
    
    </Chapters>
    Decide between MKV or MP4 and we can tell you how to add them to the file.
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  5. Originally Posted by ndjamena View Post
    <TextSample sampleTime="00:00:00.000">Genesis of the Daleks, Episode Five</TextSample>
    Tom Baker is still my favourite Doctor.
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  6. Member
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    Location
    Australia
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    Sorry, but 'the enemy of the world' didn't come with proper chapter names!

    I should have used 'the tomb of the cyber men' but now that I have no internet, it's too late to change my mind.
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