Creating a chapter list with TMPGEnc...

[Kaizen10366]

I hope someone can help me with this. I have looked at all of the guides which are not very clear and searched this post and have not found a solution. I have a movie set up to burn on TMPGEnc. On the screen titled edit clip, I have seven chapters set up. My question is how do I get those seven chapters to show up on the source setup screen instead of it just having one clip which is the entire movie? I have been playing with all of the edit options and can't seem to figure it out. Can someone explain to me what I need to do? Thanks in advance for the help.

[Phlexor]

On the main window in the centre at the bottom click on [Setting]
Then click on the [GOP Structure] tab and check the [Force picture type setting] box. Scan through the frames along the top until you find the frame number of the chapter points you want the chapter to start at and right click on the frame. You can now insert an I frame here [I Picture] or as I do, start a new GOP [New group (GOP)]. Repeat this for every chapter point you wish to set. You can even save the chapter points in a [Frame number list] by clicking on the [Save] button on the [Force picture type setting] window.

I hope that this is what you are referring to and helps you in any way.

(Note: sometimes TMPGEnc has a problem closing GOP's and will not set a chapter point at the frame that you specified. This is a long standing bug the TMPGEnc has and crops up every now and again. Seems to happen when not much changes in the video, like after a fade to black, or it happens when the new GOP starts not long after an existing I frame. Good luck).

[Dimmer]

Kaizen10366 is obviously talking about TMPGEnc DVD Author, not TMPGEnc the encoder.

There is absolutely no point of seeing your chapters on Source Setup screen, and it's impossible anyway. I suspect you actually want to have a Chapter Menu on your DVD, that is a list of thumbnails with a little picture from each chapter. If so, go to Create Menu > Display menu settings > General and choose "Track menu only" if you have only one movie on this DVD, or "Main menu and Track menu" if more than one movie.

[Kaizen10366]

Sorry about the earlier post. I did mean TMPGEnc DVD Author. I will try what you suggested. Thanks for the help.

[Phlexor]

Sorry, I haven't and will not use TMPGEnc DVD Author. Not untill the bugs in TMPGEnc with the GOP are addressed and fixed. If you want to do chapters in an MPEG file, TMPGEnc is not for you, and free is too much to ask for a program that has had this bug for so long. Why can pretty much every other MPEG encoder that does chapters get this right and not TMPGEnc?

/End Rant

[jimmalenko]

HMMM....

I don't understand exactly why you want to do this, Kaizen10366. As mentioned, if it is a menu issue, there are ways around it.

Can you explain why you think you need each chapter to show up in the source setup screen ?

Sorry, I haven't and will not use TMPGEnc DVD Author. Not untill the bugs in TMPGEnc with the GOP are addressed and fixed.

TMPGEnc DVD Author has always done the chapters fine for me.

If you have not used it, how can you justify that is contains bugs ?

[Dimmer]

@Phlexor:

Sorry, I haven't and will not use TMPGEnc DVD Author. Not untill the bugs in TMPGEnc with the GOP are addressed and fixed. If you want to do chapters in an MPEG file, TMPGEnc is not for you, and free is too much to ask for a program that has had this bug for so long. Why can pretty much every other MPEG encoder that does chapters get this right and not TMPGEnc?

You must be confused: TMPGEnc (Plus) and TMPGEnc DVD Author are two completely separate programs. The first one is MPEG encoder, and the second is DVD authoring software. By the way, the free version of TMPGEnc (if you can find it) has 30-day limit on MPEG-2 encoding due to licensing issues. Despite the poblems you had with the encoder, DVD Author is still worth checking out, particularly because it's great when it comes to setting chapter breaks.

[Phlexor]

I'm not confusing the packages. I's saying if DVD Author doesn't use TMPGEnc encoder engine, then it uses the endocer package for the MPEG2 streams that it uses to author a disc.

[jimmalenko]

I'm not confusing the packages. I's saying if DVD Author doesn't use TMPGEnc encoder engine, then it uses the endocer package for the MPEG2 streams that it uses to author a disc.

TMPGEnc DVD Author does not modify the GOPs in any way, shape or form.

[Phlexor]

I never suggested that it did modify the GOPs.

[jimmalenko]

Not untill the bugs in TMPGEnc with the GOP are addressed and fixed. If you want to do chapters in an MPEG file, TMPGEnc is not for you, and free is too much to ask for a program that has had this bug for so long. Why can pretty much every other MPEG encoder that does chapters get this right and not TMPGEnc?

AND

I never suggested that it did modify the GOPs.

I'm having trouble understanding exactly the point you are trying to make. One can only assume that you're talking about TMPGEnc the encoder whn you discuss GOP troubles. Then you say you never have and never will use TMPGEnc DVD Author because of a "flaw" in TMPGEnc Plus ? Is that a guilt by association logic ?

TMPGEnc Plus doesn't do chapters anyway. It is an encoder, not an authorer.

[Phlexor]

Yeah, guilt by association. Unless someone else wrote it and just slapped on the TMPGEnc name to it. If the same guy wrote it, then I really don't like how he has managed to mess up encoder with realteion to the long standing GOP bug. Who knows how far out of spec his DVD authoring program is. And I guess it is a form of silent (except when I'm ranting about it) protest.

And about TMPGEnc the encoder not doing chapters. If I want a cdhapter at a specific frame number, I have to use the encoder to to tell it where to insert an I frame to get a chapter entry point. And if you still don't know what I am talking about, come back when you have a clue.

[jimmalenko]

Yeah, guilt by association. Unless someone else wrote it and just slapped on the TMPGEnc name to it. If the same guy wrote it, then I really don't like how he has managed to mess up encoder with realteion to the long standing GOP bug. Who knows how far out of spec his DVD authoring program is. And I guess it is a form of silent (except when I'm ranting about it) protest.

I don't agree, but I guess you have your preferences.

And about TMPGEnc the encoder not doing chapters. If I want a cdhapter at a specific frame number, I have to use the encoder to to tell it where to insert an I frame to get a chapter entry point. And if you still don't know what I am talking about, come back when you have a clue.

I do know what you're talking about - chapters can only be inserted on I frames. What I was getting at is that the encoder doesn't insert the chapter points and never has, but I understand that it does need to create the I frames where you want chapters, and obviously you think this part of it is buggy.

I guess I don't understand the bigger picture because I have never needed to put chapters in with per frame accuracy. With GOPs 15 frames long, you can get within two-thirds of a second at worst and that has always been good enough for me.

[Phlexor]

I do know what you're talking about - chapters can only be inserted on I frames. What I was getting at is that the encoder doesn't insert the chapter points and never has, but I understand that it does need to create the I frames where you want chapters, and obviously you think this part of it is buggy.

Then for one thing, it soulds like you need to know a lot more about chapter points and their realtion to MPEG encoding. If I want a chapter point to fall directly on a scene change then I have to tell the encoder exactly where to insert an I frame. TMPGEnc has the ability to do this but the function is buggy.

[jimmalenko]

Then for one thing, it soulds like you need to know a lot more about chapter points and their realtion to MPEG encoding. If I want a chapter point to fall directly on a scene change then I have to tell the encoder exactly where to insert an I frame.

chapters can only be inserted on I frames.

Do these two statements not mean the same thing ?

What more do I need to know ?