Entry points problem... Virtualis, you seem to know a lot...

[Lars17]

Ok, I know this question is probably already asked on this forum, but the fact is that when I searched for my problem I got so many topics that if I were to read everyone I would end up crazy... :P

Well, over to my actual problem:

When I use VCDImager (vcdxbuild) to make my bin-file and cue-file I get several warnings saying that "entrypoint 127.432 closest possible entrypoint at 000.000" (don't quite remember the exact words!) and so on for every entrypoint that I've written in my xml-file.
I read Virtualis guide over at vcdimager's homepage, and it said something about "sequence-headers". Obviously this is my problem concerning my mpeg-file, but is there a way of fixing this without having to re-encode the entire movie?

I was really eager to start working with chapters on my vcds, but this problem totally stopped that eagerness. I'm really hoping that there is a way to get around all of this, because I don't have a very fast computer, so encoding a file in VBR takes A LOT of hours (several days in fact!!!).

Virtualis, you seem to know a lot concerning the whole chapter - menu issue, so I hope you can help me out here as well!

I really hope someone will help me out with this problem even though this question most probably already's been answered... I really want this chapter thing to work, because that would bring my VCDs to a whole other level...

I know for a fact that my Pioneer DVD-player supports the whole chapter-issue, because I got to fool CDRWin a little, so that I was able to make those chapters even though all of them reffered back to entrypoint 000.000. And I then got to push 1 - 8 (where those chapters were supposed to start) to start each chapter, but then of course they started at the beginning of the movie if I pushed either 1, 2, 3... or 8! This is probably because of these sequence-headers!

Help needed desperatly!

-Lars17-

[k4e4n]

Is PBC (in OPTIONS) checked? and is 'Relax the APS Constraints' checked under CHAPTERS.....options?

[vitualis]

I strongly discourage from using the "Relax APS" option. The sequence header contains important information (e.g., framesize, framerate, etc.) that your hardware player may need to display the clip properly. If you jump to the middle of a clip without a sequence header, it may well not work on YOUR player, but definitely won't work on many.

As for your MPEG, you mentioned "VBR"? Are you making a SVCD or VCD or some sort of X-variant?

Regards.

[Lars17]

Well, I guess you would have to call it an x-variant. That's because I use PAL resolution, but NTSCFilm framerate. In other words, I've made a mpeg-file that's 352*288 and 23.97fps.

As for all these options... what do you mean when you asked me if I've checked the PBC-option? I use VCDImager which means I use xml-files to create my bin-files, and those xml-files are written from scratch - without the use of TSCV or VCDEasy. But I can assure you that I do have the PBC option on, because if you'd read my first post, I told you that I did in fact get the chapters to work, only that they all started from beginning of the movie. This means that I would have had the PBC-option checked, or else I wouldn't have been able to make chapters (or would I?).

Vitualis... First of all, I don't really know what this "Relax APS" option is, but if you haven't used that in you're guide of how to make chapters, I haven't used it! Or is that option something you choose while you're encoding? Either way, I do think I can say that I haven't used such an option, unless it's a default setting, because I have surely not checked that option.

But should it really matter if I choose to make a VCD or an XVCD?
Doesn't it have something to do with some of the GOP-settings I have chosen in TMPGEnc? You see, I really want to know if I have to re-encode the entire movie to get these chapter-things to work properly? I really hope I don't have to do that, because as I said in my first post - that will take DAYS (not hours)!

I really need help on this issue, so please help me out!

-Lars17-

[vitualis]

As for all these options... what do you mean when you asked me if I've checked the PBC-option? I use VCDImager which means I use xml-files to create my bin-files, and those xml-files are written from scratch - without the use of TSCV or VCDEasy.

That's okay. I think k4e4n was making reference to TSCV specific terminology.

Vitualis... First of all, I don't really know what this "Relax APS" option is, but if you haven't used that in you're guide of how to make chapters, I haven't used it! Or is that option something you choose while you're encoding?

Okay, don't worry about it! It's a setting that you can put under <option> and it was actually I who convinced hvr to put that setting in back in the early days of v0.7.x. Now I wish I hadn't... Back then there were difficulties with getting entrypoints to work and that was sort of a "hack"... It basically allows you to set entrypoints at any I-frame (and without MPEG Sequence Headers). However, this "hack" doesn't work on many stand-alone players which is why I strongly discourage you from using it. There is some info on in in the VCDImager manual and also here: http://www.geocities.com/medinotes/vcd/general_xml_structure.html (look under <option> )

Doesn't it have something to do with some of the GOP-settings I have chosen in TMPGEnc?

When you encode with TMPGEnc, there is a setting under "MPEG Configuration" --> "GOP structure" called Sequence header output interval. You should have set this to "1". I think that you probably did not do this... This is a setting you should set in subsequent XVCD encodes.

If you read my "chaptering" article here:
http://www.geocities.com/medinotes/vcd/chapters.html
http://www.vcdimager.org/guides/chapters.html (mirror)

... you will see a picture of the TMPGEnc setup on the "GOP Settings" screen. Note how on the default VCD template, the GOP is set on "1" and isn't selectable.

I reckon that your XVCD MPEG doesn't have any MPEG Sequence Headers except at the beginning of the file and that's your problem. You can try to fix this with the "MPEG Sequence Maker v0.2" tool as detailed in the article for the "Panasonic MPEG Encoder"... If you can't find it for download (the link might be down), tell me and I'll e-mail it.

Good luck.

Regards.

[Lars17]

Thx a lot for the help Vitualis!!!
The link for the SequenceMaker still worked, so I have downloaded it now! The reason why I didn't do that earlier (because I did see the link while reading your guide) is because I thought it only applied to the Panasonic Mpeg Encoder.

I'll try this now, and see what happens... crossing my fingers that it'll work, or else... there's is A LOT of waiting and encoding to do all over again! You were absolutely right when you said that I hadn't used that Sequence header output interval option, so no wonder I didn't get those chapter thing to work.

Well, I'll try that program now, and I'll let you know if all your help did work... hoping... :P

Thx a lot for all your help... very quick help!!!

-Lars17-

[Lars17]

IT WORKED!!!

Thx a lot for the help Vitualis!!! Now the chapters finally worked right..., so now I have a fully functional multimenu VCD with chapters!!! Finally... Hehe... 8)

I'm very grateful for the help you gave me, 'cause now I don't need to re-encode the entire movie!!! I don't think I can even try to explain how happy I got about that fact!!!

-Lars17-

[vitualis]

I remember the first time I made a chaptered VCD (with menus) too... Pretty damn good feeling.

Regards.