Adding MP4 Chapters

[Axel Slingerland]

My DVD player is getting old and fast forward for MP4 files on a USB drive doesn't always work very well. Could someone tell me how to write a DOS batch file to add chapters every 10 minutes to MP4 files with ffmpeg?

It would be very much appreciated...

[pcspeak]

Hello. The batch file just got edited. I missed a % character. If it fails for you, grab it again.

I've found over the years the simplest way is by doing a 2 step tango.
The following batch file creates a new MKV file in the New\ folder.
Changes to that folder.
Creates a new MP4 next to the MKV.
The process is almost a direct stream copy for all tracks and is quick.
There are no chapter titles, etc. In fact nothing but chapter markers. TWICE.
Yeah, you end up with 2 lots of chapter markers. It doesn't seem to hurt anything. Check it with MediaInfo.
There's probably a fix for that, but I'm not bothered.
It is quick and easy.

@echo off
:: MP4 - MKV with chapters.
if not exist New\*.* md New
for %%a in ("*.mp4") do "C:\Program Files\MKVToolNix\mkvmerge.exe" --ui-language en "%%a" --output "New\%%~na.mkv" --generate-chapters interval:00:10:00.000 --track-order 0:0,0:1
cd New
for %%a in ("*.mkv") do ffmpeg -i "%%a" -codec copy -threads 0 -y "%%~na.mp4"
pause

Now you have both an MKV and an MP4 with chapter markers in the New\ folder.
Every video I have these days plays wirelessly through a laptop under my TV. All MKV.

Cheers

[Axel Slingerland]

Thanks, Mate!

Any chance you could edit it and remove the MKV stuff? I pretty much do the same thing as you, I bought a laptop specifically to use as a movie player. (Fortunately, right before the pandemic hit and the price for the same laptop went up by nearly 50%!) But nearly all of my videos are MP4 files. The only MKV files I have are MakeMKV copies of some of my DVDs.

I have been using Drax and that method works ok, but it's one file at a time and that can be a bit time consuming. Based on what little I know about using ffmpeg in batch files, your batch appears to me to be able to do multiple videos at a time without changing the batch file, which is exactly what I was hoping to find. However, I freely admit that I probably know considerably less than I think I do about all sorts of things. So I could be way off base on that. Which is why I don't assume that I know what I don't and I am always eager to learn more. Even if the ol' sponge in my head isn't as absorbent as it used to be...

[pcspeak]

The batch file is to work with MP4 videos.
MKV is only an interim step and any MKV videos can be deleted.
It's the easiest way I know of to add chapters.
Grab a copy of mkvmerge.exe and put it with ffmpeg.exe.
The following changes wil clean up all MKV videos in the New\ folder.

@echo off
:: MP4 -> MKV -> MP4 with chapters.
if not exist New\*.* md New
for %%a in ("*.mp4") do mkvmerge.exe --ui-language en "%%a" --output "New\%%~na.mkv" --generate-chapters interval:00:10:00.000 --track-order 0:0,0:1
cd New
for %%a in ("*.mkv") do ffmpeg -i "%%a" -codec copy -threads 0 -y "%%~na.mp4"
del *.mkv
pause

[Axel Slingerland]

Cool, thanks. 10 or 15 years ago I would have thought of that myself... I guess I am getting old.


Edit: Works like a charm. Very fast, and does do multiple files. Which will really speed things up. Thanks again, Mate!