Cant get chapters to work..... help!

[bernie01]

Help! I'm having problems authoring/burning my first VCD. Here's what I did:
Take1:
1. Created AVI files by passing analog VHS tape (70 minutes) into a Digi-8 video camera, then out via Firewire into my PC (pass through).
These files were captured using Scanalyzer as Type2 div-avi files and resulted in 4 files, 3 of 4Gb and the last a little smaller.
2. Converted the 4 AVI files to mpeg using TPMGEnc
3. Using VCDEasy, created chapters (no menus) and created an image file on my PC as CDRDAO is not functional due to lack of ASPI drivers.
This created name.bin , name.cue and name.xml files
4. Using Nero, burnt the image to CD (from memory, I think I selected the cue file in Nero).
This resulted in a VCD with good picture quality but the chapters I created were non existent, and there were chapters (entry points) at the beginning of each
of the 4 files. Not what I wanted, but at least it worked to a point!

Take2:
1. Decided to merge the 4 mpeg files into one large one, did so using the 'Merge & Cut tool in TPMGEnc. (Made backup copies first!)
2. Created many chapters in VCDEasy, then hit 'go' button. Got error message saying "This mpeg requires autopadding' in the log.
3 Deleted the files created and used MPeg tools in TPMGEnc to demultiplex the large file (which created name.m1v and name.mp2 files) then multiplexed these files as I read about doing this on this forum.
4. Using VCDEasy again, created chapters (no menus) and created an image file on my PC. This created name.bin , name.cue and name.xml files again. There were approx. 70 chapters (every minute).
5. Using Nero, burnt the image to CD
Tested this in a friends DVD player, result: 'Disc Error' message, VCD ejected !!!! I have the backup copies of the original 4 mpeg files, but deleted the AVI files
as they were so large.
Can anyone point out what has gone wrong here and what I can do to create a simple VCD with multiple chapters?
Thanks, Bernie.

Update: discovered the MPEG file scan tool in VCDEasy, ran it on the 'big' file, heres the result, looks OK to me?
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MPEG1, PlayingTime=4280.215s, Bitrate=1411200bps, PtsOffset=0346s, 321038 packets

Video Stream: Motion Video, 352x288, 25fps (PAL), 1150kbps
Audio Stream: Audio Standard MPEG layer2 Stereo, 44100Hz, 229376bps

[David K]

I've used VCDEasy a lot, but I've never used chapters with it.

I think the problem might be using Nero to burn your bin/cue. On the VCDEasy homepage, he has a guide about using different programs to burn and Nero apparently doesn't preserve the "subchannel" data, which is what is used for advanced features likes chapters.

CDRwin is apparently the best burning program for bin/cue if you cannot get CDRAO to work.

P.S. If you go looking for CDRwin, it is 3.9 from Golden Hawk technology that you want. The version listed in the tools section here (5.0) uses the name but is a completely different program.

[pbhalerao]

I have created my own personal VCD's (from home video) using the same way. I could create chapters and menus using VCDEasy. I used Nero to burn the bin/cue files and chapters were intact.

The problem is defintely with the encoding and/or authoring. Chapter entry points can only be placed at I-Frames. You should create I-Frames using TMPGEnc. You should also sequence the chapters in the 'Interactiity' tab in VCDEasy. Sefy and Adam have posted excellent guides on this issue. Follow these guides accurately.

Assuming that you have done everything as mentioned in the guides, have you tried out playing your bin file on the PC s/w VCD player such as WinDVD or PowerDVD? You can load the bin file as virtual drive using Daemon tools. This way the PC thinks that the new virtual drive is a CD drive with a VCD loaded. You should test your VCD this way before burning it to a CD-R. Alternately, you could try burning a CD-RW and carrying out the test.

Posting the XML output of your VCDEasy build could also help.

Regards,

[bernie01]

David, Prasanna; thanks for your advice, I will investigate and report back.
*
Prasanna: the XML file is large as it has many chapters (It's a guitar instructional video so I want to be able to repeat small chunks of it) so I
posted it here:

http://www.users.on.net/bbaer/Duke_Swing.xml

Many thanks, Bernie.

[pbhalerao]

Bernie,

I am not an expert. I began only a few months ago. Your XML file looked fine to me. Maybe Adam, Vitualis or Sefy could help. They have extensive expertise on VCD authoring. Send them a mail or PM.

Regards,

[bernie01]

Well, I downloaded the trial version of WinDVD and DaemonTools.....and
the bin file plays fine! All the chapters are there, and I can hit the 'Menu' button and see 72 selections and select them succesfully!
The 'Previous Chapter' and 'Next Chapter' buttons also work fine.
*
Also, the actual CD I burned plays fine too! However, at the beginning of the CD is a very small piece of video and now I think I recall there was some kind of a problem and I aborted the burn. I checked the disc in Nero and it said it was empty so I tried again; I'll bet this is why the VCD wont play on a standalone DVD player. Will burn again with a brand new CD and let you know! Thanks again, I'm now very happy!
Regards, Bernie.

[bernie01]

Well, the new burnt CD plays on my NEC drive, but NOT on the Iomega Zip drive that it was burnt on! Anyway I'm happy that the chapters work (although on the top right of the WinDVD control panel there appears 'CH 1' and this does NOT increment when I step through the chapters?

[pbhalerao]

Anyway I'm happy that the chapters work (although on the top right of the WinDVD control panel there appears 'CH 1' and this does NOT increment when I step through the chapters?

The chapters in VCD are actually "entry points". They just tell the player to jump to a particular time line within the .DAT file. In a DVD it is different. The chapters are marked and those are real chapters. Hence, when the WinDVD or the standalone player does not show the chapter number when you skip the VCD chapters, this is quite nomal.

Regards,

[Sam Ontario]

Help! I'm having problems authoring/burning my first VCD. Here's what I did:
Take1: ...........
3. Using VCDEasy, created chapters (no menus) and created an image file on my PC as CDRDAO is not functional due to lack of ASPI drivers.
............

You can download the Adaptec ASPI driver or you can probably use the Nero ASPI driver if you installed Nero again. Its more convenient for me to use VCDEasy to burn my VCD or SVCD directly in VCDEasy.

[bernie01]

Thanks everybody.
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Prasanna,
re 'entry-points' versus 'chapters' ........
does this mean that on a standalone DVD player I can't, for example, go direct to track 23 by typing 23 on the remote key pad? Will I have to advance one at a time, 23 times? I hope not! Or do entry points still allow me to go direct via a key pad entry.
*
At some stage I downloaded some ASPI drivers but they caused a hang in something, can't remember what! Too many new things happening here!
May try that again later, thanks Sam.

[Sefy]

Hi bernie01,

First, Make sure you use ASPI v4.60 Build 1021 ONLY! not 4.70 or any other higher version! they tend to cause numerous problems on several types of different systems!

Also, when using VCDEasy, make sure the PBC is turned on! (Interactivity) or the Chapters won't work! 8)

[pbhalerao]

Prasanna,
re 'entry-points' versus 'chapters' ........
does this mean that on a standalone DVD player I can't, for example, go direct to track 23 by typing 23 on the remote key pad? Will I have to advance one at a time, 23 times? I hope not! Or do entry points still allow me to go direct via a key pad entry.

Hi bernie01,

Your chapters will work fine on the standalone player (just as they do with the PC player such as WinDVD). You will be able to navigate to Chapter nn by keying in nn from the remote. Only difference is the DVD LCD window will not show it as Chapter nn.

Regards,