dvdauthor chapters not working

[JonWeigand]

aloha!

I'm new to dvdauthor (dvdauthor.sourceforge.net/), but I want to use it to create some autoplay DVDs, no menus. I'm trying to keep it simple, but I want chapters every 5 minutes. The following control XML produces a VIDEO_TS folder that plays, but I can't skip from chapter to chapter, and I can't scrub the timeline:

<dvdauthor dest="newfolder">
<vmgm />
<titleset>
<titles>
<video format="ntsc" aspect="4:3" />
<pgc>
<vob file="Test.mpg" chapters="0,5:00,10:00,15:00,20:00" />
</pgc>
</titles>
</titleset>
</dvdauthor>


Am I missing something in the XML? Or is there something that I need to be doing for the .mpg?
Test.mpg was created with ffmpeg, like so:
ffmpeg -i Test.m2v -i Test.ac3 -vcodec copy -acodec copy -f dvd Test.mpg

[JonWeigand]

Turns out that this issue relates to ffmpeg and not dvdauthor.

My interpretation of this information could be incorrect, but this is how I understand it: The .mpg was missing "NAV Packets" (in ffmpeg and other encoders, called the presentation time stamp, or PTS) where the chapters could be assigned. To add PTS to the encode, I added "-fflags +genpts" to my ffmpeg (note, according to Superuser, this "must be before the input file is specified with -i"):

ffmpeg -fflags +genpts -i Test.m2v -i Test.ac3 -vcodec copy -acodec copy -f dvd Test.mpg

[manono]

Why not use one of the front ends for the dvdauthor project where it's easy to set up chapters. Or Muxman where it's also easy to create chapters every 5 minutes, even though it uses frame numbers and not times as dvdauthor. Muxman is a much better authoring program than is ffmpeg, anyway.

Are you really making an MPG? I don't know as I don't ever use ffmpeg. If so, there won't ever be any chapters.

[JonWeigand]

MPG is just a container. And DVDAuthor creates the chapters using the control XML.

But the goal is to create my solutions using command line tools so that I can automate them and ffmpeg/dvdauthor seem to do the trick. Do you know if Muxman can be automated? As in, can a script send the input and parameters and spit out a finished .iso or video_ts/audio_ts pair?

[manono]

Do you know if Muxman can be automated?

Yes it can. It creates MXP files you can use as a template for automating your authoring. No ISOs, but VIDEO_TS files with IFOs, BUPs, and VOBs. You can find more information on the Muxman site:

http://stnsoft.com/Muxman/versions.shtml

If you're in the US, to create chapters you use 29.97fps frame numbers (or, I use 30fps because it's easier). The frame numbers for chapters every 5 minutes would be:

30x60x5=9000

Create a Celltimes.txt file and inside put them like this:

9000
18000
27000
36000
45000
.
.
.

Make sure not to go beyond the total 29.97fps frame count of the DVD.

MPG is just a container.

Yes, I know. But it's not a VOB and it's not a DVD.

aloha!

Aloha to you, too, from the island of Hawaii (Kona).

[_Al_]

I use muxman to automate making of VIDEO_TS as well. It reads input file and then MXP is modified for 25fps or 29.97fps, then imgburn command makes ISO, but you can burn VIDEO_TS directly with ImgBurn, it is a choice, it is also there. All codes, windows batch scripts, are in this package , codes just for you are situated in tools\subroutines directory, portable imgburn is included also

SET LABEL=NAME_OF_DVD
SET drive=F:
SET speed=6x
SET verify=yes
SET eject=yes
SET copies=1

making iso from VIDEO_TS:

%imgburn% /MODE BUILD /BUILDMODE IMAGEFILE /SRC "%temp_folder%\VIDEO_TS\" /DEST "%destination_adr%.ISO" /OVERWRITE "YES" /FILESYSTEM "ISO9660 + UDF" /UDFREVISION "1.02" /VOLUMELABEL "%LABEL%" /NOIMAGEDETAILS /ROOTFOLDER "YES" /CLOSESUCCESS  /LOG "%temp_adr%_imgburn-write-ISO.log" /START

direct VIDEO_TS burn:

%imgburn% /MODE WRITE /SRC "%temp_folder%\VIDEO_TS\" /DEST %DRIVE% /FILESYSTEM "ISO9660 + UDF" /UDFREVISION "1.02" /VOLUMELABEL "%LABEL%" /NOIMAGEDETAILS /ROOTFOLDER "YES" /SPEED %SPEED% /COPIES %copies% /VERIFY %verify%  /EJECT %EJECT% /LOG "%temp_adr%_imgburn-burn.log" /CLOSESUCCESS /START

[JonWeigand]

thanks for the input!

[_Al_]

I just looked at it again, realizing that muxman muxes VIDEO_TS , where frame rate input is not needed, m2v video just has to be 25fps or 29.97 (could be even progressive) , project mpx (anyway that one I got from somewhere) needs to just have correct aspect ratio (4:3 or 16:9) and correct m2v and AC3 path for muxing.