VCDXBuild: DVD chapters all display as chapter 1?

[4th_alphabet]

hi, i recently tried using the VCDXBuild option in DVD2SVCD to get DVD chapters on an SVCD. when i burnt the image and played the SVCD in WinDVD and PowerDVD i did get the function of being able to press the skip chapter buttons (|<< and >>|) to navigate but i found that no matter what chapter i'm in, the player always displays the current chapter as chapter 1. this causes a few problems with navigating across chapters.

i can't test with a standalone DVD player, but is this problem suppose to show on WinDVD and PowerDVD? anyone else had the same experience burning with DVD chapters?

[vitualis]

This isn't a bug. The player generally displays for the "chapter" number for a S/VCD as the current track played. The current track on a S/VCD with entrypoint type chapters will always be on the same track. Thus, if your chapters are all within the first video track, then the player will display "1".

The is simply a nomenclature error of the player. It isn't "Chapter 1" so much as "Track 1" for S/VCDs.

S/VCD chapters work differently from DVD chapters.

Regards.

[4th_alphabet]

hi mike, thanks for the explanation of how the whole chapter thing works. i understand a little better now. so basically, the number 1 displayed isn't the chapter number at all, but the track number. and within that track there are entrypoints to indicate where each chapter begins so that the player knows where to go everytime i skip a chapter? is that right?

i haven't tried it, but if i were to play the SVCD in a standalone DVD player, will the display be track "1" as well? is there a way to burn an SVCD with seperate tracks for each chapter so that the display will show the chapter numbers like a DVD?

the problem i have with a single track is that every time i skip to a chapter, the player treats that point as the beginning of "track 1" and i can't rewind past that point. also, if i allow the track to continue playing without skipping chapters, the player doesn't know when i've passed a point of a new chapter. so no matter where i am in a track, skipping to a chapter will always be the next chapter from the beginning of track 1 (the last chapter i skipped to), not the adjacent chapter of the time i'm currently at in the track. does this make sense? it's hard to explain in writing.

[vitualis]

so basically, the number 1 displayed isn't the chapter number at all, but the track number.

Yes.

and within that track there are entrypoints to indicate where each chapter begins so that the player knows where to go everytime i skip a chapter? is that right?

Only "sort of" yes.

i haven't tried it, but if i were to play the SVCD in a standalone DVD player, will the display be track "1" as well?

Yes.

is there a way to burn an SVCD with seperate tracks for each chapter so that the display will show the chapter numbers like a DVD?

You could cut up the MPEG track and burn each as a separate track. However, multitrack S/VCD do not play seamlessly and you will get a pause (may be up to a few seconds) or at least a glitch at every part between tracks. This is the reason why chapters on S/VCDs are make using entrypoints rather than multitracks in the first place.

the problem i have with a single track is that every time i skip to a chapter, the player treats that point as the beginning of "track 1" and i can't rewind past that point. also, if i allow the track to continue playing without skipping chapters, the player doesn't know when i've passed a point of a new chapter. so no matter where i am in a track, skipping to a chapter will always be the next chapter from the beginning of track 1 (the last chapter i skipped to), not the adjacent chapter of the time i'm currently at in the track. does this make sense? it's hard to explain in writing.

I know absolutely what you mean. This, unfortunately, is the limitations with the entrypoint system of chapters with S/VCD. S/VCDs actually does have in the specs of making a semi-DVD (and thus intuitive) way of chaptering using entrypoints and playlists. Unfortunately, except for some Philips players, no DVD player actually supports it and on those players, chapters using that style won't work at all. The entrypoint method of chapter that I described here: http://www.vcdimager.org/guides/chapters.html is probably the best compromise as it will work propoerly in essentially all VCD/DVD players.

Regards.

[4th_alphabet]

excellent information. many thanks once again mike.