TMPGEnc DVD Author can now use VRDPlus V2 chapter files

[kidhazy]

If you're using the latest version of TMPGEnc DVD Author v1.6.34.89, it now has a feature where it will automatically pickup a file containing the framecount of the chapter selections.

eg. Source file is: my_movie.mpg chapter file is: my_movie.keyframe

So if you set your chapter options in VRDPlus V2 to:
filetype: text
outputfile : %F.keyframe
lineformat: %N

Then TMPGEnc DVD Author will automatically pick up the chapter file when you add a source file to it.

[phd]

Thanks!

I'm sure TDA users will find the info very useful.

[frankhad]

If you're using the latest version of TMPGEnc DVD Author v1.6.34.89, it now has a feature where it will automatically pickup a file containing the framecount of the chapter selections.

eg. Source file is: my_movie.mpg chapter file is: my_movie.keyframe

So if you set your chapter options in VRDPlus V2 to:
filetype: text
outputfile : %F.keyframe
lineformat: %N

Then TMPGEnc DVD Author will automatically pick up the chapter file when you add a source file to it.

Well, I can't seem to get this to work properly in my version of TDA which I've confirmed to be version 1.6.34.89.

I've set the parameters exactly as indicated above and created a keyframe file. When I open TDA, create a new project and add the video, TDA recognizes there is a keyframe file associated with this video and asks if I want to use it. Naturally I click "Yes." For a very brief instant what seems to be some kind of preview window appears on the screen, and then disappears just as quickly. When I open the video for further work, there is no evidence of chapter points whatsoever.

Anyone have a guess as to what I might be doing wrong?

f

[kidhazy]

Frank,

Have you looked at the actual keyframe file?

You should see it as a plain text file will just the frame numbers listed (1 number per row)

Is that what it looks like?

kidhazy

[frankhad]

Frank,

Have you looked at the actual keyframe file?

You should see it as a plain text file will just the frame numbers listed (1 number per row)

Is that what it looks like?

kidhazy

Thank you for responding....

I did open the file to look at it. Here's the first five entries which, as you know, are actually frame numbers.

4,932
7,797
17,559
28,027
38,950

In your original post, you didn't indicate the format for the timecode.
TDA chapters are formatted HH:MM:SS;ff with a semicolon between seconds and frames.
HH (colon) MM (colon) SS (semicolon) ff.
I assume the Chapter Marks settings in VideoReDo should be the same.

I only attempted this on one video and it was one I'd already processed through VideoReDo and was ready to author in TDA. I brought it back into VideoReDo, selected chapter points and attempted to save. I had some problems getting VideoReDo to actually save the file with the keyframe extension. It would save the chapter points in txt format, but not with the keyframe file extension. I'm not exactly sure why that was.

Nonetheless, I re-processed the entire video again saving it under a different file name which did produce the keyframed chapter file. When I loaded the video into TDA, a window popped up indicating the keyframe file had indeed been recognized. But even though I clicked "Yes" to add it, when I opened the video in TDA there were no chapter markers to be found anywhere.

Got any more ideas?

f

[cdeviney]

Set up VRD as stated in the first post.

Use WordPad to edit the filename.keyframe file and remove the commas from the frame numbers and save the file...now the chapters import just fine. If the commas are there, the chapters don't work.

Problem: "The Video GOP is too long" pops up when I import the .MPG file

I clicked on "ignore".

[frankhad]

Set up VRD as stated in the first post.

Use WordPad to edit the filename.keyframe file and remove the commas from the frame numbers and save the file...now the chapters import just fine. If the commas are there, the chapters don't work.

Thank you very much. I wondered about those commas but hadn't actually done anything as yet. I'll give it a try.

Problem: "The Video GOP is too long" pops up when I import the .MPG file

I clicked on "ignore".

I'm not sure what this refers to. Virtually all of the authoring I do in TDA involves video that is well over the 4.7 [4.38] limit. TDA complains a bit which I typically do ignore.

Thanks again for the "remove commas" tip. Can't wait to try it.

f

SUBSEQUENT EDIT: Just tried the method you suggested and find removing the commas from the keyframe file works perfectly.

Thanks again

f

[cdeviney]

Hopefully the VideoReDoPlus folks will change their program to remove the commas, so the user doesn't have to...Or maybe the TDA folks will fix TDA to accept commas! ;-)

P.S. Did you get the error message when you added your video?

[frankhad]

Hopefully the VideoReDoPlus folks will change their program to remove the commas, so the user doesn't have to...Or maybe the TDA folks will fix TDA to accept commas! ;-)

Since I typically try to keep the number of chapter points at a minimum (without compromizing the scenic flow and tone of a movie) removing the commas in the keyframe file is probably not as critical to me as it may be to others. I can zip through a notepad (keyframe) file in just a few seconds and remove the commas thanks to your helpful advice. The more chapters there are in a video also means more scrolling and menu changing in the authored video.

P.S. Did you get the error message when you added your video?

I didn't really understand what you meant when you first mentioned this but then I saw your post in the Future Requests forum. I don't get the GOP error message at all when bringing an MPEG into TDA. I'm wondering if the reason you get it may not have something to do with the fact that you capture from a dishplayer. Seems I've been reading a few comments lately posted by dishplayer users who have been having similar problems.

f

[cdeviney]

I only get the error after I change the settings in VRD, so that TDA will automatically take the chapter marks from VRD.

No error message in TDA with the "default" chapter settings in VRD.

Odd!

[frankhad]

I only get the error after I change the settings in VRD, so that TDA will automatically take the chapter marks from VRD.

No error message in TDA with the "default" chapter settings in VRD.

Odd!

Let me see if I understand this....

You get an error message that indicates GOPs are too lomg when you load an MPEG into TDA that also includes the keyframe file. Is that what you're saying?

Just how long are the GOPs? Especially those around the Chapter marks?

I've only brought one MPEG and keyframe file into TDA and it worked OK. The keyframe file imported without a hitch and there were no error messages whatsoever.

But last week when I was trying different methods to get TDA to accept the keyframe file, I noticed the time code of some (not all) of the chapter marks I'd set in VideoReDo were off by a frame or two when viewed on the TDA timeline. ALL of the chapter points I set in VideoReDo were set at I frames. I verified that. (In fact, it may not even be possible to set a chapter point in VideoReDo on a P or B frame.) And too, I'm talking about a discrepancy in the HH:MM:SS;ff code and not the frame number. For example, one chapter point was set in VideoReDo on an I frame at 00:08:04;08. But in TDA the timeline showed that I frame to actually be at 00:08:04;10 -- it was two frames later. And yet, I seem to recall the frame code was exactly the same -- 14513.

Even though you get a message that the GOP is too long, does TDA still accept the video? Are you able to author the MPEG?

f

[cdeviney]

I start off with 2 hour show from my 7200 Dish TV hard drive. VRD takes out the commercials and that gets it down to about 89 minutes.

I am new to all this, so I don't know what I, P, and B frames are...sorry.

Yes, it authored fine and we watched it last night, despite the "error" notification as I add the video in TDA.

Before I knew about how to make the changes in OPTIONS in VRD, so that a file would be created that would enable TDA to make the chapters where the commercials used to be....the file added to TDA just fine. Then I had TDA add a chapter every 10 minutes. That worked OK...no errors.

Strange!

[DanR]

Somehow I missed this whole thread since it wasn't posted in the support, beta or feature request topics. The next build of VRD will remove the commas from the frame count. The fact that they were there was an oversight.

BTW, the commas only appear in those countries where the comma is used to seperate the 000 digits. In some countreis a space is used which would mess up TDA even more. We now output an unformatted number.

PS. If you have an issue wtih VRD itself, please post in one of the three topics mentioned above.

[cdeviney]

So we just download and install the latest version of VRD and no more commas?

COOL! ;-)

[frankhad]

Somehow I missed this whole thread since it wasn't posted in the support, beta or feature request topics.

PS. If you have an issue wtih VRD itself, please post in one of the three topics mentioned above.

You're right, of course. But this thread didn't seem to start as an issue with VideoReDo as much as one dealing with a third party pgm. At least that's how I viewed it when I initiated this thread. As you see, however, it sort of evolved into something more.

Please accept my apoligies for posting in the wrong area.

P.S. I swear there was an extra space between "associations" and "from" on the original page. :-)

The next build of VRD will remove the commas from the frame count. The fact that they were there was an oversight.

Removing the commas from 10-30 chapter points in a keyframe file was no big deal to me. But, it's good to know it will be changed and the commas removed. Thank you.

f

[DanR]

So we just download and install the latest version of VRD and no more commas?
You need to wait until the software is posted. It will be in VideoReDo Plus, build #394.