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Chapter Marks (Chapter Points) Revisited
I’ve read through the posts here and it seems like support for embedded Chapter Marks/Points is gone. Is this correct?
I’m working with a client to produce a series of company-specific, step-by-step training videos. He wants to give the viewer the ability to advance through/to individual steps presented in the video via a ‘chapter advance’ button (i.e. skipping to the next step). The videos are going to be deployed on a PC-based, mobile platform and play through a WindowsMedia app (or something similar). Additionally, the client wants to be able to drop the videos on their company intranet so employees can view them at their desktop. The tech guys are asking me to deliver h.264 encoded media files with embedded chapter points that can be dropped into both the mobile device’s UI and onto the company intranet and play directly without the need for additional programming or creation of multiple versions.
After creating a test video, it seems that none of the chapter marks are recognized by any player. I’ve tested ‘Open URL’ and ‘Display Text’ points, too, which I also know used to work. They don’t, either. The programmers developing the player have also indicated that my test files are bereft of any timeline markers.
So, any suggestions for how to specify user advance points? We have over 300 videos to create (@ 5 – 30 min. each). The client has expressed dissatisfaction at the prospect of entering / assigning the chapter points on the programming side.
Thanks,
Ben
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MacPro4.1 OS10.6.7
Single 2.66Ghz Quad-core Xeon
3GB RAM
Media100 Suite 2.0.2
Kona LHiMacPro3.1 OS10.6.7
Dual 2.8Ghz Quad-core Xeon
8GB RAM
Media100 Suite 2.0.2
No input card
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3 Replies
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Chapter marks are still supported and integrated e.g. into exported QuickTime movies. If you open an exported QuickTime movie in QuickTime Player 7 you will see the chapters in the lower right corner next to the timeline (at least if “Export Chapter Marks” is enabled on export from Media 100).
The other question is what kind of file you need to deliver. There are some 3rd party tools that support QuickTime chapter marks, for example BitVice. But depending on your target format you need to make sure that these chapter marks are preserved during the encoding. In Apple Compressor for example, marker are only supported for MPEG2, MPEG4, QuickTime and H.264 exports.
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Thanks, Flo.
I can confirm that the chapter marks are being included in the exported QuickTime files. The question now is whether or not I can export chapter marks in a WMV file directly from M100. I have the Flip4Mac “Studio” WMV encoder, but it appears to not transfer the markers included in the timeline. I’ve also provided AVI, MPG, and MP4 without success.
In further conversations with the tech guys, they are less concerned with the actual encoding format and file type than they are with the need for the file that I provide to play without additional work on their part. The only real requirement is that the videos be playable in WindowsMedia Player AND have chapter marks that the player will recognize. Secondarily, the video files I provide need to be compressed enough to allow them all to be stored on the mobile device’s 320GB drive.
Is it possible to export a PC-friendly video file with embedded chapter points directly from M100? Or, will I have to use an intermediary encoder (like BitVice) to accomplish this?
– Ben
———————
MacPro4.1 OS10.6.7
Single 2.66Ghz Quad-core Xeon
3GB RAM
Media100 Suite 2.0.2
Kona LHiMacPro3.1 OS10.6.7
Dual 2.8Ghz Quad-core Xeon
8GB RAM
Media100 Suite 2.0.2
No input card
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My suggestion: export as By Reference or self-contained from Media 100 with chapter marks. Buy Compressor on the AppStore ($49), and encode to H.264 with it. H.264 can be played on most systems these days, and Compressor does keep the chapter marks.
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