DVD Chapters

Single video file with multiple, specific chapters

Assuming you have an mpg file, dvd_movie.mpg, ready for attaching a menu. You have played the movie and noted the times where you want chapters.

For example, the five chapters will be at:

• 00:00
• 8 minutes, 5 seconds
• 27 minutes, 47 seconds
• 46 minutes, 58 seconds
• 1 hour, 4 minutes, 3 seconds

Using tovid disc

If you are using tovid disc you can have this done for you by the script by supplying chapters on the command line. You can use the -chapters option 2 ways.

• -chapters 6 will automatically make 6 chapters starting with 00:00:00, each 1/6 of the video.
• -chapters 00:00:00,00:08:05,00:27:47,00:46:58,01:04:03 will make the supplied chapters as listed above.

For multiple videos supply the arguments as a list, one string for each video

• -chapters "00:00:00,00:08:05,00:27:47,01:04:03" "00:00:00,00:04:34,00:11:23.341,00:24:15:56" "00:00:00,00:23:05,00:54:16,01:26:34,01:45:52"

The above chapter strings have been quoted for readability, it is not necessary when doing the actual command.

Or for automatic chapter points:

• -chapters 6 4 8

Using tovid menu/xml

If instead of using tovid disc you are going the tovid menu/tovid xml route, do:

tovid menu \
  "Chapter 1" \
  "Chapter 2" \
  "Chapter 3" \
  "Chapter 4" \
  "Chapter 5" \
  -background screenshot1.jpg \
  -align east \
  -out MainMenu

This gives you a menu that has five buttons on it.

Now do:

tovid xml \
    -menu MainMenu.mpg \
    dvd_movie.mpg  \
    -out movieout

Then: Change two areas in the resulting xml file:

First, you get a single button line, thus:

<button>jump title 1;</button>

Replace that single line with one button for each chapter, thus:

<button>jump title 1 chapter 1;</button>
   <button>jump title 1 chapter 2;</button>
   <button>jump title 1 chapter 3;</button>
   <button>jump title 1 chapter 4;</button>
   <button>jump title 1 chapter 5;</button>

Second, replace the default chapter list with your own:

<vob file="dvd_movie.mpg" chapters="00:00:00,00:05:00,00:10:00,00:15:00,00:20:00,00:25:00,00:30:00,00:35:00,00:40:00,00:45:00,00:50:00,00:55:00,01:00:00,01:05:00,01:10:00,01:15:00" />

Change the line above to this:

<vob file="dvd_movie.mpg" chapters="00:00:00,00:08:05,00:27:47,00:46:58,01:04:03" />

Lastly: Run tovid dvd in the regular way.