Manually creating Chapters in MyDVD

[Reese]

I have EMC9 and trying to create a movie to put on DVD. I edited it in video wave but could not find a place there to create chapters. I then went to MyDVD where I am unable to manually create chapters. In the chapter panel, I can automatically create chapters, but they are not where I want them. When I forward through the movie to a point where I want to create a chapter, I click on the create chapter button, and the thumbnail shows on the side of the panel, and the box at the bottom is checked to create the linkages, but when I click ok, the chapers are not selected. When I go back to edit chapters, they are not there and there are no images on the menu page. I must be doing something wrong. Auto detection works, manual does not. I can't find anything in the user manual to help me. I am doing everything the help center says to do, but I can't manually create chapters.

 

Is there another place in mydvd or video wave where I can manually create chapters?

 

Any help will be appreciated,

Thanks

[Larry]

That didn't work.

Also, decided to go ahead and burn what I had, but the computer freezes at 73% completed. ( It was still in the compliation stage, before any burning took place). I have rebooted, stopped Nortons Anti virus, and Zone Alarm Firewall, tried again and it still freezes at 73%.

 

No manual chapter capability, freezes while burning. Any idea on what may be wrong? I am using a Dell Dimension 4600, 1Gig ram, running XP, SP2?

I found that after marking chapters in Videowave, like you did, after I add that production to MyDVD, I still had to right click on the movie and select edit chapters so that MyDVD would recognize them.

[Reese]

I found that after marking chapters in Videowave, like you did, after I add that production to MyDVD, I still had to right click on the movie and select edit chapters so that MyDVD would recognize them.

 

 

 

Have you had any problems with MyDVD freezing up during the burn phase? Typically how long does it take to burn, say, a 30 min video?

[Larry]

Have you had any problems with MyDVD freezing up during the burn phase? Typically how long does it take to burn, say, a 30 min video?

I haven't had it freeze myself, so no. Others that have posted that it freezes part way thru the process usually get it resolved by updating their video drivers, reinstalling them if they are current, or updating directx9.

 

How long it takes to burn depends on whether the source video has to be rendered (encoded). if it does, typically it's 1.5 times the length of the video on a very good high end machine. It can be up to 2 or 3 times as long tho. For me, a 30 min production that needs to be encoded would run approx 1 hour or a little more. About a 2 to 1 ratio. If it doesn't have to encode the video, a 30 min production should only take about 5 min or so, start to finish.

[ggrussell]

For #3, that is how it is designed to work. .dmsm and .dmsd are completely different files. "Add New Movie" is the correct way to add a Videowave project to MyDVD.

 

It would be more accurate to say the markers in Videowave are 'edit' markers which can be used for several functions. They are also used to edit out commercials or sections of clips. If you have 'edit markers' in a Videowave production file (dmsm) and then add that to a MyDVD project, those markers will be automatically used as Chapter markers when you use the 'add chapter' feature.

 

For #2 - can't quite follow what you are doing. Make sure you are clicking on the correct item in the tree to see the chapter marks. You need to click on the MOVIE to see the chapter marks. Personally, I haven't had any problems with chapter marks.

[sknis]

I haven't had it freeze myself, so no. Others that have posted that it freezes part way thru the process usually get it resolved by updating their video drivers, reinstalling them if they are current, or updating directx9.

 

How long it takes to burn depends on whether the source video has to be rendered (encoded). if it does, typically it's 1.5 times the length of the video on a very good high end machine. It can be up to 2 or 3 times as long tho. For me, a 30 min production that needs to be encoded would run approx 1 hour or a little more. About a 2 to 1 ratio. If it doesn't have to encode the video, a 30 min production should only take about 5 min or so, start to finish.

 

There are several things that can cause the program to freeze during encoding. Larry already mentioned updating your video drivers and DirectX 9c to address hardware issues.

 

If you made your project in Video Wave, there is a quick (?) way of determining if there is something in your project that the program doesn't like. You didn't mention format, cuts, added transitions, music etc. First, look at your project in Video Wave story line view. Sometimes a very short video section - a few frames -- can be generated accidentally when cuts are being made. Check to make sure that all the blocks in the story line view are longer than a few frames. Next, output that project in Video Wave to a mpg2 file for DVD, best quality. Use the film reel icon just above the video preview window. If the encoding hangs, note the time and then go back to the project to see what is going on in that time frame. You should be able to spot a problem and correct it.

 

If the project does encode, then you can just add that mpg2 file to your MyDVD as a movie. It will not encode a second time unless you change the quality of the video to fit more on a disc. Best bet is to burn to an ISO file at best quality rather than directly to a disc and then copy that ISO file to a disc using Disc Copier. Disc copier will make it fit at the highest quality possible.

[ggrussell]

Certainly doesn't sound correct. I have no problems saving project files and reopening them. .dmsd files SHOULD be fairly small. The info is just a 'to do' list for the final render. There is no video or image saved in the file.

 

I know it sounds odd, but what video card do you have? Have you updated the drivers. Videowave/MyDVD uses DirectX commands. To get the best performance, you really need a good video card that fully supports DirectX 9.0c. Make sure DirectX and your video card drivers are updated.

[malatekid]

In Videowave, go to Timeline view. Add chapter markers on the timeline by clicking on the + button at the top left to various points of the movie that you designate as start of chapters. Save the file. Open the production in MyDVD. Those markers now serve as chapter points of your movie.

[toto]

For #3, that is how it is designed to work. .dmsm and .dmsd are completely different files. "Add New Movie" is the correct way to add a Videowave project to MyDVD.

 

It would be more accurate to say the markers in Videowave are 'edit' markers which can be used for several functions. They are also used to edit out commercials or sections of clips. If you have 'edit markers' in a Videowave production file (dmsm) and then add that to a MyDVD project, those markers will be automatically used as Chapter markers when you use the 'add chapter' feature.

 

For #2 - can't quite follow what you are doing. Make sure you are clicking on the correct item in the tree to see the chapter marks. You need to click on the MOVIE to see the chapter marks. Personally, I haven't had any problems with chapter marks.

 

First let me thank you for the fast reply.

 

Right. Let me elaborate point 2 by describing all the steps.

- Starting from scratch opening MyDVD and "Add New Movie" in this case a .avi file.

- In the "Project view" window I see the name of the opened .avi file bellow the entry "My menu"

- Selecting the file name in this menu enables the "Edit Chapters" in the "Edit" window

- Clicking "Edit Chapters" opens the "Edit Chapters" window, the first frame is visible at the right with a lock symbol in it and is titled "Start of movie".

- Remark: I just use the default Background, in my case a wood with some artistic blurring stripes.

- Now I start adding chapters manually. This time I made 7 chapters

- Closing the "Edit Chapters" generates the expected menu hierarchy in the "Project View" window.

- I get 2 "My Menu" entries with below each of them 4 chapter references

- In the "Preview" window I see the chapters with the expected thumb images if I select the "My Menu" references

- So far so good

 

- Now, this is what I want to save! Because I think that it is possible to save it at this point

 

- Selecting: File -> Save Project as ...

- I type the file name TestProject and MyDVD selects the file type .dmsd

- Resulting in a file TestProject.dmsd , 616 kBytes in size

- Remark. Originally I made 16 chapters and the file was 9.7 MBytes in size (so 4 times more chapters gives a 15 times larger file?)

- Closing MyDVD now.

- Double clicking the file TestProject.dmsd and MyDVD opens

- The hierarchy looks good in the "Project view" window

- I click on "My Menu" to see what wil show up in the "Preview" window

 

- Aaarchh!! It happens again!!!!

- Now I see that all thumbs are copies of the thumb used for the start of the movie.

- But this is only an incorent rendering of what is realy there.

- By double clicking on one of the chapters in the "Preview" window I will end up in playing the start of the video.

- Going back will leave me only with (in this case) one chapter in the "Preview" window and this is also reflected in the "Project view" window

- In the original situation where I made 16 chapters I ended up with only 3 chapters with some (I think) random pick of one of the chapter thumbs I defined

- Instead of double clicking on a chapter I could have opened the "Edit Chapter" window and it will display the left over chapters right away

- Closing "Edit chapters" will result in the same miserable condition

 

So, what is happening???? Why can't I save and just retrieve it?

[Reese]

In Videowave, go to Timeline view. Add chapter markers on the timeline by clicking on the + button at the top left to various points of the movie that you designate as start of chapters. Save the file. Open the production in MyDVD. Those markers now serve as chapter points of your movie.

 

 

That didn't work.

Also, decided to go ahead and burn what I had, but the computer freezes at 73% completed. ( It was still in the compliation stage, before any burning took place). I have rebooted, stopped Nortons Anti virus, and Zone Alarm Firewall, tried again and it still freezes at 73%.

 

No manual chapter capability, freezes while burning. Any idea on what may be wrong? I am using a Dell Dimension 4600, 1Gig ram, running XP, SP2?

[toto]

Certainly doesn't sound correct. I have no problems saving project files and reopening them. .dmsd files SHOULD be fairly small. The info is just a 'to do' list for the final render. There is no video or image saved in the file.

 

I know it sounds odd, but what video card do you have? Have you updated the drivers. Videowave/MyDVD uses DirectX commands. To get the best performance, you really need a good video card that fully supports DirectX 9.0c. Make sure DirectX and your video card drivers are updated.

 

 

Checked DirectX it is 9.0c and installed latest drivers voor my NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200

driver version: 6.14.10.9371

Running MS XP Pro (5.1, build 2006)

 

Did some video editing and chapter activities all with the same bad results. The next thing what I am going to do is to recapture the vidio from the original DVD and save it in different video formats. I am going to create a short and a long video. In all the combinations of long and short videos and their different formats I will edit chapters in them. See what will happen.

Will keep you informed of the results.