load DVD chapter markers from text file?

john-beale wrote on 5/22/2007, 9:47 AM

Let's say I have an external text file with chapter markers, something like

00:06:06.833 Chapter 2
00:11:07.667 Chapter 3
00:15:46.512 Chapter 4
[...]

Can I import this automatically into DVDA 4b ? The MPEG2 file was generated by Vegas 7e but I forgot to check the "save chapter markers in file" box when exporting and it was an 18 hour render which I don't want to repeat. Do I have to insert each marker manually? Seems like there ought to be an automatic method? There is a "load markers" button in DVDA but I don't understand how it works. From the help file it appears to simply reload whatever markers Vegas may have embedded in the MPEG2 file.

Comments

ECB wrote on 5/22/2007, 10:57 AM

DVDA requires a .sfl file. You can create the sfl file without rerendeing using http://www.vasst.com/resource.aspx?id=ec69bfca-3e4b-410f-8cb9-3ba67e306985.

Ed

john-beale wrote on 5/22/2007, 11:45 AM

Thank you! Yes, that works, after I realized that either the script or DVDA is apparently hard-coded to expect .mpg file suffix. My file was .m2v which is what Vegas generates when you don't include the audio (I generate the .ac3 file separately). So once I renamed my .m2v file to be .mpg then the sfl file was recognized and imported correctly by DVDA.

thanks again!

briggs wrote on 5/22/2007, 1:16 PM

I've read in other posts that the sfl contains within it the original name of the mpg that was rendered. If you rename the mpg file, the internal reference in the sfl will no longer be associated and markers won't import.

Chienworks wrote on 5/22/2007, 5:31 PM

Jbeale, if you're rendering for use in DVD Architect then you should be using one of the DVD Architect templates available for MPEG2 instead of using the default template. There are numerous tweaks in these templates that produce a much better output. You'll also end up with .mpg for the file extension.