DVDSP v4 error TOO MANY CHAPTERS -then crashes

hello,

i use dvdsp v4, on mac osx 10.4.11 on DC 2ghz (non-intel)

i recently decided to create a dvd for a music band.

My assets, photos and video.

video in 16:9 letterbox in dvd studio settings about 1h duration
video in 4:3 credits about 30sec PAL.

my project is set to 4:3

Started a menu with 4 buttons.
2 for video.
1 for submenu with 4 slideshow buttons.
1 for submenu with 19 buttons. 18 are slideshows that have 2-5 pics eachother with transistions and a song of the band as background and set to FIT to AUDIO.

After many hours programming, I go to BUILD and I get the error message
TOO MANY CHAPTERS in red colour. Then DVDSP quits automatically with error message asking to report to apple.

Anybody can help me please ? I deleted all render files etc from disk as well as _TS etc folders and insofar I have tried erasing menus and slideshows and still I get same error and crash.

The movie/ video was exported as QT mov from FCP. Was originally in HD 16:9 and reexported as DV PAL 16:9. I wonder if the editing in FCP caused this chapter issue error and embeeded in the mov file and now i get this because of movie issue rather than slideshows please ?

I started pulling my hair out, called apple and got no reply to my e-mail insofar on issue.

Why too many chapters ? What I do wrong please ? Is it a bug with FCP/ DVDSP ?

Are your menus set to 4:3?

If they are at 16:9 you should only be using 18 buttons on them, max.

Chapter markers will also exist in your slideshow - check you don't have extras in there.

dear hal,

thanks for your reply back to me please.

menus and dvd format are set to 4:3.
except the 16:9 submenu button that plays the video of a concert.

Unfortunatelly did not receive an answer from apple insofar on this issue.

I tried a different solution to the problem that helped a bit.

I erased 2 menus completely and all butons with linked slideshows and re-created them after I built without buttons to see if problem is solved.

then I created 9 slideshows/ buttons (with photos etc) and 9 submenus menu buttons, that contained an mp3 file playing and a photo to have a bkg as solution linked 'back' with a return button to help user return to menu.

This made the error disappear ! Now the only error that could not solve was that the project file is larger than 1 DVD file by xxx MB.

I checked and realised that if slideshows are set to 'fit 2 audio' create larger filesizes so went manual and decreased effects.

I burned dvd compressed in Toast.

I still wonder as could not find a good explanation for me in the manuals of DVDSP why chapter markers are created automatically and where can be seen in the slideshow timeline. I say this as could not find more than 1 marker (at the beginning) in each timeline, either video or slideshow please.

Do I need to think of chapters as a sort of automatic keyframes pointers in DVDSP ?

thanks again for the reply

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Vassilis Triantafyllidis
www.LemnosExplorer.com

A slideshow is a special case of a track. It contains markers in between every image that you add. If you create a slideshow with 20 images, you'll get 20 markers. However, this is not visible in the track timeline.

If you control+click on the slideshow and select the option to 'simulate' it, then the simulator will open... make sure that you can see the information tray and turn on the 'SPRMs' by using the checkbox at the bottom of the tray. Watch SPRM 7 - it will increase as the slideshow plays. This SPRM tracks which chapter you are on, and it increases because you are going through chapter markers.

If you click on the button to convert the slideshow to a track, you'll see the timeline and the markers, and see that actually there are chapter markers at the start of each image, and undefined markers at the start of any transition effect that you added. So with 20 images, you could easily get 40 markers.

You could quickly run out of markers with a relatively small number of images. It is by far the best thing to build slideshows using Final Cut, and import them as footage. That way you at least get to control the number of markers.

dear hal.

thanks a lot for the very useful technical reply simplified for me please !

I understand now 90 images slideshow is a problem with markers....

Well, i never tried doing a movie slideshow in FCP and import it, but I am wondering how to do it, and do not loose resolution when i export it at all, especially when importing/ exporting photos in a movie file.

thanks again for the reply please.

best regards,

---
Vassilis Triantafyllidis
www.LemnosExplorer.com

There are several ways, but basically, all you do is import your images into FCP, then add them to the timeline. You simply export the footage as normal, and you have some video to put into DVDSP.

As for resolution, you will get the resolution for the video standard you are working with. This will all get encoded to MPEG2 anyway, and even if you add images into DVDSP you'll get them converted to MPEG2 when the disc is built.

The thing to be aware of is that if you add 30 images to FCP and place 30 markers, then export it, DVDSP will show just 30 markers. If you have added fades or cross dissolves in FCP between your images then you will need to manually decide where the 'next' image starts, and pace your marker there. At the moment, DVDSP does a marker for the start of the image, and a marker for the start of the dissolve. In your case, you'll have 90 images, and 90 markers, and you'll be fine.

If you don't use FCP, you can do a simple image sequence in Quicktime Pro and export that to .mov, too. You'll need to manually place the markers using the DVDSP timeline though - not a massive headache, just a tedious job.

dear hal,

thanks for your reply back to me please.

indeed very handy tips, and although I do mini-QT slideshows from time to time, never thought using it to create slide shows please...

I already tried compressor and size and quality are very fine, insofar.

Further to the issue of adjusting markers is a good way for me altough tedious job, as I expect it to be more precise way to set the show.

Insofar the only transition effects I have is in DVDSP, so FCP is exluded for the show at this stage. Thanks for the tip though please.

May I ask why from 768x576 pixels setup in FCP, I get 720x540 final m2v file please ? I mean it is not even 720x576 PAL.

thanks for your precious help insofar please
regards,

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Vassilis Triantafyllidis
www.LemnosExplorer.com