Chapters not working after Handbrake?

[ben_uk]

Hi,

I have ripped my disc collection to an Ext HDD. I have started to shrink some of the files with Handbrake, however when I do so for some reason when I go and play them on my blu ray player, the chapters no longer work. If I play the same files in VLC they do then work, but on my Panasonic UHD player, they do not. If you press the button to "skip chapter" it simply starts playing the next video file. If I try and play one of the natively ripped MKVs before I have used Handbrake, then the chapters do work. Any ideas?

Thanks,

Ben

[Woodstock]

Are you outputting MP4/m4v or MKV files?

The MP4 standard does not include chapter markers. However, many players support a special "subtitle" track that can have markers; it was something created by Apple, as I understand it, but it isn't "STANDARD".

I don't know what the Panasonic player does with them. It might even consider it a regular subtitle track.

[ben_uk]

Hi Woodstock.

When I convert the file in handbrake, I am doing it as an MKV. As I mentioned in the first post, the chapters are there and work in VLC player, but in my Panasonic UHD player on my living room TV, they do not work.

I really dont know what I am doing wrong on this.

[Woodstock]

Do unconverted MKV files (direct from MakeMKV) work for chapters in the Panasonic? You may have meant that by your opening message, but I'm not certain.

If they do, then you are looking at a handbrake issue. Although, for MKV files, the chapter track is pretty much passed through, except when you're pulling only part of the source across to the destination.

If an original doesn't deal with chapters, either, the Panasonic UHD player may not implement chapters in MKV files. It is a bit stupid, but I remember when BD players could play PGS subtitles just fine from disks, but couldn't see them in MKV files, or only if they were compressed a certain way.

[ben_uk]

Hi again Woodstock, thanks for your reply.

Yes, if I put a native MKV file straight from MakeKKV then the chapters do indeed work on the Panasonic.

With that in mind, what could be the issue with Handbrake then? (I can appreciate this isnt a Handbrake forum, so my apologies), I have "create chapter markers" ticked in that tab.

[Woodstock]

Honestly not sure - when I've put an MKV file with chapters into handbrake, I get back a file with chapter markers, so long as the destination is an MKV file and the box is checked.

[ben_uk]

I think I found someone with a similar problem. They couldnt get the chapters to recognise on an Apple TV, the solution was that the chapter needs a language track in metadata which aparrently Handbrake doesnt supply...? I think the general view was that he needed to use a different package than Handbrake.

[d00zah]

I think I found someone with a similar problem. They couldnt get the chapters to recognise on an Apple TV, the solution was that the chapter needs a language track in metadata which aparrently Handbrake doesnt supply...? I think the general view was that he needed to use a different package than Handbrake.

Pretty sure, chapter-wise, HandBrake just passes thru what was originally in the source, making this an Apple TV issue.

You can try the Chapter Editor in mkvtoolnix to "fix" a problem file... just select the Chapter Editor tab & drag the .mkv file into the window. Set the language attribute FOR EACH CHAPTER, select the Chapter Editor pull-down & select 'Save'. Does it fix Apple TV playback?

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