Strange problem with AppleScript script for joining Movies with Chapters using QuickTime Pro

Question

Strange problem with AppleScript script for joining Movies with Chapters using QuickTime Pro

I have an ApleScript script (droplett) that concatenates individual movie files into one movie, and makes chapters markers using the movie file names. The script works great - almost. When I view the file on my Mac, the chapters are spot-on. But when I view the same file on my iPod Touch, the chapter timestamps are off.

Here's the truly strange thing: I used Metadata Hootenanny to look at the chapters in the movie, and the timestamps look correct. But if I use MH to save the chapter info to a text file, the timestamps in the text file don't match what the MH GUI says. In fact, the timestamps in the text file appear to be what the iPod Touch uses when viewing the movie.

Anyone know how this is possible? I'll include the script below, but I'd like to know how this is even possible, regardless of what I've done wrong in my script.

Any help will be apprecitated.

Here's the script: CAVEAT: I'm very new to AppleScript, and I know I should be checking for unexpected conditions, etc. Right now I just want to get it working, then I'll deal with that.

on openinput

repeat with i from 1 to count of input

set this_item to (item i of input)

-- NOTE: This is a simplified version of how I really get the chapter name.

-- I didn't want to clutter up the example

tell application "Finder" to set chapter_name to (name of this_item)

tell application "QuickTime Player 7"

if i is equal to 1 then

makenewdocument

end if

openthis_item

tell document 1

rewind

select all

copy

set clip_length to the duration

end tell

closedocument 1 savingno

tell document 1

select none

set old_movie_length to the duration

set current time to old_movie_length

paste

-- NOTE: All the movies I'm concatenating already have one chapter in them.

-- I don't know if this code will work if that's not true, so if you use

-- this script and run into problems, that might be the reason.

set time of chapter i to old_movie_length

set duration of chapter i to clip_length

set name of chapter i to chapter_name

end tell

end repeat

quit

end open

Thanks for any help!

Dan

Posted on Jan 2, 2013 9:42 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Jan 2, 2013 11:55 AM in response to Dan Thomas (DAGWare)

OK, I was wrong about what the problem is. I misread some numbers. The data exported from Metadata Hootenanny has the correct timestamps.

Unfortunately, this doesn't solve my problem. The chapters work fine when viewing the movie on my Mac, but they jump to the wrong places when viewing the same movie on my iPod.

Dan

Reply

Answer 2

Jan 2, 2013 5:38 PM in response to Dan Thomas (DAGWare)

Hi,

I can not explain it, but if the codecs are not the same type that creates multiple video tracks and multiple "Chapters" tracks in the final document.

In any case, try this.

--------------

on open input

set chapter_list to {}
repeat with i from 1 to count of input
    set this_item to (item i of input)

    tell application "Finder" to set chapter_name to (name of this_item)
    set end of chapter_list to chapter_name

    tell application "QuickTime Player"
        if i is equal to 1 then make new document
        open this_item
        tell document 1
            stop
            try
                if i > 1 then
                    delete chapters -- delete all chapters
                else
                    delete (chapters 2 thru -1) -- keep the first chapter in the first doc
                end if
            end try
            select all
            copy
            set clip_length to the duration
            close saving no
        end tell

        tell document 1
            select none
            set old_movie_length to the duration
            set current time to old_movie_length
            paste
            -- NOTE: All the movies I'm concatenating already have one chapter in them.
            
            set contents of current chapter track to chapter_list
            set time of chapter i to old_movie_length + 1
            set duration of chapter i to clip_length
            set name of chapter i to chapter_name
        end tell
    end tell
end repeat
end open

Reply

Answer 3

Jan 3, 2013 9:38 AM in response to Jacques Rioux

Your example is spot-on. This is exactly what I had been working on, after I posted the question. I removed the chapter tracks from the individual movies before pasting them into the new movie.

The thing that had me stumped was that I was deleting the chapter track from even the first movie, and I couldn't figure out how to create a new chapter track from scratch. Your example shows the obvious solution - *don't* delete the chapter track from the first movie. (Duh!)

Thanks so much for your help.

Dan

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