iOS 7 Video Player missing Chapter Markers

Question

Level 1

116 points

iOS 7 Video Player missing Chapter Markers

Purchased videos played in the iPad Video Player have chapter markers. Videos I created in FCPX -- and which had chapter markers under iOS 6 -- no longer display chapter markers.

In particular, I have a 90 minute video separated into a chapter for each of the 12 days of our China trip. I have had this video on the iPad since June, and have used the chapter markers on several occasions to pick and choose where to start the video for different groups of friends.

That video no longer displays chapter markers.

"Warhorse", an iTunes-purchased video, does.

I am not talking about the "known iOS 5 bug" where chapter markers don't display titles. There isn't even a chapter markers list.

===============

Ahhh. Just had a light bulb go on over my head. Big one. So I went over to my iPad and checked it out.

Pretty cool that the Video player seperates Home Movies and "real" movies, but it turns out that Apple has decided that MOVIES have chapter markers and HOME movies do not.

So if you have a home movie with chapters that you want to use, go into iTunes, right-click the video, select "get info", select "video" and change "Media Kind" to Video.

Asked and self-answered, but I will leave this here for anyone else who has the same question.

iPad 3G, iOS 6.1.2

Posted on Sep 26, 2013 9:13 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Flerbid

Level 1

0 points

Sep 26, 2013 10:56 AM in response to Clyde Crocker

I found this particular "feature" of the iOS7 "update" to be particularly annoying.

Major thumbs up to you, however, for posting this work-around! 😎

Also, for iTunes 11.1 (Windows 8), the instructions vary slightly:

1. Right-click on video file

2. Click "Get Info"

3. Click "Options"

4. Change media kind to "Movie"

5. Click "OK"

Reply

Answer 2

Gaussian

Level 1

53 points

Sep 26, 2013 10:57 AM in response to Clyde Crocker

I've noticed this too. And, I can't seem to use the chapter skip feature anymore either. It's like when they did the update they forgot to include certain features to the programming.

Reply

Answer 3

Flerbid

Level 1

0 points

Sep 26, 2013 11:14 AM in response to Flerbid

Oh, and don't forget to re-sync after those 5 steps!

Reply

Answer 4

Clyde Crocker Author

Level 1

116 points

Sep 27, 2013 8:48 PM in response to Gaussian

Actually, I don't believe they forgot anything. When they initially brought out FCPX, one of the things missing was the ability to insert Chapter Markers. If I recall, before that, when they revamped iMovie (the one that came after iMovie 6), which they used as the model for FCPX, they also eliminated Chapter Markers.

So when they split videos into "Movies" and "Home Videos", they decided there was no need to look for CMs in Home Videos. I guess Apple just doesn't believe anyone should be using Chapter Markers anymore, so in their arrogance they aren't going acknowledge them if you haven't bought them in iTunes.

Btw, Gausian, once you follow the steps to change your Media kind from Home Video to Movie in iTunes, not only will you get your chapter list, the "skip" function will work as expected.

And thanks for the reminder on re-syncing the iDevice, Flerbid.

Reply

Answer 5

Dec 10, 2013 2:32 AM in response to Clyde Crocker

The work around no longer appears to be working... does anyone have another work around for this? Very annoying that apple ruined this feature....

Reply

Answer 6

Clyde Crocker Author

Level 1

116 points

Dec 10, 2013 4:09 PM in response to itouchasl

Well, until I create my end-of-year video for the Boy Scout Troop, I won't have a chaptered home video to test it on.

But I did test it on 3 of the many "DVD Backup videos" I have made to load onto my iPad (I figure as long as I keep the orig DVD, I'm entitled to keep a "backup").

Worked just fine.

1. Went to iTunes->Home Videos

2. Right-clicked the video

3. Chose "Get Info"

4. Clicked the "Options" tab

5. Clicked the "Media Kind" pull-down menu

6. Selected "Home Video"

7. Clicked the "Okay" button

They each disappeared from the "Home Video" section, and reappeared in the "Movie" section. (Closed and reopened iTunes cuz I didn't see them reappear right away, but it may just be that I just wasn't observant)

When I selected them for sync with my iPad, they appeared under the "Movies" tab selectable chapters available when opened.

The only thing I can think of is whether you remembered to click the "Okay" button to close the Get Info window.

I haven't bothered doing this with my "DVD backup videos" in general because I seldom use "real" movie chapter markers, but I sure the heck use my Home Video chapter markers.

(I listed the steps here because after Gausian did it that way for the Window's version, I've been wishing I had done the same, and this gave the an excuse.)

Reply

Answer 7

Dec 27, 2013 4:27 PM in response to Clyde Crocker

hi there, I tried a lot, but couldn't get chapter markers on iPad. No browser on my computer shows them either. Very strange. Only Quicktime gives the proof that the markers are there!

Clyde seems to hold on that this is possible, but I followed the steps and didn't succeed. Can anybody inform me of the latest insights?

Reply

Answer 8

Clyde Crocker Author

Level 1

116 points

Dec 28, 2013 9:33 AM in response to angelofromamsterdam

My most sincere of apologies. My "instruction redo" for clarity included a cerebral gaseous emission in the one place that was most important.

Step 6 should read "Select "Movie""

1. Go to iTunes->Home Videos

2. Right-click the video

3. Choose "Get Info"

4. Click the "Options" tab

5. Click the "Media Kind" pull-down menu

6. Select "Movie"

7. Click "Okay"

Fell into that trap where you read something over several times to make sure you got everything correct, but you aren't really looking because you KNOW you got everything right.

Not only that, but I got it wrong the first time as well, although Florbid got it right (for Windows) in spite of my initial blundering. If you read my first post, I say to select "Video", which was supposed to be "Movie" even then.

Hope this relieves your frustration. But if it doesn't solve the problem, I have no other answer.

Message was edited by: Clyde Crocker to replace "brain **** " with "cerebral gaseous emission".

Reply

Answer 9

Dec 28, 2013 10:26 AM in response to Clyde Crocker

Thanks for answering. I think most of us had seen what you were supposed to be saying. And I followed not your exact words, but the corrected ones. To get a grip on this (because I don't succeed in getting the chapter markers to be seen on an ipad) could you give me an URL where you (or somebody else) has a file with chapter markers, so I can check if that works on the iPad. Moreover I can check if (maybe) I need to accustome my HTML-code. Right now I'm just referring to a mp4 or m4v-file. So is there an example at hand? Must be ;-)

Reply

Answer 10

Clyde Crocker Author

Level 1

116 points

Dec 28, 2013 12:00 PM in response to angelofromamsterdam

Glad to hear everyone is more clever in reading than I am in writing.

All the files I use with my iPad are also m4v, either created with FCPX or Handbrake files created from backing up my DVD collection.

But I wouldn't know the first thing about setting one up with a URL. Hopefully someone else can provide an example.

Reply