I was reading the lowdown on what upgrades come with iTunes 4.9, podcast discovery/management obviously being the big one. Then I saw Chapter Tool - a tool from Apple that let you create “enhanced podcasts” that contained chapter markers, as well as what I call media markers - places where images and URL’s accompany the audio track. (What does it not do, which happens to be the single thing I hoped it would? Save your place when you change tracks, ala iTMS audiobooks.)
I still thought this was pretty cool. Although the media markers don’t do you any good when you’re listening with your iPod, they might if I were at my desk listening to it in the background. Another immediate use of this could be internally by Apple for distributing information on their products (and competitors). Along with audio discussions, they could include product URL’s and pictures. (Movies aren’t listed, but that would be cool too - probably prohibitively larger, though).
The downside is that, in its current state, Chapter Tool is a pain in the ass to use. Here’s how Apple instructs use of Chapter Tool:
- Download the Chapter Tool beta.
- Place the ChapterTool folder in ~/Music. (Why here?)
- Create an XML file (sample) that specifies the chapter markers, image/URL references, etc.
- Use the Terminal (oh yes, Chapter Tool is CLI) to navigate to the Chapter Tool folder and use this script format:
./ChapterTool -x [xml_file_name].xml -a [input_audio_file].m4a -o [output_audio_file].m4a - Check your new file to make sure everything works.
This makes no sense at all. It would have been much easier for Apple to wait a week or so and release a simple little Chapter Tool.app that takes your AAC file, let you place chapter markers, drag in images and URLs, and push it out - no CLI required. I have yet to actually try this, and I’m anxious to hear how other people fare with it. Until then, I think I’ll stay confused at Apple’s “ease of use” on this.
Update: As we all expected, a GUI tool for created enhanced podcasts has been released. ChapterToolMe is currently at version 1.0.3. Has anyone tried it out yet? I’ll see if I can get to it this weekend…
Ok, you’re jumping the gun a bit here. First off, with the iPod update, even mp3 formated podcasts have bookmark support in the way you’d like. If i stop and go to music, and then go back, they start where i stopped, even in mp3 files.
Second, you’re talking about the Os X community. You have to know that within 7 days, we’ll have at least 2-3 gui front end apps that talk to the CLI tool. Thats why apple did it. Give us a gui, and thats all we get. Give us a command line app, and we will have multiple apps to choose from. Its all very simple, an xml file has all the info on where the chapters and links and art are, and then its applied to the aac file in time code. Simple.
As for your comment, I admit I was unaware that bookmark support was introduced with the iPod update. There are two reasons for this:
I was partially going based on Apple’s documentation regarding the Chapter Tool. To quote the About file:
“Chapter Tool allows you to create chapters within a MPEG4 AAC file created with iTunes.”
I see your point regarding why Apple didn’t release a GUI tool for the enhanced podcast tool, although I can’t say I agree. When’s the last time that Apple did this (release a CLI tool and wait for the community to build the GUI for them)? Certainly there are examples of this happening with CLI tools that Apple distributes like the ones found in the Dev Tools, but Apple never included the tool with the hope that a GUI would be built for it - users did that on their own accord.
I did realize one reason that Apple justified their releasing the tool in that state, though. To this day, there is no end-to-end solution for recording and distributing podcasts (record -> save/organize -> convert to MP3/AAC -> create/populate RSS feed). I had hoped that iTunes 4.9 would incorporate recording, but perhaps in a future release. Therefore, I believe that they can justify that if you can figure out how to make your podcast files, you can probably figure out how to use Chapter Tool to enhance those files.
While it’s not directly a part of iTunes, Apple has a Tutorial in Garageband for recording podcasts.
I gave this thing a good shot. Damn, it’s unworkable. “Chapter Tool requires that you are familiar with navigating folders, working with files, and launching applications through the Terminal” Good god! But, OK. I got online and learned how to do all of that. I was super careful with my xml file. I’d bet my life it has no errors.
The directions are horrendous. In one place he writes, 7. From Terminal, using the following syntax, execute the following command:
./ChapterTool -x [xml_file_name].xml -a [input_audio_file].m4a -o [output_audio_file].m4a
In the next line he has 2 dots. I suspect it’s supposed to be the 2.
Well, neither one nor two made it work. When I execute the program from within the folder in which the files reside (which is one layer deeper than his instructions mention) I get results. But, oh, the results? See for yourself:
Tims-Work-Laptop:~/Music/ChapterTool/MyPodcasts timtyson$ ../ChapterTool -x Podcast01.xml -a Podcast01.m4a -o EnhancedPodcast01.m4a
ChapterTool 2.0b8 (4)
Copyright (C) 2005, Apple Computer, Inc., all rights reserved.
ERROR: Couldn’t add chapters to movie (-43)
status: failed
code: -43
If anyone has any luck doing this, shoot me an email. I’m dying to know how you got it to work!
Theres a more detailed tutorial on how to use the chaptertool over here: http://www.voxmedia.org/wiki/PodcastChapterTool hope it helps!