[MPlayer-dev-eng] MPCF Draft/Discussion (MPlayer Container Format)

[Fabien Tassin]

According to D Richard Felker III:
> 
> > - in addition to the optionnnal-but-recommanded index (which, like Arpi,
> > I think it is better to have it at the end), try to allow optionnal chaptering
> > with stop points flags. A player ignoring those chapters will play the file
> > from the beginning to the end. Another supporting them will stop, allowing
> > some extra/bonus/alternate sequences to be tied to the video and read on-demand.
> > Even better, if it is possible to tie a still picture and some sort of script,
> > you could build a real menu with a single file (easier to transport).
> > I see chapters different from index as index uses fixed size cells and
> > chapter cells, because of titles, could have variable lengths.
> 
> ARRG no! Still pictures, menus, script, and chapters are reminiscent
> of the total brain damage of quicktime, dvd/vob, and now stuff like
> mcf. The whole goal is NOT to copy that nonsense!

no. You got me wrong. I do not mean you must add these things. Just don't
close the door to them. Look back in the past. A lot of people spent
their time trying to integrate those things into containers that were
not designed for that and it was a painful experience with mitigated
succes. I don't see why my proposal is that complicated. In what way is it
different from the index ? please tell me.
If your MPCF can't do anything more than AVI or ASF from the user point
of view, it will just be yet another unused file format (and apparently,
it will do less).

You said such features are reminiscent.. never wondered why ?
I agree with the brain damaged current implementations argument but I really
think the features are needed by most of the users. Are you designing 
a file format just for yourself and your fellows ? Good, do this.
OGM and mcf will have a long live.

Note that I'm asking nothing new. In a BIN/CUE, you can already have
an SVCD compliant set of files producing a perfectly working MPEG(2)-PS
with up to 2 audio tracks, up to 4 subtitles, a menu and some chapters.
I even think it will not be that hard to support all these within an ASF
container (not sure about subs but everything else is just already there).

/Fabien