Help Needed With "Extend Marker" Function Not Working

Question

I have several Clips and used the "DV Start/Stop Detect" function to find the time code breaks, which seems to work well. I've now got a clip full of Segment markers.
The problem arises when I try to use Extent Markers "Option + `" to make subclips. When I put the play head on a subsequent marker, the Marker/Extend function is grayed out.
Extending a marker that I have created using the M key works perfectly.
Why can I not use the Extend function on Segment Markers?
Any help on this is greatly appreciated. I have 30 odd clips that I need to set up segments for, and doing it manually will add hours to my workload.
Thanks
Gary
Dual G5 2.5 GHz Dual Core, 2.5 GB RAM, 500 GB HDD   Mac OS X (10.4.3)   Final Cut Studio FCP 5.0.4

Answer 1

Thanks for the reply.
I am completely aware of items 1 through 3, and never Extend markers in the Timeline. Only the Viewer.
To perform an Extend Marker and avoid headaches, load the captured clip - the one with the video icon in the Browser - into the Viewer. Then, as you scrub along in the Viewer, Option-` as needed.
That is precisely what I am doing.
To Extend the marker I first double click the clip to load the entire clip into the Viewer, where all the Section markers are displayed. I then check Mark>Markers>Extend and the function is grayed out. However, if I move the playhead one frame prior to the Section marker, the previous Section marker extends to the frame prior to the new play head position.
If I do this with manually entered markers (using the M key, creating Marker 1, 2, 3.... in sequence on the Viewer timeline), then the Previous marker is extended to the frame immediately prior the the current play head position - i.e. from Marker 1 to Marker 2. I do not have to move off the Marker 2 position to be able to extend Marker 1.
Also, simply selecting all your Markers and either dragging them to another bin (or pressing Command-U) does not produce the needed subclips?
Of this I am also aware. I find the Command-U process just confuses the issue, creating more clips to manage (others may disagree). I prefer to simply drag the "Subclips" directly from the Main clip into a Timeline.
Because you're doing all this to get subclips, right? Or wrong?
If I understand your reply correctly, I think you misunderstood my problem. I have been using subclips for several years, and find them VERY useful, especially with multi-camera shoots. So, I am quite familiar with creating and extending markers.
I just started experimenting with the Detect feature and find it works quit well (most of the time). My problem is that the Segment markers created by the Detect process, do not perform the same as manually place markers, as far as the Extend marker function is concerned, anyway.
BTW - By using the TC display in my Panasonic PV-GS400 Camera, and sending the FCP video via Firewire to the camera, the camera displays the TC on the captured clip, which I then rename the marker to for TC reference. As long as the Date/Time on the cameras are properly synced, syncing clips in the Timeline is a breeze!!
Anyway, to clarify, my process is as follows:
1. Capture a clip.
2. Display the clip in the Viewer
3. Select "DV Start/Stop Detect" and watch as the section markers appear in the Viewer.
4. In Viewer, place play head on the first Section marker
5. Press the M key to Edit Marker.
6. Change the Name of the marker to the timecode of the Marker now displayed in the Camcorder window.
7. Use Shift-Down Arrow to move to the next Section Marker
8. Press Option+` to Extend the previous marker - which does not work and is grayed out in the Mark>Markers>Extend menu.
9. Back to step 5.
This process works perfectly with manually created markers. Because the Extend works if I move the play head one frame prior to the current Section marker, this tells me there is something "special" about the Section marker that disables the Extend function, unlike a manually created marker.
BTW - If I delete the Section marker, and create a manual marker at the same frame, the Extend marker function works again. Again, indicating that Section markers are different somehow from manual Markers.
Hopefully, this wordy explanation of my process clarifies my problem.
Aside: The clips are supplied to me by a customer on a 500GB FW800 drive. FCP5 was used to capture the clips from the original Tapes (which I do not have access to). I am the editor for the project.
Thanks again for the reply. It is greatly appreciated. If there is any other info that I have missed that will help figure this out, please let me know and I will post a response a quickly as possible.
Gary