AVStoDVD and subtitles. How to remove?

[martinlest]

Hi.

I downloaded a movie last week, an mkv file of about 8GBs. The file has serious errors however: From about 40mins in, the picture becomes distorted and the sound breaks up. It took forever for me to get the file (my internet connection is poor here at the moment) and I don't want to try downloading again. Probably the same thing would occur anyway.

When I use AVStoDVD to generate VOBs, video & audio encoding show no problems, but when the file VTS_01_2.VOB is being generated, the process aborts (this coincides with the errors I guess): the MuxMan log file says something about an excessive bitrate. Would an 'excessive bitrate' account for the picture and sound problems in the original mkv file? If so, how do I re-author it to a lower bitrate? Simply using Super video converter or similar? I read somewhere in my hours of onlining searching that reauthoring only changes the bitrate of the headers (??), not of the movie, but I don't understand that at all. I am trying this now in any case - Super encoder tells me the average bitrate of the mkv file is 10.1MBs/sec, so I am letting it reduce that to 4500kbps .. (I tried to re-encode the m2v file from AVStoDVD with Super to a new mkv file, but when the file size reached 30GBs, I aborted it!).

Meanwhile, the m2v file created by AVStoDVD has no problems at all, BUT it has subtitles on it. These subtitles have a lot of mistakes and I have used SubRip's OCR (the best - very fast and accurate) to create an .srt file, which I have corrected myself. How do I remove the subtitles from the m2v file so that I can add my srt file when I create a DVD? The subtitles on the downloaded mkv file are not hard-encoded onto the original, as I can bring them up or close them at will in VLC or GOM player. Can I set AVStoDVD NOT to include the subtitles when it creates a DVD? If I do that (how?), maybe, although the process will fail again with the original mkv file, the m2v file may be subtitle-free? (I have the subtitles option unchecked in ffdshow BTW: I have already set all options to ffdshow in Windows 7 filter tweaker).

Can I use IfoEdit (or other) to remove the subtitles, either from the mkv, m2v or the VOB files it creates? I have been trying for two days now to remove these subtitles but in vain.

I hope the above makes sense. I am no expert, as you ay have inferred from all this..
Thanks,

Martin

[Baldrick]

Use mkvtoolnix to remove the subs from the mkv. Save as a new mkv.

[martinlest]

I had already tried that - it didn't work. Maybe I didn't do it right.. I'll have another go - but last time I just unchecked the S_VOBSUB box and saved. The subtitles were still in the new file. Isn't that all that I am supposed to do?

There are two audio streams too (AVStoDVD asks me which I want) - both A_AAC, identical except for being labelled ID1 and ID2 in mkvmerge. Is that 'normal'? (They are both German).

Do I need to use MKVExtractGUI-2 too?? This is just another interface to mkvextract, yes?

Thanks.

[_MrC_]

@martinlest

1. Post the AVStoDVD project log file

2. For excessive bitrate spikes, you can select a lower video bitrate. 'Edit Title'/'Video', toggle off 'Auto Video Setup' and 'Auto BitRate' and insert manually a lower value.

3. m2v file does not contain any subs, VOBs do contains. BTW you can easily repeat your AVStoDVD project without selecting any subs from the MKV and then adding the SRT file you have created.



Bye

[martinlest]

Hi 'Mr.C' -thanks a lot for the reply.

OK, I did all that - I set the bitrate to 4000kbps, and this time the 'bad' subtitles are gone (I don't know why this didn't occur last time, as I am sure I followed the same procedure, but no matter); however,the creation of the VOB files still aborts as before, as VTS_01_2.VOB is being created. I attach the log files..

Again, the m2v file created as an interim stage by AVStoDVD is fine. Maybe I can use this and the .ac3 audio file to create the VOBs?

Martin

[_MrC_]

Another bitrate spike. QuEnc does not like your mkv. Try to switch from 'QuEnc CBR 1-pass' to 'HCenc VBR 2-pass' as 'Video Encoding Profile'.



Bye

[martinlest]

Hi. 'HCenc VBR 2-pass' works much better! In the end (to get rid of the subtitles) I encoded the mkv with HCenc (took 11 hours for 2 passes, but OK!) making sure that ffdshow subtitles options were unchecked.

Then I ran the files VTS_01_1.VOB to VTS_05_1.VOB in AVStoDVD again to make new VOBs, this time adding my srt file and checking the ffdshow subtitles options boxes again.

I now have a DVD of the video, without the faulty subtitles that came with it, and with my srt file instead (all correctly positioned onscreen too).

By the way, why does AVStoDVD sometimes create the small VTS_01_0.VOB file, and sometimes not? Without one, Nero says that the disc may be unreadable, though it is always fine when played in a DVD machine...

Thanks again for your help.

Martin

[_MrC_]

VTS_01_0.VOB is the menu file associated to the Titleset #1. No menu, no VTS_01_0.VOB.



Bye

[martinlest]

.. but there is a menu. Odd!

[_MrC_]

VTS_0x_0.VOB is the menu file associated to Titleset #x

VIDEO_TS.VOB is the main DVD menu file.

Actually AVStoDVD should create only VIDEO_TS.VOB, not any VTS_0x_0.VOB. Are you sure that the DVD structure with VTS_01_0.VOB is an output from AVStoDVD?



Bye

[martinlest]

Yes, pretty sure. AVStoDVD is my video to DVD software of choice (about 90% of my discs are made with it) and I haven't been using any other DVD authoring software in the past few weeks: I don't usually get any 'complaints' from Nero when I come to burn the VOBs, so I guess the VTS_01_0.VOB file is usually present. Couldn't swear 100% to this however, I am just assuming, as I use AVStoDVD most of the time...

I do sometimes have a problems with the menu creation hanging, right at the start after I load the video file and then try to create a menu. This happens when I run the wizard, after setting up the options tabs. It only happens in thumbnail view - not if I select a text-based menu. When I exit the menu by clicking in the red X, I get this error window. No log file of course as AVStoDVD hasn't got that far. Any ideas? Thanks again.

M.

LATER: No, you are doubtless right, I just created another DVD and there is no VTS_01_0.VOB file: when I burn it with Nero there is no error message, so that, when it occurs, must be due to some other problem.

[_MrC_]

Do you get that error with all type of source titles or with a particular type (i.e. mkv, mov)?

Do you have the 'Temp File Folder' in a internal hard drive?



Bye

[martinlest]

The answer to the first question is, I don't know. I will make a note..

Yes, the Temp folder is on an internal hard drive.

M

[jc8952]

I'm having a problem with subtitles. I have a downloaded mkv file and when I play using VLC the default is Japanese audio and English subtitles. I can use the options and select an English audio track and select a number of different language subtitles or disable subtitles. (The audo and subtitle files do not appear to be separate files as I only have the one mkv file.) Thus I can play the mkv video with an English audio and no subtitles, which is what I want.

The problem is when I use AVStoDVD to convert to DVD, I choose the English audio instead of the Japanese. Next a window opens up for the various language subtitles and I don't select any of them. The result is my converted video that plays the English audio but has hard coded English subtitles on top of it. The media player does not recognize the subtitles so I can't turn them off. How does the English subtitles get in there during the conversion and how can I stop this from happening? I know they are not hard coded to begin with as I can turn them off when I play the mkv file with VLC media player.

I tried opening the Title Edit window and select the subtitles tab before the conversion but it says there are no subtitles.

[davexnet]

The subtitles get in there automatically if you have a directshow subtitle filter installed,
such as vsfilter, vobsub, ffdshow subtitles, etc,etc.

You can usually tell by running AVStoDVD (load your source file), then select codecs/build directshow filter graph.

This subtitle is usually picked up automatically when it is in the same folder or sub-folder of the movie\and it has
the same or similar name.

[jc8952]

how can I turn this off so the subtitles are not included?

here is a screen shot of the filter graph

[davexnet]

You rename the subtitle file so that it doesn't match the movie name,
or move it to another location out of the movies folder/sub folder.

The box in the image above 0002 appears to be the subtitle filter.
Have you installed one of the items I mentioned? Usually right clicking on it and selecting properties
will tell you what it is.

[jc8952]

the subtitles don't seem to be a separate file. there are two other files that came in the download, one is a .md5 file and the other is .nfo which says it is system information.

It appears to be vsfilter. I didn't intentionally install this but it may have come as an add on with something else. It doesn't appear in my computers list of installed programs.

[davexnet]

Is the source file an mkv (or similar) with soft sub in a separate stream? Did you install a codec pack?

Look in the codec pack for a way to unregister the vsfilter. Another method is to alter one of the settings in
AVStoDVD. Start a fresh instance of A2D. Enter the preferences/avisynth tab.
Set the AVS video source filter to FFmpegsource. OK out, add your source and rerun the project.

[jc8952]

Yes, it is a mkv file and the subs seem to be in the file. I don't see a separate file for them.

thanks, I'll try editing the preferences in A2D. I can't find a way to undo the vsfilter.

Actually I wouldn't mind having the subtitles if I could toggle them on and off but with the last attempt to convert to DVD they seemed to get hard coded in and I couldn't do that. When I just play the mkv video I can.

It takes over three hours to convert this video but I post back the result. Thanks again for the assistance.

[davexnet]

Yes, it is a mkv file and the subs seem to be in the file. I don't see a separate file for them.

thanks, I'll try editing the preferences in A2D. I can't find a way to undo the vsfilter.

Actually I wouldn't mind having the subtitles if I could toggle them on and off but with the last attempt to convert to DVD they seemed to get hard coded in and I couldn't do that. When I just play the mkv video I can.

It takes over three hours to convert this video but I post back the result. Thanks again for the assistance.

You could have always dragged the file into mkvtoolnix/mkvmerge, deselected the stream with the
subtitle and written out a new MKV file. At least once you have the file that way, you don't need
to do anything special.

What OS are you running and what codec pack did you install?

[jc8952]

Windows 7 home premium. I don't know what codec pack is installed. I do remember having to install one a couple of years ago so I could view Divx video. it was something someone suggested to me at the time but I don't remember what it was.

I looked at my installed software and I see one called Cole2kMedia that was installed last January. It must have been added in with a free MKV viewer I installed at that time.

I do have mkvmerge. I used that on another Japanese movie that I downloaded to make the English audio the default track and get rid of the other tracks and subtitles but when I tried to convert that file using A2D it would fail at the authoring. I got it to finish converting by manually running muxman but it wouldn't divide into chapters and the skip ahead or back controls wouldn't work.

[davexnet]

Windows 7 home premium. I don't know what codec pack is installed. I do remember having to install one a couple of years ago so I could view Divx video. it was something someone suggested to me at the time but I don't remember what it was.

I looked at my installed software and I see one called Cole2kMedia that was installed last January. It must have been added in with a free MKV viewer I installed at that time.

I do have mkvmerge. I used that on another Japanese movie that I downloaded to make the English audio the default track and get rid of the other tracks and subtitles but when I tried to convert that file using A2D it would fail at the authoring. I got it to finish converting by manually running muxman but it wouldn't divide into chapters and the skip ahead or back controls wouldn't work.

Usually, when muxman fails, either the subtitles are damaged, or the bitrate of the assets is too high.
To get a clue, you have to look at the A2D log relating to the run, no good generalizing.

[jc8952]

the log for that run is posted in another thread. it is located at the end of here... https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/353284-AVStoDVD-beginners-guide-Any-video-to-DVD-Vi...89#post2295189

[jc8952]

... Another method is to alter one of the settings in
AVStoDVD. Start a fresh instance of A2D. Enter the preferences/avisynth tab.
Set the AVS video source filter to FFmpegsource. OK out, add your source and rerun the project.

Thanks Dave. this suggestion worked great.

[davexnet]

... Another method is to alter one of the settings in
AVStoDVD. Start a fresh instance of A2D. Enter the preferences/avisynth tab.
Set the AVS video source filter to FFmpegsource. OK out, add your source and rerun the project.

Thanks Dave. this suggestion worked great.

Sounds good - thanks for the update.