When subtitles aren't subtitles....

[jkennedy_4]

Hello all,

I don't know the term for it but I'm trying to get the subtitles that show up on an English film when people are speaking a different language. So if it's The Avengers, for example, when Natasha is speaking Russian there are subtitles that show up.

I'm using DVDFab to rip it and Handbrake to convert/compress it. Is there a way to get these subtitles with what I'm using or do I need to be using something different?

Thanks.

[Cornucopia]

Those are "subtitles" in the original sense of the word, not in the current usage. That is likely part of the film/video - meant to be a "translation" to moviegoers. You could try using a subs OCR software to convert it to standard text-based subs, though you would have some clean up/editing to do, regardless.

Scott

[fritzi93]

Assuming you're talking about Blu-Ray...You're referring to either hardcoded subtitles or forced subtitles.

Hardcoded are encoded into the picture.
Forced have a flag to display them by default. They are often embedded in the main subtitle track.

The LOTR movies, for example,were issued both ways for Elvish speech.

IIRC, in the Avengers, Russian dialog was forced subtitles.

Try demuxing the first English subtitle track with tsMuxer.
Open the demuxed subs with BDSup2Sub. Export the forced subs only.

Personally, I usually hardcode such forced subs into the picture with RipBot and output as MKV.
Though you can include them as SUB (VobSub format) and turn them on.
Dunno about Handbrake, don't use it, but I assume you can do much the same with that.

If you want to remux and output as Blu-Ray structure, the subs can also be turned on with BDEdit:

https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/365145-How-to-turn-on-subtitle-by-default-on-movie-...39#post2328339

[johns0]

To answer your original question subtitles are always subtitles regardless if they are soft or hard encoded,just different formats for the soft types for data or authored discs or usb/hdd drives played through media devices.

[jkennedy_4]

Just closing the loop on this as I found the answer after a web search.

In Handbrake, on the Subtitles tab select Add Track, then in the Source dropdown select Foreign Audio Scan and check Forced Only.

Doing this gets me exactly what I was looking for.

Thanks.

[johns0]

Nope,it only shows that message even without any subs present,it has to show a sub with the language.

[jkennedy_4]

I'm not sure I understand what you mean.

X-Men, first class. That movie has several sections where foreign languages are spoken but English subtitles show up. If I use Handbrake without doing what I described with the Subtitles tab they do not show up and I'm left trying to understand German and French.

If I do what I described then the subtitles are there are I can read the English translation of what's being spoken.

With those settings, I get the subtitles. Without those settings, I do not.