Linux: How to Convert .SMI file to .SRT

[chiappa]

After a lot of research I have yet to find any way to convert from .smi (SAMI) formatted subtitle files to .srt (SubRip) or some other common format, using Linux. Must be because it's by Microsoft=P

Also I wonder why Korean subtitles tend to be in .smi format when in English I have hardly encountered that format, mainly SubRip..

Anyway all I have found is one application (very handy one too..) to adjust, but not convert .smi files in the console:
http://karasik.eu.org/software/ A program called: "Subtitles". That I found from this article (which has some info on it): http://www.linux.com/archive/feature/125978
Plus an online web-based converter posted here earlier, that didn't work: http://gsm-tuning.blogspot.com/2008/04/bla.html.

Current fix is to fire-up XP on virtualbox and use subtitle workshop, which is not much fun..

Any ideas?

Thanks for your input!

[Bonie81]

have you tried DirectVobSub .smi --> idx/sub --> srt?

[AlanHK]

have you tried DirectVobSub .smi --> idx/sub --> srt?

That'd introduce OCR errors.

[AlanHK]

If you want to roll your own, looking at a file converted by Subtitle Workshop, the format is pretty simple, after a header:

SAMI

   <SYNC START=8247741>
      <P CLASS=SUBTTL>I’ve left my<br>new torch in Narnia.
   <SYNC START=8250007>
      <P CLASS=SUBTTL>&nbsp;

which corresponds to SRT

931
02:17:27,741 --> 02:17:30,007
I’ve left my
new torch in Narnia.

The SAMI "Sync start" are the timecodes, in milliseconds, SRT in hh:mm:ss,nnn

If you're a Linux guy you should be able to whip up a few lines of perl to convert this.

[chiappa]

If you're a Linux guy you should be able to whip up a few lines of perl to convert this.

Yep I figured it would be an easy mission for a script-kiddie. But I'm more of a "hate windows" or a "can't afford a mac" guy=) I wouldn't know how to whip it up.. ;/