Failed attempts at hardsubbing .srt file to .mkv

[wyrewolf]

Hi, am facing a certain problem when attempting to hardsub an .srt file to another video file (.mkv).

First off, I imput the .srt file in the filters pane, following which I opened the video file in the abovemost box. I then switched back to the summary pane and selected AVI DIVX format and then clicked encode.

I have tried with two different video files, and two different .srt files, both of which produce the same problem. Upon completion of encoding, the program produces a .avi file that when played, freezes at the first frame of the video. The audio of this file however continues to play in the background.

I attempted to encode to .mp4 format, but again the same problem occurs.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[Case]

First off, I imput the .srt file in the filters pane, following which I opened the video file in the abovemost box. I then switched back to the summary pane and selected AVI DIVX format and then clicked encode.

Please follow the order in which ffmpegX expects settings to be done:

So first open the video file, then set a preset, then specify the subtitle file, then encode.
Some settings may be lost or changed, if you do the steps out of order.

I have tried with two different video files, and two different .srt files, both of which produce the same problem. Upon completion of encoding, the program produces a .avi file that when played, freezes at the first frame of the video. The audio of this file however continues to play in the background. I attempted to encode to .mp4 format, but again the same problem occurs.

Try using a mencoder preset (e.g. mencoder XviD), as mencoder uses mplayer for decoding (reading the source file), and mplayer is needed for hard subbing.

[wyrewolf]

I have done exactly as you have advised in the order that you stated, and in addition have tried all three possible mencoder presets (H.264, Xvid, DivX).

However, the same problem still occurs. A video file that freezes on the first frame, while the audio continues playing in the background.

[Case]

Does this freeze happen with every player? (QuickTime Player, VLC, MPlayerOSX or perhaps a compatible set top player)
Can you find out if this is an encoding issue (is only the first frame encoded?) or a playback issue (does it fail to display any following frames because of a read error?) Do you see hints of a 'video refresh' if you skip to some point in the middle of the timeline?
What are the source resolution and the output resolution? Is it very high?

If you will, have a look at the Process Information log (click the blue "i" in the Progress window after a conversion). Can you post this log here? If there are no errors in there, it should contain a line describing the result of the video part of the conversion: "Video stream: xxx.xxx kbit/s (xxxxx B/s) size: xxxxxxx bytes xx.xxx secs xxx frames". I would be curious to see what it says about your conversion.

[wyrewolf]

I've tried it with VLC player, Quicktime Player and MPlayerOSX, all three show the same problem. I am unsure as to whether it is an encoding issue or a playback issue. How would one check if it is either the former or the latter?

As for a "video refresh" there is no sign. The screen remains frozen at the first frame, but i hear the audio continuing from whatever point I had forwarded to.

This is what the current settings are:

Preset: AVI DivX mencoder
Video: mencoder mpeg4, 640x352, 4 kbps, 0.08 fps, no crop
Audio: mp3, 48000 Hz, 128 kbps

Source Video File Size: 284.6MB
Subtitle File Size: 44KB

Source Video Resolution: 720 x 480

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The Line you requested is here:

Video stream: 5.457 kbit/s (682 B/s) size: 2574830 bytes 3775.000 secs 113016 frames
Audio stream: 128.000 kbit/s (16000 B/s) size: 60273792 bytes 3767.112 secs

[Case]

Preset: AVI DivX mencoder
Video: mencoder mpeg4, 640x352, 4 kbps, 0.08 fps, no crop
Audio: mp3, 48000 Hz, 128 kbps

The recognized framerate can't be right. 0.08 frames per second is one frame every 12.5 seconds. This then has effect on the suggested bitrate, which is calculated based on the framerate, which comes out at a lowly 4 kbps.

Video stream: 5.457 kbit/s (682 B/s) size: 2574830 bytes 3775.000 secs 113016 frames
Audio stream: 128.000 kbit/s (16000 B/s) size: 60273792 bytes 3767.112 secs

I would expect the video stream size in bytes to be around 8 times bigger than the audio stream size. But your conversion output has video that is about 23 times smaller than the audio. This must be the result of this erroneous low framerate.

[wyrewolf]

o.0 Okay, that is highly questionable. If you take a look into the file I uploaded which is the process information log, there is a whole long list of "Frame Skipped" through out the entire process. I think this is the problem?

[Case]

Apparently ffmpegX has trouble getting the correct framerate from your MKV file.
The solution it to get another tool to recognize the correct framerate. MediaInfo Mac or VideoSpec come to mind. Then use that framerate (most likely 23.976, 25 or 29.97) in ffmpegX, re-calculate the suggested bitrate by using the 'Best' button in the Bitrate calculator, then encode again.

[wyrewolf]

Alright, in the process of downloading the software you recommended.

Upon completion, how does one apply the use of the new software with ffmpegX, in the way that ffmepgX can thus recognize the correct framerate?

Does one have to link the two softwares together? Or can I just try to encode as is with the three framerates you suggested?

[Case]

How does one apply the use of the new software with ffmpegX, in the way that ffmepgX can thus recognize the correct framerate?

I'm sorry, it isn't that advanced. The last tools will give all sorts of information on media files. If you tell it to examine your MKV file, it will display a value for the video framerate. Use that number to set a correct framerate in ffmpegX, either by typing it in, or by selecting one of the more common options in the drop down menu. Your action is to replace a faulty number by a trusted one.

(The best solution would be that the developer of ffmpegX brings out a new version that better recognizes MKV files.)

[wyrewolf]

Hurrah! It worked!

For the benefit of those that might face the same problem, this is what I did:

Use VideoSpec to analyze the .mkv file. Check both the bit rate and frame rate.

Open ffmpegX, imput the video file and subtitle file as per Case's instructions above.

Open the Video pane, change the Video bit rate to the same number as specified in VideoSpec.

Change the frame rate to the same number as specified in VideoSpec.

Adjust the Video Size (resolution) to whatever you require.

Encode!

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And so it works! Thanks so much for your help Case!