sst/son in DVD-lab Pro

[adzyu100]

Hi,

I've made both sst and son files in subresync from vobsubs. However, when I try to import them into DVD-lab Pro, I just the file names, not the actual bitmaps. In the preview window, it'll show "subtitlefilename.bmp", not the actual bitmap. Any ideas?

[manono]

This doesn't really answer your question, but it might help you determine whether or not the subs are good. Open the SST subs in Muxman. If they're good it'll accept them. If they're good and you don't get an answer for your DVDLab-Pro question, just go ahead and author using Muxman.

If one reason to use DVDLab-Pro is for menu creation, you can create a 'dummy' DVD with menus using it and then later on replace the dummy video with the Muxman authored one using PGCEdit.

[DB83]

You might care to read this guide

https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/163978-How-To-Add-Subtitles-to-a-DVD-(THE-COMPLETE-WORKING-GUIDE)

Maybe you have not created the subtitle stream as noted in the guide.

[adzyu100]

You might care to read this guide

https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/163978-How-To-Add-Subtitles-to-a-DVD-(THE-COMPLETE-WORKING-GUIDE)

Maybe you have not created the subtitle stream as noted in the guide.

That doesn't really help, considering how I'm making a completely new dvd. I don't have a source dvd.

[El Heggunte]

The BMP files must be RLE-compressed and have a 4-bit palette (i.e., 16 colors).

Maybe you should try MaestroSBT

[manono]

The BMP files must be RLE-compressed and have a 4-bit palette (i.e., 16 colors).

Maybe you should try MaestroSBT

Yes, I also thought of the 4-bit thing which is the reason I suggested trying to open them in Muxman. That's all it'll accept. I use MaestroSBT myself to make SST subs but he's starting with VobSubs and will have to OCR them to SSA subs first. I've never used SubResynch to make SON or SST subs and don't know if what it makes is DVD-compliant.

[DB83]

You might care to read this guide

https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/163978-How-To-Add-Subtitles-to-a-DVD-(THE-COMPLETE-WORKING-GUIDE)

Maybe you have not created the subtitle stream as noted in the guide.

That doesn't really help, considering how I'm making a completely new dvd. I don't have a source dvd.

Hardly. The guide might be in relation to a source dvd but the technique for using dvd lab pro for subtitles is the same. Just read the relevant bit. ie STEP 2

[adzyu100]

The BMP files must be RLE-compressed and have a 4-bit palette (i.e., 16 colors).

Maybe you should try MaestroSBT

Yes, I also thought of the 4-bit thing which is the reason I suggested trying to open them in Muxman. That's all it'll accept. I use MaestroSBT myself to make SST subs but he's starting with VobSubs and will have to OCR them to SSA subs first. I've never used SubResynch to make SON or SST subs and don't know if what it makes is DVD-compliant.

Ok, so looking at the bmps in mediainfo, they're all 8 bit. There's no option to set the bit depth in subresync, so is there any way to convert vobsubs to son/sst without OCR?

[manono]

so is there any way to convert vobsubs to son/sst without OCR?

SubRip can do it, although I've never found it very intuitive. SubtitleCreator and SubToSup can convert them to SUP files for use in Muxman.

Here's a little guide explaining how to convert VobSubs to SON:

forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=27408

Next, you’ll want the subtitles. There are many different ways to do this and many are just as valid as another. I’m going to share with you the way I do them as I have found it to be the most reliable with picking up special characters, etc.

Open SubRip and click on “File...Open VOB’s”. Make sure under the “Action” section, you have selected “Save SubPictures as BMP” and there is a checkmark on “+ TC & Res.”. Make sure the “Last Timecode” is all 0’s and there is no checkmark on “Enable this box if time...” Click the “Open IFO” button and select an IFO from your backed up files. It will then list all VOB’s in that directory in the right-hand window. Place a checkmark on all VOB’s from the movie. Begin with VTS_02_1.VOB in this example. When you’re ready, click the “Start” button. You will get a window asking where to save the files. There will be LOTS of them so don’t go saving them to your desktop or something! I always create a “subs” directory and dump them in there. Choose any filename you like.

The next window will pop up when the first subtitle is detected. You will want to select the “Cropping” tab. Place a checkmark on “Allow BMP cropping”. Select 720 x 480 for minimum picture width and height, respectively. Width must be a multiple of 8 and height must be a multiple of 2. Horizontal alignment should be Center and Vertical alignment should be Bottom. Click the “Colors” tab and make sure you have 0, 3, 2, 1 on the left and 0, 1, 2, 3 on the right (from top to bottom on each). Select “4bits” and “Free” for the Preset. Under the “Positioning” tab, make sure you have X and Y on “Keep Original Position”. Click “OK” when you’re ready to go!

Once the subtitles have been ripped, you will be presented with a new window containing the subtitle info. For the Output Format, select the “Sonic DVD Creator (*.txt)” tab and select “NTSC 30fps” I’ve yet to see the “drop frame” selection make any difference. Just leave it unchecked. Click the “Convert to this format” button. Next, click “File…Save As” and save the Sonic DVD Creator text file into the same directory you just ripped the subs to.

Next, you will want to convert this text file to a format that DVD Maestro can use. This is where ScriptConvert.exe comes in. Run this tool and select the TXT file you just created as the source. Select “SON Maestro” at the bottom and create a “SON DVD Maestro (*.son)” file as the target filename. Click the “Convert” button and it should tell you the number of rows finished.

Next, you will want to edit this SON file before importing into DVD Maestro. You will notice two lines in the file listed as such:

Contrast (0 0 9 15)
Color (0 0 0 2)

These numbers control the contrast and color settings of the BMP files as they are imported into Maestro. I use the settings above. You can use other colors and contrast settings if you like. My settings will provide you with white letters with a dark gray-black outline. I’ve found it works perfectly but some people prefer other colors. Now on with the show!

[angels90]

Another possible reason (this was also driving me nuts until I worked it out) is to make sure that the file you're feeding into MaestroSBT only has the one period eg "filename.ext" and not "file.name.ext. Seems that dvdlab has problems picking up the bitmaps if there's more than one period in the generated bitmap filenames that Maestro makes.