Converting DVD subtitles to .srt - timing sync is way off

[sasuweh]

I'm trying to convert English .idx/.sub subtitles embedded in a DVD to an .srt file. I'm pretty inexperienced with this, but I know one way is to load the full DVD into DVDsubedit using "add full domain" and selecting the first vob file for the feature. From there I click "run OCR" and then "save as .srt".

Now I know there will be lots of errors, but that's not my issue. My issue is the timing of the .srt subtitles is off when I use the above method. If I load the DVD into VLC or MPC-BE and select external subtitle file > .srt, the converted .srt subs aren't timed correctly. They're way off. Yet if I select the DVD's embedded subtitles they are in perfect sync. What's going on here? I'm not doing anything with timing, so the timing should be the same, right? The DVD is 23.976fps.

I also tried an alternate method - I used makemkv to losslessly rip to mkv, then extracted the subtitles to external .idx/.sub files using mkvtoolnix (gMKVextractgui), then loaded the .idx/.sub files into bdsup2sub, converted to .ifo/.sup files, then loaded those .ifo/.sup files into DVDsubedit and ran the OCR and exported to .srt. This way gave me the same results - the converted .srt file is out of sync to both the original DVD files and the mkv I made with makemkv.

I also tried loading the .sup file into suprip, but it just gives me an "unhandled exception".

When I loaded the .idx/.sub files into bdsup2sub, it gave me "There were 231 warnings". All the warnings were "Invalid end sequence offset - no end time" warnings. But it still let me convert to .ifo/.sup files anyways. Is this telling me that there's something wrong with the actual DVD subtitles? Strange, because the DVD itself plays the subtitles fine.

Can anybody help?

[Bernix]

Hi,
just try import/OCR subtitles from VOB/IFO (DVD)... in subtitle edit. And is the shift of the subtitles still same, or changing progressive?

Bernix

[videobruger]

loaded the .idx/.sub files into bdsup2sub

Did you look at the timinig?


[Attachment 43649 - Click to enlarge]

[sasuweh]

Hi,
just try import/OCR subtitles from VOB/IFO (DVD)... in subtitle edit. And is the shift of the subtitles still same, or changing progressive?

Bernix

Well for starters, as soon as I import the ifo in subtitle edit, it lists two options for framerate - PAL or NTSC. This DVD is neither. It's 23.976. So what am I supposed to do about that?

[Bernix]

23.976 is NTSC

[sasuweh]

loaded the .idx/.sub files into bdsup2sub

Did you look at the timinig?


[Attachment 43649 - Click to enlarge]

I didn't check timing for each subtitle because I thought the point was to leave it on auto and the timing would be unchanged. But since the subtitles are mistimed in subedit even when importing the DVD vob files directly, I figured it can't be bdsup2sub that's at fault. In bdsup2sub, after loading the .idx/.sub files, the conversion options box pops up. Both "convert resolution" and "change frame rate" were left unchecked. I tried it again forcing 23.976 for both FPS source and FPS target in "change frame rate", and then output the .ifo/.sup files, but they still came out mistimed from dvdsubedit after OCR and export to .srt.


I'm wondering if all those "Invalid end sequence offset - no end time" warnings are to blame. By then why do they display fine when viewing the DVD but the subtitle programs are having such a hard time with them?

[sasuweh]

23.976 is NTSC

Am I missing something? NTSC is 29.970? PAL is 25.000 and NTSC is 29.970. It even says in the options: "PAL (25fps) NTSC (29.97fps).

[Bernix]

It is NTSC film 24000/1001 = 23,976

[Bernix]

You can check some open subtitles website for what frame rate are subtitles done. Or check imdb.com for specs. But best is to use first movie vob with media info. Bernix

[sasuweh]

It is NTSC film 24000/1001 = 23,976

Thanks a ton for your help and explanation. I just finished the OCR in subtitle edit and the .srt file is in perfect sync! It did a great job with the OCR, too. A handful of unknown words but otherwise really nice. Any leftover errors I can easily fix manually. Thanks again! I have no idea why it was giving me such a headache in the other programs but it went smoothly in subtitle edit.

[Bernix]

My pleasure, nice to see my advice is sometimes working Bernix

[Bernix]

I have to say "be my pleasure" is apparently wrong phrase! It was my pleasure seems better to me. Sorry

Bernix

[manono]

23.976 is NTSC

Am I missing something? NTSC is 29.970? PAL is 25.000 and NTSC is 29.970. It even says in the options: "PAL (25fps) NTSC (29.97fps).

Yes, you're missing something. All NTSC DVDs output 29.97fps (really 59.94 fields per second). If your source was a proper DVD, it wasn't 23.976fps. It may have been encoded as progressive 23.976fps, but after 3:2 pulldown was applied it became 29.97fps. I don't know how that bears on your problem unless you forced 23.976fps subtitle output. But then I don't use any of the programs you did for OCRing subs.

[sasuweh]

23.976 is NTSC

Am I missing something? NTSC is 29.970? PAL is 25.000 and NTSC is 29.970. It even says in the options: "PAL (25fps) NTSC (29.97fps).

Yes, you're missing something. All NTSC DVDs output 29.97fps (really 59.94 fields per second). If your source was a proper DVD, it wasn't 23.976fps. It may have been encoded as progressive 23.976fps, but after 3:2 pulldown was applied it became 29.97fps. I don't know how that bears on your problem unless you forced 23.976fps subtitle output. But then I don't use any of the programs you did for OCRing subs.

Thanks for the explanation. I understand now.

[Doris Mrs]

DVDSubEdit is a tiny and portable piece of kit developed to help you edit subtitles or button highlights in DVD movie menus from files with the .vob format, without having to take them apart. It comes loaded with advanced settings for fairly experienced PC users, and it features support for .sup files.Once all modifications are made, you can save the file to SRT.
Or search "3 Ways to Free Extract DVD subtitles to SRT" on Google, some useful guide will come out.