How About Removing Subtitles?

[Ryuujin27]

After browsing this forum for some times and performing a number of searches, I was unable to find any information to help me with removing subtitle files. There appears to be numerous topics of embedding them and such, but none on removing them, really.

So, I have a question, and I'm really hoping it is possible to do this. I have a few .mkv files that are hardcoded with subtitles. To clarify what I mean, though I'm sure everyone here knows, I can not turn them off in VLC, which doesn't even register there are subtitles.

As such, my question is: How do I get these out of here? I really want to watch these is full Japanese without the distraction of the English subtitles, but I'm a complete newbie when it comes to audio/video editing (I can rip a DVD and the audio from a DVD... that's the best I can do). Please help!

[filmboss80]

Since I have never purchased a movie in mkv format, I cannot opine with absolute certainty, but it sounds like the subs are actually integrated into the visual picture and not a separate sub-stream that can turned on and off.

Perhaps you should ask the video distributor for a refund.

(Rolls eyes...)

[träskmannen]

Simple answer: if they are hardsubbed you can't get rid of them.

Actually you can, but you won't like the result. Easiest solution is to put duct tape on the screen, covering the subs... You can re-encode the video using logo removal filters but it will still not look good. You can re-encode with black boxes covering the subtitles. You can crop the video heavily. None of those alternatives are any good, you will have to live with the subs.

[Ryuujin27]

Ahh... that's what I was afraid of.

Well, thanks for the speedy response. Looks like my screen will have to get use to duct tape.