Adding subs to VOB?

[Jens Thomsen]

I have a French DVD (dual language with French and Italian audio) which I would like to add some English subtitles to. The subs are written specifically to this DVD. I have them in .txt and .sup formats.

I have ripped the DVD using MTR 3.0 and have a movie-only VIDEO_TS containing several VOB files. I have loaded the subs, set the encoder to mpeg2 and adjustet the specifics to match the original DVD. However the ffmpeg mpeg2 encoder does not allow for VIDEO_TS folders. And the mpeg2enc encoder just gives me the following error "**ERROR: [mplex] Unable to open file /Users/thomsen/Desktop/UN_ANGE_POUR_SATAN_Movie-Only/movie.mpv for reading".

Is what I am trying to do possible at all, or should I go some other way, maybe converting the VOB files first using MPEG Streamclip?

[manono]

If all you want to do is add subs, then you don't have to reencode. You only have to demux and add in the subs (the SUP file) when remuxing. I don't use a Mac, but this is dead simple on a Windows machine. Perhaps someone else can explain how to do this on a Mac computer.

[tomlee59]

Use ffmpegx with subs in .srt format. There's a brief tutorial on precisely this operation on the ffmpegx site. A quick Google will get you there in no time.

[Jens Thomsen]

Tomlee59--> But that's exactly the process I have tried to use. Converting the subs to an .srt file (with Jubler) doesn't do anything. I still get the same error message that I mentioned above.

[Jens Thomsen]

manono--> Demuxing was really easy using ffmpegx. However the adding of subs and remuxing using the same software turned out to be another obstacle - at least for this newbie...

But thanks anyway!

[Jens Thomsen]

I just tried to do it another way around: Converting the VIDEO_TS folder to Mpeg2 using MPEG Streamclip, then using then Tools/ Author function in ffmpegx to author a new VIDEO_TS folder from the .mpeg and the .srt files. Well, apparently ffmpegx does not accept files with the .mpeg extension, only .mpg. And just renaming the file doesn't work: While ffmpegx now accepts the file and starts converting, it ultimately leads to a 0 Kb VIDEO_TS folder and ffmpegx crashes.

Man, I feel so stupid! I am sure it's really pretty easy once you get the hang of it. I just can't figure out how to do this.

[tomlee59]

Hmmm...I've never encountered your particular set of problems with ffmpegx before, but here are some suggestions for narrowing down the source of the problem:

1) You mentioned in your first post that you are unable to convert from a VIDEO_TS folder. Unless something's changed recently, that shouldn't be true. If you have an unencrypted VIDEO_TS folder on your hard drive, you should be fine. The key is that it must be on your hard drive. Even if the DVD itself is unencrypted, conversion will still be disallowed. So, if you didn't copy over to the HD, do so and try again. If you've already done this and you still get the error, then I don't know why. I'm assuming that your pathname doesn't contain any Unix-unfriendly characters (spaces in particular are problematic).

2) Open the .srt file and inspect it for problems. Sometimes odd fonts cause mysterious problems. You may have to hand-edit to correct.

3) Make sure that you have chosen the correct DVD title. Ffmpegx makes a simple guess; it is quite frequently wrong.

4) MPEGStreamclip often produces an .mpeg file that ffmpegx does not like. Evidently, Streamclip adds some metadata that ffmpegx finds difficulty parsing/ignoring. A solution is first to demux the .mpeg (using ffmpegx's tools, after changing the extension to .mpg), and then to remux. The result is often to ffmpegx's satisfaction.

Good luck, Jens!

[Case]

I just tried to do it another way around: Converting the VIDEO_TS folder to Mpeg2 using MPEG Streamclip, then using then Tools/ Author function in ffmpegx to author a new VIDEO_TS folder from the .mpeg and the .srt files.

Exactly the right method.

Well, apparently ffmpegx does not accept files with the .mpeg extension, only .mpg.

For authoring, this is true. Blame MPEG Streamclip for using a not-so-common extension.

And just renaming the file doesn't work: While ffmpegx now accepts the file and starts converting, it ultimately leads to a 0 Kb VIDEO_TS folder and ffmpegx crashes.

Bummer. It should have worked. I wouldn't know why the program would crash. If it has trouble with some file or setting, it will say so without crashing.

Man, I feel so stupid! I am sure it's really pretty easy once you get the hang of it. I just can't figure out how to do this.

I think you did alright, except for the crashing part.

[Jens Thomsen]

tomlee--> I ripped the DVD to the HD using MacTheRipper 3.0. Can't remember if there were any spaces in the pathname, but there might have been. I'll try again and make sure this time or else try your demux-remux suggestion.

Case--> Thanks. I feel less like an idiot now.

Thanks a lot for your help, guys!