Subtitle Workshop Overlapping Problem

[BradlyB]

I need to convert my subtitle streams to .srt and manually load them as streams in ConvertXtoDVD to properly display them when I burn, otherwise the softsubbed tracks turn out really large and offcenter.

However, when I upload them into Subtitle Workshop (or SubResync) and convert the track I extracted with MKVExtractGUI, whenever there are two people talking at once, or two sentences or titles placed at separate locations at the same time, one of them won't show up until the other disappears.

For example, Toradora episode 1, it displayed the title of the episode and a subtitle appeared over the japanese text to translate it, at the same time a character is talking. It didn't show what he said until the title disappeared, and only for a brief second.

Is there any way, or any programs to use to convert the .ass to make it display properly when I burn it?
All I want to do is have normal, centered, unaltered subtitles. If I burn the softsubbed tracks they turn out crazy, if I convert it then I lose the placement data. How do I fix this?

[Nelson37]

I'm pretty sure you can't have placement in an SRT file. IIRC you can put in placement instructions but they are not only ignored by everything, those few softwares which do recognize them will generate an error.

I believe there is an error-fix in workshop, there is another prog called SubMagic which was pretty good at fixing errors. But, with overlapping, seperately-positioned subs converted to SRT, you may have to do some manual editing.

[BradlyB]

Hmm,
Thanks for the info... that clears some things up.

Well, I might go with hardsubbing, which I have done numerous times on occasion, but I'm wondering if there is an easier method than what I'm doing:
-I demux the file with MKVExtract
-Sometimes convert audio to AAC
-Remux the audio and video with MP4Box
-Hardsub the subtitle track in XVid4PSP.

This whole process takes hours for one 24 min. episode, and will unpredictably produce out-of-sync audio and/or subs, sometimes it will, sometimes it won't.
Is there a faster, more reliable process for doing this?

[Nelson37]

Don't do hardsubs myself, but that may be the only way you can preserve placement.

If the overlapping subs are single line and you can live with standard position, I think they can be auto-combined into one 2-line SRT sub.

[BradlyB]

Ah, doesn't that just involve putting a | between the two lines? I might try that :]

I just dunno which is harder; hardsubbing or manually editing srts. Hardsubbing is easy but time consuming, and sometimes unreliable (for me,) yet Sub Workshop is a bit tedious. For burning entire series, it could be difficult.

Thanks again for the advice.