Test .sup files?

[Charmer]

Delete the post.

[manono]

Convert to VOBSubs (SubtitleCreator) and then test with the movie

[Charmer]

Delete the post.

[Charmer]

Delete the post.

[manono]

Is there any player which supports loading .sup files?

If I knew of one I would have mentioned it in my earlier post. I assume you're testing out the synch and such, so VobSubs are the same as SUP. If your testing works with the VobSubs, the resulting DVD will work with the SUP files.

Also, can you link me to a guide oriented for creating nice-looking .sup subtitles for a DVD?

I don't know how to create nice looking SUP files for DVD, although SubtitleCreator can convert SRT to SUP. I like to create nice-looking SST files for authoring with Muxman. You'll have to decide for yourself what fonts you like (I use Tahoma), what size you want (24 for 16:9 subs and 23 for 4:3 subs for me), and what colors you want (I use Black/Dark Grey/Light Grey). The final colors aren't (usually, depending on the authoring program) chosen before authoring as they're overlaid on the 4-color BMPs that make up the 'real' sub colors. I fix the final colors afterwards in PGCEdit, although DVDSubEdit can also do the job. I import SSA subtitles into MaestroSBT to create the SST subtitles for use in Muxman. If I've done it once I've done it a thousand times, and I like the look of the resulting subs. But you might not:

[Charmer]

Delete the post.

[EddyH]

Just to make you rest easier, the DVD subs often look worse on the PC screen than on the finished disc playing through a TV for some reason
Dunno if the players are only rendering them at half vertical rez or something.
The preview you get in e.g. subtitlecreator is more accurate, if the screen's at 1:1 size.

[Charmer]

Delete the post.

[manono]

If you're going to give MaestroSBT a try:
1. In the 'Set Files', click on the upper 'Browse' button, set it for SST, give them a name (like'Movie.sst'), and their own separate folder.
2. In 'Rendering', set it for Windows BMP 4 Bits and because I use aliasing, I tick "Only one set of text, antialias and outline colors". Also, if for a 4:3 movie, you need only set it for '4:3 Correction'. If the movie is 16:9, you make 2 complete sets of SSTs, one for 4:3 correction and another for 16:9.
3. In 'Timing', if for NTSC, both in and out are 29.97fps with drop-frame set. For PAL, only 25 in and out, no drop frame.
4. You have to set up your styles (or some of them). Hit 'Styles' and double-click on Styles1 or Default or whatever it says and set it the way you like. Hit "Change" to set the font and font size.
5. Check how they'll look in Edit and Preview. They'll be shown in their 720x480/576 size and not the final resized size. So, for example, the 16:9 subs will look pretty thin, before being 'fattened up' for final display. You can edit any line by double-clicking on it. So, with your example of subs over credits, that's how you'd raise a line of dialog, but I don't believe it'll get that information from the SSA subs originally. You'll have to assign that to each line of subs you want different from the others. Or continue to do it afterwards in DVDSubEdit.
6. When you have them the way you like, hit "Generate".

You may have to do a few tests before finding the style that particularly suits you. Just because something looks good to me, that's not necessarily any reason it should look good to you. If you need help later on loading them into Muxman, just ask. With 2 sets of SSTs for a 16:9 movie, you load the 16:9 one first, hit 'Wide', advance the counter to '2', load the 4:3 one, and hit 'LB'.

[netmask56]

Is there any player which supports loading .sup files?

If I knew of one I would have mentioned it in my earlier post. I assume you're testing out the synch and such, so VobSubs are the same as SUP. If your testing works with the VobSubs, the resulting DVD will work with the SUP files.

Also, can you link me to a guide oriented for creating nice-looking .sup subtitles for a DVD?

I don't know how to create nice looking SUP files for DVD, although SubtitleCreator can convert SRT to SUP. I like to create nice-looking SST files for authoring with Muxman. You'll have to decide for yourself what fonts you like (I use Tahoma), what size you want (24 for 16:9 subs and 23 for 4:3 subs for me), and what colors you want (I use Black/Dark Grey/Light Grey). The final colors aren't (usually, depending on the authoring program) chosen before authoring as they're overlaid on the 4-color BMPs that make up the 'real' sub colors. I fix the final colors afterwards in PGCEdit, although DVDSubEdit can also do the job. I import SSA subtitles into MaestroSBT to create the SST subtitles for use in Muxman. If I've done it once I've done it a thousand times, and I like the look of the resulting subs. But you might not:

What is the name of the movie or the actress - I somehow recognise it but the name eludes me... ta

[manono]

Bela Bose in the 1970 film Abhinetri. Do either ring a bell?

[netmask56]

No not really but I was In Calcutta in the late '70's filming a series of documentaries and we went to the local cinema quite a few times to soak up the atmosphere etc. Also attended the Cherry Lane Music festival just out of Calcutta. Ravi Shanka's aunt is an opera singer (Indian opera) who performed along with dozens of other artists over 3 days and nights. So either there or the cinema. Many thanks.

[manono]

Even more OT: I'm a fan of Bela Bose, and my friend memsaab has put up a list of her favorite Bela Bose songs on her blog. The one from which I took the subtitle example is her number one favorite. It's good, but it's not my own number one Bela song and dance. She is Bengali, her movie career did extend to about 1980, and during her later film years and afterwards she also appeared on stage, so there's a chance, I suppose, that you saw her. All the videos linked are mine:

http://memsaabstory.wordpress.com/2010/03/26/my-ten-favorite-bela-bose-songs/

[netmask56]

Thanks for the links and the info - after rummaging through my memoirs and souvenir collection I found the ticket to Dover Lane Festival, somehow in the past 30 years it had become Cherry Lane!!! I am a chocoholic