Help with VOB Subtitles

[harrybot]

Let me first explain what I have and what I am trying to do. I a have a DVD of an old Chinese TV show that I would like to have as files with each episode having its own video file and own .srt files. The disc has five episodes on it but they run on a continuous timeline. There are multiple subtitle languages that are build into the original DVD.

So far I used DVD Decrypter to extract the video files from the disc. I then used VOB merge to merge all the VOB files into one. I then mpg2cut2 to cut each episode out from the larger VOB and save each individually. I was then trying to extract the subtitles from each using subrip, but then ran into an issue. For the first episode, which begins at the start of the timeline, I had no problem and all the subtitle streams were found. However, on the subsequent episodes it does not find subtitle streams. When I open the latter episodes in VLC the option for the subtitle stream is not immediately available but does appear after skipping to the middle of the video.

What is the best way that I can get each episode separate from the all-in-one VOB and be able to get individual .srt files for them?

[manono]

Your problem is the timings haven't changed even after you cut the DVD into episodes. So, for example, if each episode is 25 minutes long, while the first one begins at 0 the second will begin at the 25 minute mark, the third at the 50 minute mark, etc. So, you don't have subs for each episode after the first.

One way around it, given what you've done already (I wouldn't have done it that way), is to extract the subs from the uncut VOB file VobMerge created and then after you're all done, cut them into pieces and retime every one after the first. That's one way, anyway. But like I said, I'd have done it differently from the beginning, probably by cutting by VOB ID (usually the episodes) using PGCDemux, getting the subs at the same time, already timed for each episode.

That whole VobMerge step wasn't necessary.

[harrybot]

Hi Manono,

Thank you for the reply. I was thinking that this might have been the case but being new to this I wasn't sure of the programs out there. I will give PGCDemux a try and post back here if I have any issues.

[Budman1]

Easiest way for me is to use Subtitle Edit and do an import OCR subtitles from VOB/IFO. Then select the IFO that is the same format as as the VOB's that contain multiple 1GB VOBs (usually the main video.) Click Start ripping and it will rip ALL the subtitles from the DVD after selecting the Language you want.


Then select the language again on the next screen:


Select your decoder language. If you do not have it, click the 3 dots and download it:


Make sure you letters are white with black borders that do not intersect. If you have trouble decoding, check use custom colors and adjust/transparent until you do.
once they are ripped, you can save as SRT from the main page. Subtitle edit has a lot of sync methods also but the one easiest is to load your COMBINED VOBS into the editor and use the Visual Sync to set the first and last subtitle and then let it sync.

[harrybot]

Thank you Budman for the tips. I have downloaded Subtitle Edit to help out.

@Manono PGCDemux works great in separating the .sub and video for each file. I just checked the options for subpic streams and did create PGC VOB and now have a vob with the audio and video as well as the subpic file. I just now need to convert the subpic to srt format.

When I put the sub file into subtitle edit and ran the OCR it just started putting in gibberish characters. How can I fix this?

[videobruger]

When I put the sub file into subtitle edit and ran the OCR it just started putting in gibberish characters. How can I fix this?

Could you post an screendump like image #3 in Budman1's post (#4) above? or the demuxed .sup file?

[manono]

I just checked the options for subpic streams and did create PGC VOB and now have a vob with the audio and video as well as the subpic file. I just now need to convert the subpic to srt format.

The subtitle format output by PGCDemux is SUP. You can do an automatic OCR conversion from SUP to SRT using DVDSubEdit. You may have to go over it thoroughly afterwards to correct mistakes. For most OCR apps (SubtitleEdit, SubRip, etc.) the SUP files have to be converted to VobSubs (IDX/SUB). That can be done instantly using SubtitleCreator.

SUP files can be read using SUPViewer and SubtitleCreator, in case you want to check the timings.

[videobruger]

For most OCR apps (SubtitleEdit, SubRip, etc.) the SUP files have to be converted to VobSubs

In Subtitle Edit just drag-drop the .sup file from PGCDemux and it'll initiate OCR. (Budman1' image #2)

[manono]

In Subtitle Edit just drag-drop the .sup file from PGCDemux and it'll initiate OCR. (Budman1' image #2)

I was going by his statement that all he got was gibberish and assumed it wouldn't work. Thanks for the correction.

[harrybot]

Well it seems I fixed the problem by playing around with the tick boxes for image palette. For future reference how should these tick boxes be checked? Additionally, since I haven't used this program before, do the subtitles highlighted with yellow contain spelling errors?

Thank you so much again manono, budman1, and videoburger for helping me out.

[Budman1]

harrybot, Most I know about the colors is yellow is spelling errors or at least unknown words that decoded correctly as in the following example. The Pink (red?) color is set in your settings and could be any pf the one checking in the settings.


As to the colors setting in the custom colors... I find white letters with black shadows and/or outline work best unless the shadow makes the letters blend together as in the example below. The boxes correspond to (at least my best guess) left to right are Background, Border(Outline), Letters themselves and then shadow. Notice I checked transparent for shadow because the letters blended together and they separate better.



Hope that helps...