Fix subtitle sync

[nekrosoft13]

Hello

Is there a program that can display video and load subtitles and then allow you to set the offset for the subtitles?

I have a TV show from blu-ray, but subtitles are from DVD, and every subtitle seems to be 2-5 seconds either too late or too early.

[netmask56]

Dozens of programs! Subtitle Edit to name one... Google is your friend

[orsetto]

Recent threads mention PotPlayer and MPC-HC as having subtitle offset capability. A player with built-in sub adjustments sounds like a good idea, but in practice many sync problems are not easily corrected with a simple offset. More often than not, they drift at different rates during the running time, so a simple offset of "+ 5 seconds" might only work for the first twelve minutes before it starts drifting again. Depends on your long-term plans for the file: if its disposable after viewing once then yeah, adjusting continually while you watch might be tolerable. But for a permanent library, or conversion to DVD, or other people to use: a properly synced sub file is preferable.

If you have the patience and intuition to figure out where the drift is and how to fix it, you can permanently adjust the subtitle file with an editing program as suggested earlier. I prefer Subtitle Workshop myself, but there are many options.

The problem with roll-your-own subtitle adjustment is its a total PITA to do, and can take too much time and work for often mediocre results. I find it much more efficient to browse the various subtitle archive sites, and simply download a version that has already been well-corrected by skilled, dedicated enthusiasts. My go-to sites are SubScene and Addic7ed. Both are comprehensive: if they don't have an exact match for your specific video file, odds are it hasn't been posted anywhere and you'll need to edit whatever version(s) they do have yourself. Unfortunately both sites are magnets for Windows drive-by malware attacks, so don't visit them unless you have excellent browser protection installed . I have an old Windows box with Norton, dedicated to this kind of risky browsing (also an old Apple Mac Mini which generally ignores these types of attack).

SubtitleSeeker is a much safer archive site, but with a clunkier interface. Occasionally it has subtitle versions the other two don't, and vice versa.