Subtitle query

[Trooper Meade]

Occasionally a DVD will have the normal language subtitles but in addition occasional subtitles when characters are speaking a 'foreign' language. So one might be watching an English version of a - say - Mafia film and when characters speak in Italian subtitles automatically appear. I guess a more specific example might be when a character speaks in Dothraki and English subtitles appear. If one wanted to rip a DVD that had these subtitles how can one ensure that one doesn't lose those subtitles while not having any others?

[manono]

When you decrypt a DVD to the hard drive, you get everything in the original, minus the encryption. That's what 'ripping' means. Now, if you then convert that DVD or reencode it to something else, that's when you have to be careful about keeping those foreign language subtitles.

[teodz1984]

usually forced subs are separate from others

[Trooper Meade]

There you go. I think the answer I was looking for was in the second reply - forced subs. I didn't know what they were but see that WinX DVD has that option. I'll try that.

[manono]

There you go. I think the answer I was looking for was in the second reply - forced subs.

Well, not exactly. I didn't go into this earlier because you were under some misapprehensions to begin with.

There are two ways in which foreign or alien dialog might show on the screen without the regular dialog.

In one case the subs for the foreign language has its own subtitle track, a separate and small track, as compared to the size of the original subtitle track with all the dialog, both foreign and the main language.

In the second case the foreign language subs are a part of the main language track and there is no separate track for the foreign language parts. The foreign subs within that main language track are marked as such. Those and those only are forced subs.

So, as you can see there are two separate and distinct ways in which foreign language subs might show up, one forced and the other not. When reencoding you have to figure first what you have and second, make sure to save only them. It's easy when they have their own subtitle track (it's much smaller in size, but not marked as "Forced"), a bit more difficult when they're part of the much larger subtitle track and are marked as "Forced".

I know nothing about WinX DVD.

[Trooper Meade]

Thanks for the reply. I'm fully aware of the difference between 'Ripping' and converting but thank you for the information anyway.
Whilst this conversation has been going on I've converted a file with WinX DVD opting for forced subs and it's worked perfectly. So thank you teodz1984 for that.