How to add ipoc classic compatible subtitles to a mp4 video?

[beto]

Hi there. I got myself an ipod 6G (the ipod classic) and I was messing around with converting my videos to watch in the ipod.

I noticed that this ipod model has a (soft) subtitle feature that one can enable or not. Question is: how do I do to add soft subtitles to a mp4 movie and make it display in the ipod classic?

I tried adding a srt file directly to the mp4 movie and although the subtitles display in media player classic they do not work in the ipod. To which format and what software can I use to convert the subtitles to an ipod compatible format?

I suppose I have to convert the srt subtitles to another format before muxing them in the mp4 video file, however I found zero information about the subtitle format used by the ipod classic. Bear in mind that I am not interested in hard subtitles, only in soft subtitles.

thanks in advance.

[unskinnyboy]

Try contacting Apple customer support.

[beto]

I already browsed Apple support for this and apparently no one there has an answer for this question.

Maybe someone here can shed some light in this issue? If what I am trying to do is not possible I would also like to know.

Thanks.

[smok3]

if i had to deal with that, my first experiment would be:

mp4box (or yamb) should be able to take srt subs and convert them to some sort of mp4 timed text stream (no idea what charset are supported as input).

There are at least 2 unknowns:
1. - mp4box & charset
2. - is this really what ipod will eat

---

and my 2nd experiment would be to use google:
http://forum.handbrake.fr/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=4172&p=30342

[setarip_old]

@beto

Hi!

Numerous possibilities listed under this primary Googlesearch:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22Ipod%22+and+%22subtitles%22

[beto]

@beto

Hi!

Numerous possibilities listed under this primary Googlesearch:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22Ipod%22+and+%22subtitles%22

Thanks but I have already done that before posting. There are no results related to soft subs. Just hard subs which I am not interested. Thanks anyway.:)

[beto]

if i had to deal with that, my first experiment would be:

mp4box (or yamb) should be able to take srt subs and convert them to some sort of mp4 timed text stream (no idea what charset are supported as input).

There are at least 2 unknowns:
1. - mp4box & charset
2. - is this really what ipod will eat

---

and my 2nd experiment would be to use google:
http://forum.handbrake.fr/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=4172&p=30342

Thanks. I'll try mp4box and post back. The second method is overly complicated for my taste. There has to be an easier way otherwise I won't put any subs in the movies. :rolleyes:

[beto]

I used mp4box to convert the srt subtitle to a ttxt format (UTF-8) and embedded that in the mp4 file also with mp4box.

Unfortunately, as I suspected, the ipod does not 'eat' that and despite the fact that the video and audio streams play perfectly, the soft subtitles do not show. I can only assume that the ttxt format created by mp4box is not the same ttxt format accepted by the ipod.

[numaios]

Somewhere I read that soft subtitles in iPod must be in a so called "Line-21" format (which I don't have any idea of what it is), and it seems that Apple is not going to publish the specs or the necessary tools:

http://forums.ipodlounge.com/showthread.php?t=222001

See you.

[refulgentis]

just google for muxo, its immensely easy now, given:
A) a clean UTF-8 SRT
B) you rename the resulting file to m4v
C) you use Muxo :D

this is of course only on Mac, but if you Google properly you'll find basic instructions on doing it without a GUI

[numaios]

OMG!

These are really good news!

:thanks:

[dm devotee]

something new about this?

[dm devotee]

anybody could, at least, add forced subtitles (without re-enconding)?

[Adub]

Nope. In order to "Force" subtitles on the Ipod Classic, or any ipod for that matter, you have to re-encode and hardsub the subtitle onto the content.