Perm Changes in Subs Ouput Palette

[Arianos]

Just a simple question:
How can one make permanent changes to the subtitles output palette?

Instead of:
Primary color 0 (Background) Black Blend 0
Primary color 1 (Font) White Blend 15
Primary color 2 (Outline) Outline Blend 15
Primary color 3 (Antialiasing) Gray Blend 15

to:
Primary color 0 (Background) Black Blend 0
Primary color 1 (Font) Yellow or WhiteBlend 15
Primary color 2 (Outline) Black Blend 15
Primary color 3 (Antialiasing) Black Blend 15


It is the only way that SVCD subs can appear PERFECTLY for me. No "rogue" transparent ones, no "dissolved" ones, no "truncated" ones, no Submux complaining about excessive colours.
So instead of changing them each and every time, could a gentle soul show me how this can be done?

[Arianos]

After all this overwhelming rush of answers to my posting, I feel I must do a follow up on events. :)
So far I have backed up about 35 of my DVDs, all with SVCD subtitles, Greek (where it exists) and English. After the Author's repeated and subtle suggestions, I use almost exclusively internal routines, Smartripper being my second favorite and DVD Decrypter the third. Of course I use the latest version of dvd2svcd.
No matter what the main ripping method, I fear that there is a problem with the ripping of the subtitles, at least when one leaves it on the default output settings. Trusting them, at least in my case, is hit and miss. So far, mostly only miss. One out of 6-7 subtitles comes out either only "outlined" or "garbled". On 2 PCs!! I am surprised that only 2 other users has reported such problems, and that with the early versions of 105. (are us 3 the ONLY ones that actually watch the movies we convert??)
The problem was supposed to having been fixed, first temporarily by Barbas's 24to4 and then in a newer version by the Author himself. Watching carefully movies made on that period, I saw that the situation had definitely improved but it was not cured.. Judging from the response to this topic, and to others similar, I guess subtitles do not concern 95% of the users.
Nevertheless, it's an option in dvd2svcd, extremely useful to me, as my English is not that good, that I think does not work quite well, is neglected and I have about 10 sets of saved SVCDs subtitles to prove it.
Back to the case:
Although in most cases, the bitmaps appear ok to the "naked eye", there is definitely something wrong, that makes Submux react strangely. The worst, and definitely obvious case, was "Moulin Rouge" R1. Here's how ALL the bitmaps come out in the default settings. Pic 1 (http://users.otenet.gr/~prplasma/dvd2svcd/en100019.bmp). After changing the output settings, basically turning the outline and antialiasing to black (blend with the background), Submux has no problem in muxing them perfectly. Pic 2 (http://users.otenet.gr/~prplasma/dvd2svcd/en100019b.bmp). Turning back to other ripped DVDs and changing the output settings, re-ripping the subs to a different folder, replacing the old ones and using the previous crash recovery from SVCD creation, also fixes the problem. But is that really the only solution??

So far the facts I have collected are:

1. With that specific movie (Moulin Rouge R1) the subtitle ripping does not work correctly by default because of some bad interpretation of the palette.
The bad interpretation is that although the values are black-white-outline-grey, only the outline (or grey) is produced.
2. The problem is probably not with submux.
3. The problem does not change whether you rip the dvd with internal routines or
other software.
4. If you force the values to black 0, yellow (or white) 15, black 15, black 15 it works
(the default being black, white, outline, grey)
5. This is not my only movie that behaves strangely. This is the only one that the subs have gone completely crazy to the point I could "nail" them before the Submux process. Submux unfortunately does not leave a log, and my attempts to make a batch file to force it to do so, failed.

So, although I know how to fix the problem, I have these obvious questions:

Is there an issue in the default ouput palette in dvd2svcd? Or is it an issue with submux not being quite "perfect"? Past experience has showed us that in similar "bug" cases, CCE being the most famous, the problem was mostly not with dvd2svcd, but with the supporting program.
Should dvd2svcd force the default values instead of trying to interpret them?
Does it actually try to interpret these values?

And finally to my starting question to the Gurus:
If it is only me that has this problem (which I doubt), how can I make my custom output palette permanent? I mean, one can choose custom values that "stay" in all other programs, why not in subtitles output palette? It cannot be THAT hard. (Of course not being a Power User, I may be talking nonsense, and what I ask is impossible..)

[daxab]

I don't have an answer to your questions, and in fact after a serious effort to get SVCD subs to work, I've switched to using permanent subs generated by VobSub. I highly recommend this approach; my thread in the Newbies forum has more details.

[Arianos]

I was tempted to use permanent subs, after all the "failures". But then I wouldn't have 2 selectable subtitles, would I?
My problem is not in my main "it-plays-everything" player (a Cyberhome AD-M212) not being able to show them, but rather in ripping and encoding with the default settings.
Anyway, selectable SVCD subs work perfectly 100% now, after I tweak the output settings a little, each and every time, so I'm happy.
But there is nothing wrong in pursuing absolute perfection, is there?

[dvd2svcd]

I will save the subs settings in the next release.

[daxab]

@Arianos

I would love to have selectable SVCD subs, but they don't work on my players (Apex 600A, 5131). I agree that they are preferable in all ways -- if they work. I tried the test images and it's no go. So the only way for me to get things to work is with permanent subs. Judging from the Players Poll, I think a lot of people are in the same boat.

[dvd2svcd]

@daxab: Is this a failure on dvd2svcd's part or does your player just not support SVCD subs?

[Arianos]

@ dvd2svcd:
Thank you!!! Eternally grateful! :)

[daxab]

@dvd2svcd:

That's a good question. I honestly don't know. Other people have stated that subs work on the Apex AD-600A, but that player comes with several different firmware versions, so it may just not work with my firmware. At this point, if other people are getting selectable SVCD/CVD subs working from DVD2SVCD, I'm willing to believe it's my player.

I have noticed one thing that I'm pretty sure is not my player -- when I try to make selectable SVCD subs, not all subs get extracted. When I use permanent subs (using DVD2SVCD's built in mechanism) all the subs show up. So there's something up with the SVCD sub extraction. (Source = Battle Athletes Victory 1)

[Arianos]

@ daxab:
Same thing had happened to me with "Tea with Mussolini" R1. Some dialogue part (1 estimated BMP) had failed to appear as subtitle on the SVCD. As you can imagine, I was quick to blame "You-Know-Who" :)
But, as I had become quite obssesed with the subject (as you might have guessed by now...)and trying to be as thorough as possible, I checked the original DVD, and to my surprise, neither the DVD sub appeared! I am sure there MUST have been a sub at the particular place, but it simply did not appear.
I did not give it further thought till your posting.
My guess is that although it WAS there, for some reason my player and the sub ripper routines failed to see it, but as you say, it may appear on permanent subs.
Even if it IS a glitch, I am quite happy that the ripping works ok 99,99%.

As for the SVCD subs issue and the Apex AD-600A's firmware:
I'm sure you must have done so already, but it wouldn't hurt to have a go at this site:
http://www.dvd-wizards.com/darrenk/600/600.htm

[daxab]

For me it misses about the first 15 seconds of subtitles (about 5 subtitles). They simply don't aren't seen, and I'm just looking at the .BMP files -- they don't get extracted in the first place. I notice similar problems with VobSub if I don't scan in BLIND mode. According to the VobSub docs, if the VOB files have been modified, BLIND mode must be used.

Later on one or two subtitles are missing out of every 10, but I don't know if that's a player, the muxing, or what. Eventually all subs disappear altogether.

Luckily, permanent subs (DVD2SVCD native) as well as VobSub in BLIND mode work fine for me.

(I'm familiar with the AD-600A website -- but I've decided to stop short of updating my firmware. It would cost about $100 to get an EEPROM burner and take a bit of time and with the price of a new DVD player as low as it is these days, it's not really worth it.)