Subtitles won't appear while playing a Divx CD on my standalone player

[Morbius1]

I have a standalone MPEG4-compatible DVD player which seems to play all kinds of Divx files I have tried so far (Divx3, Xvid, DX50). However, when it comes to subtitles, there is no way I can display them.

What I did is I burned a CD with my Divx (.AVI) and subtitles (.SRT) files with the same file name (except for the extension, of course). I used short filenames: 6 characters, all alphabetical, no special character. I tried the same giving the subtitles file a .SUB extension, but no joy either. By the way, this CD plays without any problem on my PC (and WITH the switchable subs!) using the VLC (Videolan) app.

The manual that came with the player is very basic and gives no info on how to produce an MPEG4/Divx CD. It only mentions that the player supports subtitles. I purchased this player in Asia and there is no way I can contact the manufacturer for any support.

Is there anything else that I should have done, or that I could try, in the process of creating my Divx CD? Or should I come to the conclusion that, for sure, my standalone player is unable to display switchable subtitles for a Divx CD?

Please bear with me if you find my question trivial as I am a novice in this area. I tried to search this forum for the answer and I also went through some of the FAQ/guides, but no success.

Can anyone kindly help?

[Mtz]

If you know the chipset, tell us which is. If you want to know what chipset is using your player is better to open it and see what is wrote on the biggest chipset: Mediatek, ESS, Zoran, Sigma?
If you don't want to open the player, load a CD with mp3 and make a screenshot from the file-browser which appear on your TV Screen. Upload the screenshot somewhere like http://host.imageshack.us/
That screenshot is needed to see which chipset is using your player. What is the name of your player?

enjoy,
Mtz

[Morbius1]

If you know the chipset, tell us which is. If you want to know what chipset is using your player is better to open it and see what is wrote on the biggest chipset: Mediatek, ESS, Zoran, Sigma?
If you don't want to open the player, load a CD with mp3 and make a screenshot from the file-browser which appear on your TV Screen. Upload the screenshot somewhere like http://host.imageshack.us/
That screenshot is needed to see which chipset is using your player. What is the name of your player?

enjoy,
Mtz
Thank you for offering to help me, Mtz.

I've opened my player. The biggest chipset only shows the following indications:

SUNPLUS
SPHE8202D
0541
MSC0939.1

and a logo.

I have taken 3 pictures:

1. An overview of the electronic board
http://img105.imageshack.us/img105/5907/p51604350dr.th.jpg (http://img105.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p51604350dr.jpg)

2. A view of what I think is the biggest chipset
http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/4827/p51604491yf.th.jpg (http://img233.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p51604491yf.jpg)

3. A TV screenshot of the image that appears after I load an MP3 CD in the player (as you requested)
http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/7048/p51604668tp.th.jpg (http://img233.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p51604668tp.jpg)
(I am wondering what you gonna find out from this...)

My player's brand name is: Techline. They have no web site apparently.

[ukendt]

http://www.trade-india.com/selloffer/685373/Lcd-Monitor-Lcd-Monitor-With-Tv-Pdp.html
...but no homesite :(

[Mtz]

Morbius1, sorry, but I can't help. The Sunplus firmwares cand be modified only by the factory.

[croatia21]

I also have many movies on my DVDs and CDs. I have burned them with nero as DATA files.
Try to convert your subtitels from SRT to SUB format.
It works for me.

[Morbius1]

Morbius1, sorry, but I can't help. The Sunplus firmwares cand be modified only by the factory.
Thanks, Mtz. What you said seems to indicate that I won't be able to modify the firmware. But can I be sure that the firmware I have does not allow switchable subs? There may be another method, and I just haven't identified it yet...

[Morbius1]

I also have many movies on my DVDs and CDs. I have burned them with nero as DATA files.
Try to convert your subtitels from SRT to SUB format.
It works for me.
I have tried 2 .SUB formats: MicroDVD and Sub Viewer. Unfortunately, my player does not recognize any of them.

Any other suggestion anyone?

[Mtz]

I have experience ONLY with Mediatek chipsets. Maybe some Sunplus user will give you some hints.

enjoy,
Mtz

[ricardo.santos]

I have a standalone MPEG4-compatible DVD player which seems to play all kinds of Divx files I have tried so far (Divx3, Xvid, DX50). However, when it comes to subtitles, there is no way I can display them.

have you tried converting your srt subbs to the xsub format and then mux them with your avi file with DivxMuxGui or srt2bmp or avisub?

[Morbius1]

have you tried converting your srt subbs to the xsub format and then mux them with your avi file with DivxMuxGui or srt2bmp or avisub?
Thank you for your feedback, Ricardo Santos.

I had done what you describe earlier (I think), but I used another software named 'srttodivx'. From what I understand, srttodivx is a tool that makes the whole process automatic: it first converts the .srt subs file into a myriad of .bmp files, then aggregates all those .bmp files into an .xsub file (using bmptoxsub), and finally muxes the .xsub and the original .avi file into a .divx file (using divxmux). So, in order to operate, srttodivx requires the presence of bmptoxsub and divxmux in the same folder. When I play the .divx file, the original audio and video of the initial .avi file are here and, in addition, the player indicates for the first time the presence of a subtitle track. But that's all. I can't get to display any subs. By the way, if I try to play the same .divx file on my PC using VLC or MPC, same result: audio and video tracks OK, presence of a subs track, but impossible to display the subtitles. Is that normal? (I have no experience with .divx containers)

So, I am just wondering if the tools that I have used really work, before coming to any conclusion about my standalone player. Or should I try those that you indicated? Any idea?

[ricardo.santos]

If your dvd player isnt divx certified it will not play xsubs but Sunplus chipsets might support (cant verify this).

also i dont think all software players support the Divx MediaFormat, Windows media player plays it.

Also you need to have the divx 6.2 create/play package installed to be able to "view" the *.divx format.

My advice would be to buy a divx certified player(you can get proper ones cheap, philips 642, yamada 6600 etc)


Ps: try one of the other srt to xsub programs, avisub or divxmuxgui. have you pressed the "subtitles" button like you would on a normal dvd? on my divx player i havee to press that button for the xsubs to "come up"
Ricardo

[Morbius1]

Thanks again, Ricardo.

My standalone player is DivX Certified: at least, it has the logo printed on it (I know, it doesn't prove much...). And, as I said before, it plays all divx/xvid kinds of files I have tried so far. The only problem is with the subs and the manual does not say anything about it.

Yes, I have tried to press the Subtitles button on the remote control just like I would do for a DVD. But it won't make them appear.

Now, about software players, it is indeed the divx 6.2 codec (the latest one from divx.com) that is installed on my PC. If what you say is correct (WMP can play .divx containers with subs), that would suggest that the .divx container that I made with 'srttodivx' is bad. I will then try to make a .divx using other tools (like those suggest...) and test again.

[Mtz]

Play your .divx movie with DivX Player which come with the DivX codec.
Try to make a test and use the new version of srt2divx called now sub2divx http://userxp.tripod.com/sub2divx.htm and move the picture area into the center to be sure it is not outside of your tv and player safe area.

enjoy,
Mtz

[emigabi]

Hi Morbius1, can you take a picture of your remote controle and poste it here?

[Morbius1]

Play your .divx movie with DivX Player which come with the DivX codec.
Try to make a test and use the new version of srt2divx called now sub2divx http://userxp.tripod.com/sub2divx.htm and move the picture area into the center to be sure it is not outside of your tv and player safe area.

enjoy,
Mtz
Thanks, Mtz. I have tried with sub2divx, but it's the same result: the .divx file I obtain seems to have a subtitle track, but I can't get to display any subtitles on my standalone player or on my PC with VLC.

DivX Player does not seem to work for me: I can't play any video file with it, so I think I'd better leave it aside.

Could someone else who has tried to mux subtitles using sub2divx or divxmux confirm that these softwares work, and that they display subtitles?

[Mtz]

Output by DivXMux and sub2divx is working in standalone players. Also DivX Player is working for me and I can test the resulted .divx files. Small .divx file test with subtitles here. (http://www.sendspace.com/file/u5yand)

enjoy,
Mtz

[Morbius1]

Output by DivXMux and sub2divx is working in standalone players. Also DivX Player is working for me and I can test the resulted .divx files. Small .divx file test with subtitles here. (http://www.sendspace.com/file/u5yand)

enjoy,
Mtz
Thanks again, Mtz.

When I try to play your small .divx test file on my PC with DivX Player, I get the error message: "Unknown exception caught in PlayerModel". So, I believe I must have a problem with DivX Player on my PC. I may try to solve this pb later, but, anyway, this was not the object of my original post.

Now, interestingly, when I try to play this test file on my standalone player, the player detects 7 subtitles tracks which I can select with the 'Subtitle' button on my remote control. Unfortunately, I never get to see any subtitles on the screen! So, it's the same result as when I tried earlier to mux my own .divx file using divxmux and sub2divx.

What can I do next? Any idea?

[Alfonzo]

I have the same standalone player as discribed above (same chipset, same interface) and I also have troubles displaying subtitles. I once got some working .srt subtitles but they appeared mirrored on my tv screen?? I would like to see this post solved cause I believe there is a solution.

tnx,
Alf

[Morbius1]

Well... well... so, it looks like I am not the only one having this problem. Welcome to the club, Alfonzo! I would like as much as you to see this pb solved. Could you explain what you mean by "...they appeared mirrored..."?

What is the brand/model name of your player?
Does your manual say anything about DivX subtitles?
Do you have the contact info for the manufacturer of your player? If you have, we could try to send an email to their technical/engineering department to ask them for help.

Something you could also try is to key 9-7-3-5 on your remote control (no disc in the tray). On my player, this makes a special menu appear on the screen, with the firmware version. Can you try, and report what you see? (if it doesn't make anything appear, can you try the same with 5-1-6-8?)

[Alfonzo]

With mirrored I mean that you would need a mirror to read the subtitles :) Very strange...

My player is from the brand HE and does not have any proper manual. I haven't sent any email yet but wil do so when I have the time.

Firmware screen says:

20050620
W524
32M
16BIT
SC: 121
SMOSMO-STD-691
009.324P188-002
8180F [4BBF9795]

[Morbius1]

With mirrored I mean that you would need a mirror to read the subtitles :) Very strange...

My player is from the brand HE and does not have any proper manual. I haven't sent any email yet but wil do so when I have the time.

Firmware screen says:

20050620
W524
32M
16BIT
SC: 121
SMOSMO-STD-691
009.324P188-002
8180F [4BBF9795]

Alfonzo, I was just wondering if you have made any progress by any chance...

[Alfonzo]

Alfonzo, I was just wondering if you have made any progress by any chance...

Nope and I'm losing all the hope in any working solution. Seems our player doesn't really support subtitles with divx movies. :(

I still hope some genius on this board will solve this problem.

[setarip_old]

@Morbius1

When you -place a CD with a DivX-compressed .AVI and separate subtitle file in your player does the menu display list the subtitle file, as well as the .AVI? If so, have you tried selecting the subtitle file, rather than the movie file?

[Morbius1]

@Morbius1

When you -place a CD with a DivX-compressed .AVI and separate subtitle file in your player does the menu display list the subtitle file, as well as the .AVI? If so, have you tried selecting the subtitle file, rather than the movie file?
Thanks setarip_old. When I place a CD with DivX .AVI video file and separate subs file, the player does NOT display the subs file in the navigator screen (I tried this with .SRT and .SUB subs files). In fact, it looks like the player would only display .AVI and .DIVX files.

[Politiken]

Now, interestingly, when I try to play this test file on my standalone player, the player detects 7 subtitles tracks which I can select with the 'Subtitle' button on my remote control. Unfortunately, I never get to see any subtitles on the screen! So, it's the same result as when I tried earlier to mux my own .divx file using divxmux and sub2divx.

What can I do next? Any idea?

If you are in PAL country, I would suggest that you add 96 to the vertical position in the application your are using to create the bitmaps - because 756-480=96 and the manufacturer may have got it wrong reading the DivX certifications.

You will see the subs higher on the PC but at the correct position on your TV.

regards Pol