Position / type of subtitles

[Ghitulescu]

I ripped recently a movie and I noticed that it's in fact a Letterboxed 4:3 version (my combination of dvd player + tv always zooms the image so I noticed this only at the time of ripping).

The problem is the subtitles: they are designed for 4:3, that is they are drawn over the black borders. They look fine on my 4:3 TV, but I have to distort the image to make them visible on my 16:9 TV.

I know that I can move them up/down/left/right with DVDsubedit, but I was thinking of a method that would work on both TVs:

I thought that if I could make them fit both 4:3 and 16:9 formats, the result would show perfectly on both TVs. But this would require to my knowledge ripping the subtitles twice and remuxing the whole stuff once again - so I have eg 2 English subtitles, one for 4:3 and one for 16:9.

Is it possible to flag one (1) subtitles stream as both 16:9 and 4:3 and the player would know how to put them on the screen? Very few subtitles if any fill the whole allowed area, so moving the bitmaps on the screen seems possible.

-=-
I am aware of the following threads but they don't have the answer:
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=81722 - practically the same question however not yet answered to
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?p=1189038
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?p=1147207
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?p=712281
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=69503

[manono]

They look fine on my 4:3 TV, but I have to distort the image to make them visible on my 16:9 TV.
Then there's something wrong with your player or TV set, or you don't have the player or TV set properly set up. Do you have the player set up to output for a 16:9 TV set? Do you have some sort of zoom on by default, either in the player or the TV set? Anyway, I've read that if you zoom in the player rather than in the TV set the subs will show up. I wouldn't know as I think zooming widescreen 4:3 DVDs is a lousy idea.
Is it possible to flag one (1) subtitles stream as both 16:9 and 4:3 and the player would know how to put them on the screen?
No, not for 4:3 video. Unlike 16:9 video, for 4:3 video each track has only one stream. Unless and until you get this zooming problem worked out, I see no alternative to creating a second subtitle track with them raised.

[Ghitulescu]

Then there's something wrong with your player or TV set, or you don't have the player or TV set properly set up. Do you have the player set up to output for a 16:9 TV set? Do you have some sort of zoom on by default, either in the player or the TV set? Anyway, I've read that if you zoom in the player rather than in the TV set the subs will show up. I wouldn't know as I think zooming widescreen 4:3 DVDs is a lousy idea.
No, the setup is perfect, as the 16:9 are shown as 16:9, the pure 4:3 are set in cinema (sort of zoom + wide) and the 4:3 LB are zoomed out automatically - I don't need to touch any button to see the movies as I like.

The problem I have is with some DVDs that have the subtitles down below, in the black bar of the 4:3 LB. When I have to switch the movie in a different mode to be able to see the subtitles (I don't need them, only when I have guests ;)).
No, not for 4:3 video. Unlike 16:9 video, for 4:3 video each track has only one stream. Unless and until you get this zooming problem worked out, I see no alternative to creating a second subtitle track with them raised.
That was also my idea, but I hoped for a positive answer :(

I know that there is 1 model of DVD player that allows you to change the position, also there is again 1 model of BD player (Philips). But the DVD player was an US model (can't do PAL) and of a very low quality, while I refuse to buy optical players from Philips. So no hardware solution in sight.

So let be 2 subtitles streams :)

Damn I hate 43 LB movies :devil:

[manono]

No, the setup is perfect, as the 16:9 are shown as 16:9, the pure 4:3 are set in cinema (sort of zoom + wide) and the 4:3 LB are zoomed out automatically - I don't need to touch any button to see the movies as I like.

So, you have it set up that way on purpose - with 4:3 DVDs zoomed in? If so, 'unzoom' it to see the subs. Or is there nothing you can do about that zoom? If that's the case, then I stand by my earlier comment about there either being something wrong with the player and/or TV set, or one or the other is set up incorrectly. Widescreen 4:3 DVDs are supposed to play on a 16:9 TV set with black bars surrounding the picture on all 4 sides. Does it also cut the tops and bottoms off of regular 4:3 DVDs with 1.33:1 picture?

And as I mentioned, if you can do the zooming in the player rather than in the TV set, then you can see the subs. Or so I've been told. My Oppo DVD player has something like about 6 different zoom modes, although I don't ever use any of them.
Damn I hate 43 LB movies
You and me both. They're bad news all around.

[Ghitulescu]

So, you have it set up that way on purpose - with 4:3 DVDs zoomed in? If so, 'unzoom' it to see the subs. Or is there nothing you can do about that zoom? If that's the case, then I stand by my earlier comment about there either being something wrong with the player and/or TV set, or one or the other is set up incorrectly. Widescreen 4:3 DVDs are supposed to play on a 16:9 TV set with black bars surrounding the picture on all 4 sides. Does it also cut the tops and bottoms off of regular 4:3 DVDs with 1.33:1 picture?

And as I mentioned, if you can do the zooming in the player rather than in the TV set, then you can see the subs. Or so I've been told. My Oppo DVD player has something like about 6 different zoom modes, although I don't ever use any of them.

The regular 4:3 are cropped a bit top and bottom and progressively stretched towards the side edges (this is called cinema mode) - I have to live with this little distortion. Only the 4:3 LBs are zoomed out so the mating is no longer seen (unless they're cinemascope or similar). The 16:9 are send bit-per-bit, no alterations.

But it's a good thing that I bought a 50", this way I can still see something when watching the actual image surrounded by 4 black bars (2 matings from the 43LB, and 2 side bars from the pillar box mode). And the subtitles.
-=-
Ok, I'll do 2 subtitles each language.