CVD subtitles STILL not working on standalone. What gives?

[Chetwood]

As said before I'm still a newbie to all of this so it's likely I'm simply missing something obvious here. I'm using DVD2SVCD 1.08 build 1 with CCE 2.50 SP under Win2k SP2 to make an SVCD with one audio stream and one selectable subtitle to be played on my standalone.

Having read the FAQ I downloaded the PAL test SVCD from vcdhelp.com and I could see those subtitles (at the correct positions, no margin problems at all) and I could turn them on/off. So I set DVD2SVCD to use CVD subtitles instead of SVCD subtitles, however this did not work. When I watch my selfmade test SVCD (covering only the first chapter of the movie with 2:49 min) I do not see any subtitles. No matter which subtitle I select on my remote, I do not see anything.

I've checked the DVD2SVCD output dir and in the \subs-dir I found all 29 bitmaps and they had white subtitles on black background so they were perfectly readable. I re-read the FAQ and followed some pointers people had given me in my original posting (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=23515). So I've also tried Winsubmux (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=23057) but to no avail.

According to Mozart (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=19985) the problem of having no CVD subtitles - although the CVD test SVCD worked flawlessly - originated from Submux so ppl should use I-Author at the "cd image" tab of dvd2svcd, instead of vcdxbuild.

So I installed I-Author Deluxe 1.0 for Super-VCD but at the end of the process when it was called up by DVD2SVCD I got the following error message:


Total has 1 Video Track
Creating PBC...
Video track will need 53.689.216 bytes space over free space
Error!!!
>>> Fail <<<


and I end up with 'bbMPEG_Muxed_File00.mpg' of 53.519.396 bytes in my DVD2SVCD output folder. Needless to say that each of my 3 HDs has more than 53 MB free space so I wonder what happened.

But since I got a muxed file I assumed this was the complete file with audio, video and subtitles so why would I need a CD image anyway? So I started up an SVCD project in NERO 5.5.7.8 and dragged the file into it. NERO however said, it wasn't a standard compliant SVCD since I did not do a downmix from 48 khz to 44.1 khz. So I let NERO do the recoding and then burned the file to a CDRW. The picture was quite impressive for a CBR 1-pass encode but I had no subtitles at all no matter what I selected on my remote.

Being the newbie that I am I still lack some info on what is actually happening when using DVD2SVCD. I've checked the log file and was astonished to see some demuxing process right after the multiplexing and cutting. As well, I don't get it why I have to use I-Author in the CD Image tab when I'm supposed to have problems with subtitles that are dealt with in the subtitles tab where I can only select the Submux program. Again my questions:

- does the 'bbMPEG_Muxed_File00.mpg' contain the final audio, video,
subtitle?
- do I have to make a CD image or can I simply use the file above and burn it in NERO to get a standard compliant SVCD?
- what is that I-Author bug and how can it be fixed?

Some bugs I encountered during the ripping process:

When using the internal ripping routines of DVD2SVCD (got to use these since I wanna rip only the first chapter) I get an error from 'auth_call.exe' but the window was closed too fast for me to be able to read. I've used PowerDVD 4.0 to unlock the drive but still this message pops up.

Another thing that freaks me out is the fact that in my next encode the picture got screwed up, I got shaking movements in some slow scenes. This is weird since the only setting I'd changed to my former encode was that I'd enabled the downmix to 44.1 khz. This means:

no downmix -> re-encode in NERO -> picture is fine
downmix -> standard compliant -> no re-encode in NERO -> picture is shaky

Any suggestions? TIA!

[ipf123]

From my own experience, the CVD sub created by DVD2SVCD sometimes work, sometimes don't. It varies from movie to movie. Try SubRip to rip subtitles in I-Auther format, then use I-Auther to mux the mpv, mp2 and sub text files together. I have success doing it this way when DVD2SVCD failed.

[Chetwood]

Thanks for your suggestion but I-Author's MUX locks up at about 30%. Maybe someone else has any answers to my questions and we can still make it work with DVD2SVCD. Thanks...

[aspi]

Originally posted by Chetwood
As said before I'm still a newbie to all of this so it's likely I'm simply missing something obvious here. Again my questions:

- does the 'bbMPEG_Muxed_File00.mpg' contain the final audio, video,
subtitle?
- do I have to make a CD image or can I simply use the file above and burn it in NERO to get a standard compliant SVCD?




Any suggestions? TIA!


I´m newbie too, but I think I can answer to these two questions. According to my short "career" all information you mentioned above are in muxed files. So you can use those files and burn them with Nero (SVCD plugin needed). That´s the way I have to do it, because I have a problem with my second cd image. It allways fails with Nero.

In this particular problem you have, I´m afraid I can´t help you. Keep trying and testing different settings etc. Make sure that screen saver is off...

[dvd2svcd]

There's one thing I have noted. If the subtitle Y-Pos is an odd number my DVD Player will not show the subs. But if the y-pos is an even number all the subs are shown. Now, this means that the -1 for the Y-Pos is not wise to use since dvd2svcd can put it on an odd line (this issue is fixed in the not released version). So, try making a fixed Y-Pos with an even number.

[Kedirekin]

Don't know if this will help, and it's a little troublesome to explain, but I'll offer it up anyway.

On my Apex player, when I do an encode manually, subs work fine. I rip chapters for one disk, encode in CCE, get subs with subrip, and mux and author in iAuthor.

However, if I use DVD2SVCD with iAuthor selected, the subs do not work. The only difference I could see between my manual process and DVD2SVCD's was the BBMpeg mux->demux->iAuthor remux.

As a test, I did an encode with 'don't delete any files', then muxed and authored manually using iAuthor as I normally do with my manual process. When I muxed from the files demuxed from BBMpeg, subtitles didn't work (but ff/rw did). When I muxed the files from CCE (before BBMpeg), subtitles worked (but ff/rw didn't).

Again, don't know if it helps - I leave it up to you to decide.

[Chetwood]

Originally posted by dvd2svcd
Now, this means that the -1 for the Y-Pos is not wise to use since dvd2svcd can put it on an odd line (this issue is fixed in the not released version). So, try making a fixed Y-Pos with an even number.

I used '2' for a test and it still did not work, should I have tried '+2' or even '0' or what number? Would be nice if you could find the time to answer some more of my questions especially those dealing with the whole procedure. Is there some kind of guide that explains what each step done by DVD2SVCD is about? E.g., I still don't get why there's a mux -> demux -> remux process. And I'd really love to be able to do the whole thing in DVD2SVCD so to save me a lot of time compared to having to mux and do subtitle stuff manually.

Thus I'm eager to find the 'bugs' in DVD2SVCD cause from my positive experiences with the test PAL SVCD I can only assume that problems results from something running wrong in the conversion progress.

I could really need some suggestions on the issue of wether having to do a cd image or not. I've retried it again and this is reproducable:

no 48khz to 44.1 khz downmix -> no standard-compliant SVCD -> re-encode in NERO necessary -> picture is fine

48khz to 44.1 khz downmix -> standard compliant SVCD -> no re-encode in NERO necessary -> picture is shaky

Thanks again.

[dvd2svcd]

Would be nice if you could find the time to answer some more of my questions especially those dealing with the whole procedureAre you sure you don't wanna refrase that? As it is, I don't have the time nor the energy to answer everybody's questions, sorry.

Anyway, try using position 440. I have attached a beta version, I'd like you to try it, but please, start the conversion from the beginning (don't use Recover) (use winzip and winrar 3.0)

[needle]

@dvd2svcd

I'm checking the use the I-Author subtitle muxer together with VCDXBuild and VCDImager in the last beta version. When the multiplexing should start, D2S gives a the following error message:

"Failed to execute Iauthor muxer properly. Invalid handler"

Have you some clues to avoid this problem?

Thanks in advance.

Best regards,

Needle

[dvd2svcd]

Nope, I have no idea. I'll look into it.

[sandchar99]

dvd2svcd wrote
There's one thing I have noted. If the subtitle Y-Pos is an odd number my DVD Player will not show the subs. But if the y-pos is an even number all the subs are shown. Now, this means that the -1 for the Y-Pos is not wise to use since dvd2svcd can put it on an odd line (this issue is fixed in the not released version). So, try making a fixed Y-Pos with an even number.


Ok now I am confused.

I had a problem with subtitle position...
see thread (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=23745)

As I understand it now (with help from the above post), for subtitle position when Y=-1 (and not a positive integer) it calls for submux to place the subtitles in the position in which they appear in the original DVD.

So what does Y=-1 really mean??:)

sandchar99

[dvd2svcd]

-1 means that DVD2SVCD uses the original positon from the DVD. However that position can be on an odd line.

[sandchar99]

Thanks DVD2SVCD for your prompt reply.

I appreciate your constant effort to improve an already great program.

Now as I understand it. When subs position is Y=-1 and the DVD has the subs position at an odd number, CVD subs failed. With the new build, if that DVD position is an odd number, DVD2SVCD will be able to recognize this and adjust accordingly.

[dvd2svcd]

Right.

[Chetwood]

Originally posted by sandchar99
Now as I understand it. When subs position is Y=-1 and the DVD has the subs position at an odd number, CVD subs failed. With the new build, if that DVD position is an odd number, DVD2SVCD will be able to recognize this and adjust accordingly.

Thanks to DVD2SVCD for offering his beta, I've encoded the file with VCDXBUILD and CVD subtitles (using Y=-1) and finally I get em on my player, I can even turn them on and off. Great.

STILL, I have another problem that had already surfaced before but has now become a real annoyance since it is reproducable: no matter which of the cd image tools I do use (VCDXBUILD, I-Author) or if I burn the 'bbMPEG_Muxed_File-subbed00.mpg' file directly as an SVCD in Nero, the picture is shaky as hell even in slow motion scenes.

I've watched the muxed mpg in Windows Media Player and I realized that there were several scenes in which the picture froze for about a millisecond and then went on as usual. So even before I burn the CDR I can test whether the file is 'corrupt' or not, however, I still don't know what causes this.

For a test I burned the muxed file as SVCD in Nero and since it was standard-compliant Nero did not complain at all. Curiously enough I did NOT get any subtitles (which I did get when burning the image file that uses the very same mpeg!) and the picture was shaky as before.

For another test I encoded the file on 48 khz to make Nero complain and recode it to be standard compliant. When I burned this file the picture was ok but I had no subtitles again! Any suggestions welcome...

[dvd2svcd]

Perhaps you have select Anamorphic as the Aspect Ratio selection. Try selecting 16:9 Borders added instead.

[Chetwood]

Originally posted by dvd2svcd
Perhaps you have select Anamorphic as the Aspect Ratio selection. Try selecting 16:9 Borders added instead.

Heck, that's a fast reply ;)

Just for fun I'd already tried one conversion progress set to 16:9 (in the conversion tab under Aspect radio). Still the picture is shaky as before and I also did not get any black bars on my DVD player; supposedly because the source DVD is 4:3 presented in 1.33:1 as written on the cover.

Man, I wish I never had told my cousin about those borrowed Buffy DVDs. Anything else...?

[dvd2svcd]

Please define shaky a bit more.

[Chetwood]

Originally posted by dvd2svcd
Please define shaky a bit more.

I just tried to record it with my TV tuner card but when I watch it on my PC via S-VHS connect it looks 'normal' on. But when I watch it on TV it's like this:

You have a scene where two people are standing beside each other both facing the camera. Now each turn there heads to face the other person. Now it looks like as if you would have two pictures overlaying each other but moved a few pixels into one direction. So as if they would have a shadow that's mimicking their movements...

As well see some scanlines and the picture erratically shakes from left to right...

Doh, my english sux.

If you tell me how to make some 30 secs instead of a chapter (the smallest on the DVD is 1:59) or which program to use to cut a muxed mpeg file (Virtualdub's mpeg filter gave me a packet synchronanization error) I could make you an mpeg < 50 MB and maybe you wanna check it out yourself. Thanks again...