Best multiAVCHD Blu-ray subtitle settings?

[hbenthow]

I'm planning on converting some HD video files to Blu-ray format with multiAVCHD, and have most of what I need to do figured out. However, one problem remains. I don't know the optimum subtitle settings. I tried a test run, and when I played the resulting Blu-ray structure back, while the video and audio seemed fine, the subtitles didn't work right. They would pop up for a split second, then disappear before I could read them. And from what I could see of them, the size and/or font didn't look quite right to me. Also, while I had selected "Force display of first subtitle track" (as the first track is for just those scenes where characters speak in another language, and thus should be "forced"), when I played the Blu-ray folder back, the first track was not forced, and I had to turn it on. But that may just have been the fault of the program I used to play it. I'm not sure.

Does anyone know what are usually the best and most aesthetically-pleasing settings (tick-boxes, numbers, font, etc) for subtitles in multiAVCHD? (Note: the subtitles for the files I wish to convert to Blu-ray are in SRT format.) Here is a photo of all the subtitle options in multiAVCHD for reference:

[Capsbackup]

Have you tried using tsMuxeR? If the files are Blu-ray compliant, just let tsMuxeR multiplex them into either Blu-ray or AVCHD. It accepts SRT subtitles, but does convert them to PGS.
I have always used the default settings for subtitles with multiAVCHD, and do not use it to reencode or change subtitle fonts size and type. Just use it to author compliant files.

[hbenthow]

Originally Posted by Capsbackup

Have you tried using tsMuxeR? If the files are Blu-ray compliant, just let tsMuxeR multiplex them into either Blu-ray or AVCHD. It accepts SRT subtitles, but does convert them to PGS.

The files aren't Blu-ray compliant. They have to be uncropped, and some have to be re-encoded down to a smaller size to fit on BD-25s. That's why I'm using multiAVCHD.

I have always used the default settings for subtitles with multiAVCHD, and do not use it to reencode or change subtitle fonts size and type. Just use it to author compliant files.

So it is not necessary to set the size and font? I was under the impression that SRT files were a "blank slate" when it comes to size and font, and the program that plays or converts them always chooses its own size and font when playing or converting them.

For the record, I didn't change any of the subtitle settings other than the "Force display of first subtitle track" option during the "test run" mention in the original post. I left them at their defaults. I'm not sure whether that was the source of my problems.

What settings should I leave checked or unchecked to ensure that no reencoding of the subtitles occurs?

Also, what should I do to ensure that the particular subtitle stream I choose is forced, since the "Force display of first subtitle track" option didn't seem to do the trick?

[Ghitulescu]

The subtitles are defective.

[Capsbackup]

If the files are not Blu-ray compliant, use either MeGui to make a compliant file, or BD-RB can do it for you. (but maybe without the subtitle track.)
When this is all complete you can either add the subtitle track as "add external subtitle" with multiAVCHD, or use tsMuxeR to add the subtitle track. If the subtitle displays as you wish, then you should be able to "force" it with either multiAVCHD or BD Edit.

[pistacho]

Originally Posted by hbenthow

The files aren't Blu-ray compliant. They have to be uncropped, and some have to be re-encoded down to a smaller size to fit on BD-25s. That's why I'm using multiAVCHD.

If source is in MKV format (and no exotic codecs inside) you also can use BDtoAVCHD for uncrop, re-encode to BD-25 size, and force subs.

[hbenthow]

Originally Posted by Capsbackup

If the files are not Blu-ray compliant, use either MeGui to make a compliant file, or BD-RB can do it for you. (but maybe without the subtitle track.)
When this is all complete you can either add the subtitle track as "add external subtitle" with multiAVCHD, or use tsMuxeR to add the subtitle track. If the subtitle displays as you wish, then you should be able to "force" it with either multiAVCHD or BD Edit.

Some of the files will have to be reencoded for size, and I don't want to have to reencode twice (once to uncrop, later for file size). I want to do it all at once. I'm not very familiar with BD Edit, so that might be helpful, if I can reecondode for both aspect ratio and file size at once in another program, then simply add the subs in BD Edit.

Originally Posted by pistacho

If source is in MKV format (and no exotic codecs inside) you also can use BDtoAVCHD for uncrop, re-encode to BD-25 size, and force subs.

I've tried using BDtoAVCHD, but as far as I can tell, there's no way to add chapters in it.

I can't find a way to set a particular subtitle track to forced, either. There's a setting that says "flagged forced", but it doesn't seem to have an option to select which one of the subtitle tracks to force and which ones not to.

[pistacho]

"Chapters" textbox is editable (writable), you can paste text inside.

Only one subtitle track is allowed. Source subtitles are in superior dropdown box, here select the track you want. In the inferior dropdown box "Target Subtitle" none/untouched/forced options.

[hbenthow]

Originally Posted by pistacho

"Chapters" textbox is editable (writable), you can paste text inside.

Only one subtitle track is allowed. Source subtitles are in superior dropdown box, here select the track you want. In the inferior dropdown box "Target Subtitle" none/untouched/forced options.

I've already tried pasting some chapters into the chapter box. It won't work. I can manually type in the box, but there's no way for me to paste anything into it. Whenever I right-click the box, nothing happens. For all practical purposes, that makes it unusable, as manually writting all the time comes would be too time-consuming.

Only one subtitle track being allowed is problematic. I need the ability to have two. Some of the files have forced subtitles for scenes where characters speak foreign languages, and I like to have a regular English subtitle (non-forced) track as well.

Regarding multiAVCHD, would converting the subtitles from SRT into another format (like SUP) before adding them into multiAVCHD possibly help?

[Capsbackup]

Originally Posted by hbenthow

Regarding multiAVCHD, would converting the subtitles from SRT into another format (like SUP) before adding them into multiAVCHD possibly help?

It might help. Try easySUP, it is inside the folder of multiAVCHD.

[hbenthow]

Originally Posted by Capsbackup

It might help. Try easySUP, it is inside the folder of multiAVCHD.

I converted the subtitles to SUP format, tested them in VLC media player (they work well) and added them into the multiAVCHD compilation, but have been getting errors when attempting to create the Blu-ray structure. I'm not sure whether the errors are related to the SUP subs or not.

[Capsbackup]

Did you try just using tsMuxeR? You need to remove multiAVCHD from this test.
If you create a Blu-ray file and it plays the subs as you like, then you can just use BD-RB to shrink the file to your desired size.
multiAVCHD should only be used for authoring.

[hbenthow]

Originally Posted by Capsbackup

Did you try just using tsMuxeR?

No.

You need to remove multiAVCHD from this test.

If you create a Blu-ray file and it plays the subs as you like, then you can just use BD-RB to shrink the file to your desired size.
multiAVCHD should only be used for authoring.

I think you are right about me needing to try other programs instead, as multiAVCHD seems buggy. But wouldn't reencoding once using a program to make the files have a Blu-ray-compliant aspect ratio, then later (after muxing them to a Blu-ray format with TSMuxer) reencoding once again with BD-Rebuilder cause more quality loss than reecoding for both aspect ratio and size at the same time in one program (as with multiAVCHD)?

[Capsbackup]

BD-RB will do it as an "all in one". It accepts many different file formats and can convert to Blu-ray, mkv, mp4, etc... It will make non-compliant input files Blu-ray compliant!
It can force subs as well.

[hbenthow]

Originally Posted by Capsbackup

BD-RB will do it as an "all in one". It accepts many different file formats and can convert to Blu-ray, mkv, mp4, etc... It will make non-compliant input files Blu-ray compliant!
It can force subs as well.

I tried using BD-Rebuilder to convert a video file to Blu-ray once, but while it did convert the file to the Blu-ray folder structure, for some reason it did not change the aspect ratio from 1920x824 to the Blu-ray compliant 1920x1080. The resulting Blu-ray folder was not usable for this reason.

[Capsbackup]

Originally Posted by hbenthow

I tried using BD-Rebuilder to convert a video file to Blu-ray once, but while it did convert the file to the Blu-ray folder structure, for some reason it did not change the aspect ratio from 1920x824 to the Blu-ray compliant 1920x1080. The resulting Blu-ray folder was not usable for this reason.

Incorrect! It will convert to compliant Blu-ray structure by converting the video and audio to what is necessary to be compliant. But it will need to reencode the video, and maybe the audio, if it is not, to accomplish this.

[hbenthow]

Originally Posted by Capsbackup

Incorrect! It will convert to compliant Blu-ray structure by converting the video and audio to what is necessary to be compliant. But it will need to reencode the video, and maybe the audio, if it is not, to accomplish this.

It reencoded for a number of hours, but it didn't change the aspect ratio. I don't know why, but it didn't.

I'll try another test run with BD-Rebuilder, and see what happens this time.

[hbenthow]

I've discovered and fixed what had previously caused the problem. (It had been a result of a clumsy error on my part.) BD-Rebuilder now converts the video file to the correct aspect ratio. And the subtitles work well.

But there's one problem left: There's no audio. When I import the MKV file into BD-Rebuilder, it only loads the video and subtitle tracks, and not the (PCM) audio track. The resulting Blu-ray folder structure is perfect, except that there is no audio. I tried doing it a second time to make sure, and sure enough, it simply will not import the audio.

Does anyone know what the problem could be?

[dannysalerno]

If you're having issues with the audio in your movie and it's in mkv format you can simply use mkvextract or MKV cleaver to extract out the audio and video track from the mkv containers then use those tracks in TsMuxer to generate a new file (i.e m2ts) and use that elementary stream to be remuxed in multiavchd. Please let me know if that works. I've encountered the same issue at times where I have a a MKV container that is misbehaving or not working as it should, which then I have to use mkvcleaver to extract those tracks and re-generate another elementary stream. It's a pain in the ass but it works for me.

[hbenthow]

Originally Posted by dannysalerno

If you're having issues with the audio in your movie and it's in mkv format you can simply use mkvextract or MKV cleaver to extract out the audio and video track from the mkv containers then use those tracks in TsMuxer to generate a new file (i.e m2ts) and use that elementary stream to be remuxed in multiavchd. Please let me know if that works. I've encountered the same issue at times where I have a a MKV container that is misbehaving or not working as it should, which then I have to use mkvcleaver to extract those tracks and re-generate another elementary stream. It's a pain in the ass but it works for me.

Thank you for the advice. I probably won't try this anytime soon, I wound up successfully using a combination of BD-Rebuilder, tsMuxeR, and MKVCleaver to create the Blu-ray files. However, the method you described may come in handy in some other situation.