[Goran]

We are planning to move within the next year, and this will give me the chance of building a home theater from scratch. I have been thinking about the use of a 2.35 screen and an anamorphic lens with my 16:9 PJ. After reading a lot of threads I think I have everything sorted out except one question - subtitles.


On a lot (most?) of 2.35 films the subtitles are split between the image and the black bar at the bottom of the screen. This would mean that I would loose half of the subtitles, not a good solution. What I have been trying to find an answer to is if it is possible to move the subtitles higher up in the image?


I am currently using a HTPC with Zoomplayer as my main DVD player, but haven't been able to find anyone talking about moving the subtitles. I guess for most of you the subtitles are of minor importance, but I live in Norway and a lot of our guests and family really want the subtitles in our native language while watching film.


So, is it possible to move the subtitles with software of some kind or am I stuck with the choice of constant height or subtitles?


With regards


Gøran

 

[Stasulos]

Try ffdshow Subtitles filter

 

[tj21]

You have to rip the subtitles with subrip and then with DirectVobSub filter display them in the Zoomplayer. To do that you have to add the DirectVobSub filter in the DVD Setup - Customized - Additional Filters dialog and then while playing the movie select in the DirectVobSub filter properties the ripped subtitles. You can choose your font, color or position.


Tomas

 

[windtrader]

You can also process the dvd and separate the video, audio, and subs. Then you can adjust the subs and remux it back together. Doing it this way, the subs are physically and permanently relocated in the newly created dvd. I'd suggest looking at DVD2DVD (DVD2SVCD) and Maestro for the authoring.

 

[Mars1]

Wow!


All these options seems really complicated.


Many times ago, when I was looking for the best DVD player, I remember having tryed a program where we can pick-up the subtitles and place it directly where we wanted them to be (with the mouse).

Unfortunatly, I do not remember the name of this exotic player.

It is obvious that this is not something complicated to include since it is a digital message overlay on the video.

I think that it may be a question of "red-book" compatibility with the DVD standard that will not allow someone to change it.

I have seen also this question asked several times in the Forum of TheaterTek, and no official reply on this argument: that is why I think that it may be difficult to see an official product to propose that.

I will try to find what was the program that was able to do that.

 

[Abdul Jalib]

Here are some easier options. I think you realize this, but you always have emergency fallback option of showing a 2.35:1 film as if it were a 16:9, i.e., smaller than usual and with letterbox bars at top and/or bottom (and left and right, but hopefully you have masking on the sides.) Or more generally, zoom back (via software or hardware) just far enough to see your subtitles. Yet another option: use the software to slice through the picture a bit lower, losing some picture content at the top.

 

[Goran]

Thanks for all the help. I guess I have some testing to do as soon as I get done with testing my video server and 802.11g network.


I do realize that there are more than one way of using a 2.35 screen, but to be quite honest I would really like to do this with the use of the full panel of my PJ and avoiding every trace of black bars. Moving, zooming and masking was not what I was planning - I would like a "true" 2.35 setup.


But as I understand it should be possible. I guess I have some testing to do before I decide what to do. The price of an anamorphic lens is high enough to make me want to be really sure about this before I order one.


To those that have given me ideas and help, thank you To everybody else, I'm all ears and open for more ideas and help.


With regards


Gøran

 

[JerryW]

I have the same problem with my anamorphic lense. Ticks me off no end. I've resorted to pausing the movie, "un-zooming" to read the captions, re-zooming and then unpausing. Fortunately most titles have, so far, put the captions in the right place. If I had to watch a foreign-language film with stupid caption placement I think I'd just give up.

 

[DaViD Boulet]

Since the subtitles on DVD are graphically generated and added to the video signal upon playback...can't someone develop a DVD player or HTPC algorithm that would simply output the subs via a separate video stream? Or allow the user to custom-place them in the image area (panning up or down would suffice for what we're talking about here) rather than just "slapping" them on by default?

 

[JaM]

Quote:

Originally posted by DaViD Boulet Since the subtitles on DVD are graphically generated and added to the video signal upon playback...can't someone develop a DVD player or HTPC algorithm that would simply output the subs via a separate video stream? Or allow the user to custom-place them in the image area (panning up or down would suffice for what we're talking about here) rather than just "slapping" them on by default?

Yeah, and resizing the subtitles, maybe even changing the color for those of us with projectors.

 

[ramick]

Blight, adjustable subtitles (vertically) in Zoom?

Feature request ?