Embedded Subtitle Problem?

[MNguy]

Hey all,

Love MakeMKV and can't wait to purchase. Anyhow, I've experienced this a few times and wonder if anyone has a solution. I don't generally tick to add subtitles to my MKVs unless they are in a foreign language; however, sometimes movies have (for lack of a better term) embedded subtitles for interviews of non-English speakers. Those subtitles generally don't show up in playback for media browser, WMP, WMP classic, etc.

Here is an example from an entirely English language film with ~2 minutes of foreign translation subtitles:
Original DVD Screen Shot in WMP
MKV Screen Shot in Media Browser/WMC

Thanks a bunch if anyone has any ideas!

MNguy

[crowfax]

Love MakeMKV and can't wait to purchase

Why wait?
http://makemkv.com/buy/

The problem you're seeing is because WMP has awful support for MKV files.

Is there a reason you have to use it? There's most of choices for playback software in Windows.

[MNguy]

Love MakeMKV and can't wait to purchase

Why wait?
http://makemkv.com/buy/

The problem you're seeing is because WMP has awful support for MKV files.

Is there a reason you have to use it? There's most of choices for playback software in Windows.

Hey crowfax,

Thanks for responding!

(As for buying, I'm out of work and wont be returning to work for ~a month, so other financial priorities take precedent.)

As for the issue, it's not WMP. (Yep, I know it sucks.) I use Media Browser, which is a WMC media add-on, for my HTPC. It's possible to use an outside player to launch MKVs from it, like VLC or WMP classic, which I do; however, the problem persists with all programs. Same frame of MKV in VLC, where translation should be seen

Simply put, when making a MKV with nothing but video+English language track selected, "embedded" translation subtitles usually don't show up. When you play a DVD on the English language track with no subtitles, these do show up. So, I'm just curious if there is a way to have them in MKV's seen as you would if watching the DVD. (My guess is that they aren't "in the film" but superimposed over the film while not being a separate subtitle track. So, when MakeMKV makes a MKV it somehow doesn't capture that content.) Hope I'm explaining that correctly.

Thanks again for the help and I look forward to any insights,
MNguy

Edit: Just for a little more info, this type of thing generally occurs in documentaries where they are in English but may have a non-English speaking guest or Sci-Fi where they show subtitles for a fake alien language. (Haven't tried it in MakeMKV, but I'd assume a movie like Stargate [1994] would do this since it's one of the movies that did same thing in DVDShrink for me a while back.)

Edit2: Just checked and Borat doesn't do this. Again, my belief is that those subtitles are "in the film" rather than "embedded"/"superimposed."

[setarip_old]

@MNguy

Hi!

Have you tried SELECTING (Put a checkmark) "Forced subtitles" from within MakeMKV?

[MNguy]

@MNguy

Hi!

Have you tried SELECTING (Put a checkmark) "Forced subtitles" from within MakeMKV?

It's a DVD so I'm not seeing any "forced" option. However, I do see two English tracks. I'll select the second and give it a go! I'll let you know in ~15 min.

Thanks!

[MNguy]

So, English subtitle track #2 did show the translation in English; however, it also showed English subtitles throughout the film. Those translated subtitles appeared exactly as did the English subtitles in bright yellow rather than the large yellowish-green seen in the DVD screenshot.

I'll give track one of subtitles a go and see if that changes anything. (doubtful though.)

Thanks again for trying!
MNguy

Edit: Yep English subtitle track one was same as track two, just slightly different font and layout. Again, translation is shown, but in same way as English subtitles throughout the film--not in the large yellowish-green as seen in the DVD screenshot.
Screenshot of MakeMKV options for this film, if it helps

[Romansh]

As a workaround you could try the following.

1) rip to MKV with MakeMKV, including all English subtitles

2) use HandBrake with:

--> ultra-fast H.264 settings
--> the MKV container
--> an English audio track
--> Foreign Audio Search, Default checked, Forced Only checked, Burned In unchecked

3) use mkvmerge GUI to merge:

--> the video and audio from the MakeMKV rip
--> the subtitles from the HandBrake re-encode

[MNguy]

Romansh,

That worked!

Thanks for the help everyone! I really appreciate it--now I can sort this out on a few other problematic videos.

Thanks again,
MNguy