Subtitles - there one season, gone the next

[Tango]

I have the full DVD set for the series Grimm and have used MakeMKV to rip them to .mkv files, then used Handbrake to convert them to .mp4 files. This was a while back, so I'm not sure if I could have changed settings or upgraded versions of either MakeMKV or Handbrake.

These discs are Region one, so English is the default language. There are scenes in other languages with subtitles. In seasons 1 & 2, subtitles were there and readable. (Actually I'm not sure if they were burned in or what.) But in Season 3, there are no subtitles in these scenes.

I'm betting this is something I did with the settings, since I have dealt with English video and some foreign language films, but the foreign language films were always entirely in another language (in other words, not in English). In other words, I really don't know what is going on with the subtitles and what settings I probably changed. (I also upgraded computers along the way and it's quite possible I ripped seasons 1 & 2 on one computer, so the remaining seasons may have been ripped on a new computer with a new setup.)

Can someone point me in what direction I should be looking so I can figure out where I went wrong with this and why Season 3 doesn't have subtitles for foreign language scenes?

[dcoke22]

Subtitles used when a character is speaking a foreign language are generally referred to as forced subtitles.

There's no standard by which those kind of subtitles end up on a disc.

The disc might have a subtitle track that is only the forced subtitles. In addition, there is probably also a subtitle track that is all the subtitles.

The disc might have a subtitle track that is all the subtitles, with the specific instances of forced subtitles marked as such. In this case, MakeMKV will separate out into their own subtitle track the subtitles marked as forced in the main subtitle track.

The disc might have the forced subtitle parts burned into the video. In this case, there is no actual forced subtitles because they're already in the video.

If you have Expert Mode turned on in MakeMKV, you can see more details when you make a .mkv file.

The utility MediaInfo can show you lots of details about your .mkv files. It can help you understand how many subtitle tracks are in your .mkv rips. Video players like VLC and MPV (and others) let you pick which subtitle track you wish to view. With these tools you can figure out if one of your rips has a forced subtitle track in it.

I'm pretty sure the MP4 container does not allow for subtitle tracks. So, if you discover that your rips have a forced subtitle track, you have a 'burn in' that subtitle track into your .mp4 file.

If you're using something like Plex, you're not required to use .mp4 files. You can use .mkv files. You can get Handbrake to create .mkv files, it just isn't Handbrake's default. .mkv files allow for separate and multiple subtitle tracks. You don't have to 'burn in' the forced subtitles (although you can if you want). In this scenario, the forced subtitle track should be the first subtitle track and should probably be marked as forced and as default. The utility mkvpropedit, part of the MKVToolNix tools, can be used to set those flags as necessary.

[Chetwood]

I'm pretty sure the MP4 container does not allow for subtitle tracks.

Except for Timed Text.

The utility mkvpropedit, part of the MKVToolNix tools, can be used to set those flags as necessary.

IMO you can better use MKVToolnix's Header Editor but YMMV.

In other words, I really don't know what is going on with the subtitles and what settings I probably changed.

I don't own the Grimm TV series but if it's muxed like MIB or xXx they migh have forced items inside their regular tracks but unlike with BD PGS, MakeMKV does not recognize them. You have to extract them with e.g. VSRip and then extract all forced items into a new track with BDSup2Sub, then mux this new one into the MKV with MKVToolnix.