How to access the subtitles?

[Boer123]

So, I have managed to convert some blurays into mkvs. Now my aim would be to encode them as h.264 vids (for e.g. iPhone) with burned subtitles. For dvds I have used Handbrake for this purpose, but in this case it cannot make anything from the subtitles inside mkvs. Also vlc cannot render the subtitles leaving me wondering whether they have been even correctly ripped.

How to proceed?

[mrbass]

Gonna check out development release of Handbrake haven't been following lately. But once Handbrake (if it does) support PGS subs then it'll be so much easier. This last week a few major releases occurred with regards to Bluray PGS subtitles.

ffmpeg which most likely will be used for WD TV Live Player to decode PGS subtitles.
0.6 June 16, 2010
- Bluray (PGS) subtitle decoder

VLC
1.1.0 June 22, 2010
* Support PGS subtitles for Blu-Ray

So what does this all mean? Soon ripping blurays you may not need to extract PGS subs with mkvtoolnix (mkvextract commandline) and convert the .SUP subtitles to .SRT with java program BDsup2sub and then remux them into the mkv. Or other option is to download .SRT files from websites.

Instead now you rip with Makemkv and can view subtitles now in VLC on Linux, Mac and even Windows.

So now only got to wait for Handbrake to support PGS subs and WD TV Live which ffmpeg I'm sure definitely will help the cause.

[mrbass]

It appears Handbrake is in the process of decoding PGS subs. I'll be happy if they can just pass them thru (keep them intact). So it appears it will become reality soon I hope.
http://forum.handbrake.fr/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=16659

[Boer123]

Thank you for these information!

[tdtran1025]

This has the subject of interest for me for months. I have been successfully done it in Windows but still bothered by the cumbersome process in OS X simply because of lack of support of some key software. This is how I do it Windows.
1- Use MakeMKV to rip BD intp 1 big mkv file.
2- Use MKVCleaver (freeware) to extract PGS subtitles. The resulting files have sup extension.
3- Use BDSup2Sub(freeware) to convert the sup files to VobSub files.
4- Use MKVToolnix to remux sub files into 1 remuxxed big file again. The difference is this remuxxed file now contains bitmap subtitles instead of PGS.
5- Use Handbrake(freeware) to convert into MP4. The subtitles now appear in the subtitles section as bitmap with their appropriate language designation that I assign in step 3.

But his process is stalled in OS X because MKVCleaver or any other similar software is not available in OS X.

[mrbass]

Been able to extract PGS sup files on Mac OSX since January 2010. No need to use any windows programs since then.

http://www.makemkv.com/forum2/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=937