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I'm not the brightest when it comes to video settings/processing/codecs etc. Can anyone tell me the correct way to get subtitles to work when compressing with Handbrake? Going from a a Blu-ray to MKV via MakeMKV to MPEG4 via handbrake.

I need to use MPEG4 because I'm sending certain files to people who are potentially completely computer illiterate and I need it to be the most likely to play with them simply clicking it. MPEG4 seems most ubiquitous and has worked well for my purposes, save for the subtitle issue.

File is say 30GB, use video setting to 28 to try and shrink the file to around 2GB. I always set the audio to 320 and automatic, sounds fine. Problem is subtitles never seem to work. I add the tracks and only ever seem to be able to end up with chapter numbers, not the actual subtitles.

Which settings should I select to get the correct subtitles, not burned in but able to turn on/off as should be? And what about the bits of films in other languages that need to show subtitles for just those moments?

Any help is appreciated!

It's not a handbrake issue. If your source is Bluray, MP4 files cannot handle the PGS subtitles used. They must be burned in to the video, and you can only have ONE. Also, MP4 files do not officially handle chapters - there is a "supported by many players" work-around to use a modified subtitle track for the chapters. Obviously, your target player isn't one that supports that work-around.

Choosing the right subtitle to burn in is something I do with VLC, watching the video and finding out which track has what I want. Making them selectable requires you use MKV file format.

Woodstock wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 20, 2021 12:52 pm

It's not a handbrake issue. If your source is Bluray, MP4 files cannot handle the PGS subtitles used. They must be burned in to the video, and you can only have ONE. Also, MP4 files do not officially handle chapters - there is a "supported by many players" work-around to use a modified subtitle track for the chapters. Obviously, your target player isn't one that supports that work-around.

Choosing the right subtitle to burn in is something I do with VLC, watching the video and finding out which track has what I want. Making them selectable requires you use MKV file format.

Ok so you're saying I should be able to have burned in subtitles on the MP4's just as long as I pick the correct subtitle track and select "burn in" when converting from the MKV to MP4 in handbrake? Burned in is better than none because a few of the people I need to watch are hard of hearing anyway and need them.

Yes, that should work. If you want to get rid of the "Chapter 1" "Chapter 2" subtitles, uncheck "Create chapter markers" on the chapters tab.