Hi there,
I'm pretty new to MakeMKV, and I've scoured the forums for an answer to this question, but I haven't found a clear one. I'm transferring my Blu Ray collection to MKV format to an external hard drive that I'm using as a Plex server. I recently ripped Your Name, and in doing so I was successful in creating it with all the tracks and subtitles functioning. However, when I watch it in Dub (which I prefer), there are no subtitles to go along with Japanese text on the screen (for example, writing and texting on the phone, when playing in a blu ray player, will display the subtitles for text only on the English track).
I really don't know enough about forced subtitles, which I think this is, so get a fix to the problem. I do want to watch anime in English, but I still want the subtitles for Japanese text on the screen. What can I do to remedy this? I've included a screenshot of what I'm ripping. Do I need to just turn on subtitles even in English and deal with that throughout a movie?
English Text on Japanese moves dubbed in English
Re: English Text on Japanese moves dubbed in English
How many subtitle tracks are in the .mkv file produced by MakeMKV? I have two English subtitle tracks in my copy of Your Name. (2016). One is the forced subtitle track and the other is the regular subtitle track.
MediaInfo is a helpful tool to examine .mkv files.
MediaInfo is a helpful tool to examine .mkv files.
Re: English Text on Japanese moves dubbed in English
So, there are the forced subtitle tracks and the regular subtitle tracks, both of which I included in the rip. I'm not sure why it's not displaying on playback. Could it possibly be a Plex issue?
Re: English Text on Japanese moves dubbed in English
For the .mkv files I put on Plex, I mark the forced subtitle tracks as both 'forced' and 'default' in the .mkv file. I also name them something stupidly obvious (usually 'Forced Subtitles') so it is easy for me to find and select in the Plex interface if I need to. Plex doesn't automatically know a particular subtitle track is the forced track, you might have to help it along.
For me, setting a subtitle track as forced and default is enough for Plex to make that subtitle track be on by default when I add it to my library.
MKVToolNix can set those flags in a .mkv file. I prefer the command line version, mkvpropedit, but the GUI works too.
If you know in advance that a particular subtitle track is a forced subtitle track, you can have MakeMKV produce a .mkv file with those flags already set. Highlight the subtitle in question, select MKV Flags in the properties drop down box and for the properties put in
For me, setting a subtitle track as forced and default is enough for Plex to make that subtitle track be on by default when I add it to my library.
MKVToolNix can set those flags in a .mkv file. I prefer the command line version, mkvpropedit, but the GUI works too.
If you know in advance that a particular subtitle track is a forced subtitle track, you can have MakeMKV produce a .mkv file with those flags already set. Highlight the subtitle in question, select MKV Flags in the properties drop down box and for the properties put in
Code: Select all
dfRe: English Text on Japanese moves dubbed in English
So I re-ripped the Blu Ray, and put it back in Plex. I did the default thing you mentioned from expert tools, but it still didn't show up. With that said, I did see two options for subtitles in Plex, and the second one did the forced subtitles. I wasn't able to rename the track (it just says English PSG). I guess I'm just going to have to figure out which subtitle track is the forced subtitles? Or is there a way to rename the forced track in MakeMKV?
Re: English Text on Japanese moves dubbed in English
There's a thread with more details: Changing names with Expert mode enabled
The short version is instead of picking 'MKV Flags' in the properties drop down box, pick 'Name' (which should be the default) and type whatever you want into the adjacent box. Once your cursor leaves that field, it'll be updated and reflected in the tree on the left. Similarly, with MKV Flags, after you type 'df' into the adjacent box and then the cursor leaves that field, you should see "MKV Flags: Default , Forced" show up in the 'Info' box below.
With all that said, it is not necessary to do this via MakeMKV. Using MKVToolNix will not change the quality of the video or audio in the .mkv file; aka it will not remux the file. It will only change the necessary headers in a very short amount of time.
Additionally, MakeMKV supports making a decrypted backup of a disc. (Choose the icon of the yellow folder and the green arrow on the first screen.) This will decrypt the disc and copy the entire contents to a folder on your computer's storage. You can then open that backup with MakeMKV and create .mkv files from it just as if it were a disc. Making .mkv files from a backup goes way faster than making it from the disc. So, if you want to experiment, making a backup first will save you time.
The short version is instead of picking 'MKV Flags' in the properties drop down box, pick 'Name' (which should be the default) and type whatever you want into the adjacent box. Once your cursor leaves that field, it'll be updated and reflected in the tree on the left. Similarly, with MKV Flags, after you type 'df' into the adjacent box and then the cursor leaves that field, you should see "MKV Flags: Default , Forced" show up in the 'Info' box below.
With all that said, it is not necessary to do this via MakeMKV. Using MKVToolNix will not change the quality of the video or audio in the .mkv file; aka it will not remux the file. It will only change the necessary headers in a very short amount of time.
Additionally, MakeMKV supports making a decrypted backup of a disc. (Choose the icon of the yellow folder and the green arrow on the first screen.) This will decrypt the disc and copy the entire contents to a folder on your computer's storage. You can then open that backup with MakeMKV and create .mkv files from it just as if it were a disc. Making .mkv files from a backup goes way faster than making it from the disc. So, if you want to experiment, making a backup first will save you time.