fix a sub

[no0ob]

Is it possible to fix a sub (without having the raw), where a whole section of the subtitling is late? The fansubber had all the dialogue translated, but the timing was off.

[Ledgem]

If you have the episode and the subtitles are in softsub format, then yes. You could demux the script and correct the timings yourself, and then mux the script back into the episode.

If you're watching hard subs, then without the raw and original script there isn't much you can do. The fansubbers could correct it, and then re-encode and release a version 2. As a viewer without access to those resources, you're stuck.

[ChibiBoi]

you MIGHT be able to make a patch to fix it, but i don't know how to do that. like how edward_k made a patch for anco's negima ep 24. i'm not sure if he had to use the script and raw for that, though, but if he did, then i guess you wouldn't be able to make a patch for whatever you're watching if you don't have direct access to the group.

[no0ob]

hmhm i see, thanks

[Soluzar]

Originally Posted by Ledgem

If you have the episode and the subtitles are in softsub format, then yes. You could demux the script and correct the timings yourself, and then mux the script back into the episode.

When I tried this once, it was really bizarre. The timings in the demuxed .srt file didn't match the timings in the anime at all. the subs were all squished down into the first 9 minutes of the anime.

[TheFluff]

Perhaps the file was VFR? In that case you need to extract the timecodes as well, open them and the subs in Aegisub (the ONLY sub program that can handle the VFR + hardsubs scenario) and then export them in VFR mode to make them sync. Of course, as long as you're softsubbing they'll still sync... the problems begin when you try to hardsub with VFR.

[Soluzar]

Originally Posted by TheFluff

Perhaps the file was VFR? In that case you need to extract the timecodes as well, open them and the subs in Aegisub (the ONLY sub program that can handle the VFR + hardsubs scenario) and then export them in VFR mode to make them sync. Of course, as long as you're softsubbing they'll still sync... the problems begin when you try to hardsub with VFR.

It is softsubbed, actually. Very badly softsubbed. I picked it to try to teach myself a little about subbing, because I figured that if I re-timed a few episodes for practice, that would teach me how to time subs.

I'm also learning how to add a karaoke, which the original sub didn't have... that's kinda cool stuff. This isn't work I intend to distribute, it's just for fun and practice. I may have to choose another project, though, as I've discovered that this was encoded with a pretty useless codec. I'd never even heard of AngelPotion before I opened this file with G-Spot. It's apparently another illegal binary hack like DivX :-) 3.11a.

How can I extract the timecodes? Can I do that with VDubMod?

[TheFluff]

If it's OGM, it doesn't have VFR, and if it's MKV, you shouldn't be using Vdubmod (in fact, NOONE should be using Vdubmod for anything except for dealing with OGM's).

mkvextract timecodes "movie.mkv" 1:timecodes.txt

is the proper way to do it (assuming that the video track is track 1 in the MKV, and that both mkvextract and movie.mkv is on your $PATH). mkvextract and mkvmerge are both parts of the mkvtoolnix package, found on http://bunkus.org/videotools/mkvtoolnix

[Soluzar]

Originally Posted by TheFluff

If it's OGM, it doesn't have VFR, and if it's MKV, you shouldn't be using Vdubmod (in fact, NOONE should be using Vdubmod for anything except for dealing with OGM's).

Why exactly not? There are a few nice touches in the interface which just suit me better than VirtualDub. In this case, it's an OGM, so it's not VFR. I'm really confused as to why the subtitles for the dialog start 2 minutes early, and then proceed to run at approximately double-speed for the rest of the episode. The original OGM works just fine except for the horrendously bad grammar and spelling... the timing is not good, but it is also not that bad.

mkvextract timecodes "movie.mkv" 1:timecodes.txt

is the proper way to do it (assuming that the video track is track 1 in the MKV, and that both mkvextract and movie.mkv is on your $PATH). mkvextract and mkvmerge are both parts of the mkvtoolnix package, found on http://bunkus.org/videotools/mkvtoolnix

Thanks for the extra string to my bow, even if it's not going to avail me in this instance... ^_^

I figure I'll just give up on this one... it's not as though I even especially want to watch this fansub. I was just trying to fix it in order to learn some new skills.

[Ledgem]

Originally Posted by Soluzar

Why exactly not? There are a few nice touches in the interface which just suit me better than VirtualDub.

VDubMod's MKV support hasn't been updated in ages, and from what I've heard it sounds like the MKV support that it does have was just a quick hack. I always used it when dealing with MKVs when I fansubbed, but my task was more along the lines of simple conversion; taking the video stream and placing it into a .avi container. VFR sources caused headaches and required AVS scripts to deal with variable decimation levels at different times.

I never did anything major with subtitle placement and timing, so I'm not sure why your subs are behaving the way they are. The only thing I can think of is that you're trying to preview the subtitles in VDubMod. Unless your computer is insanely fast, the video always lags in vdub/vdubmod. In theory the subs should be lagging right along with it and not running out of sync (that's been my experience), but who knows. Do a test encode and see if the subs are still out of sync. Also make sure that your time adjustments are exact, down to the millisecond. VDubMod isn't used by timers because there are programs better suited to the task of timing, but vdubmod is OK to use if you're doing a few adjustments.

[Soluzar]

Originally Posted by Ledgem

I never did anything major with subtitle placement and timing, so I'm not sure why your subs are behaving the way they are. The only thing I can think of is that you're trying to preview the subtitles in VDubMod. Unless your computer is insanely fast, the video always lags in vdub/vdubmod. In theory the subs should be lagging right along with it and not running out of sync (that's been my experience), but who knows. Do a test encode and see if the subs are still out of sync. Also make sure that your time adjustments are exact, down to the millisecond. VDubMod isn't used by timers because there are programs better suited to the task of timing, but vdubmod is OK to use if you're doing a few adjustments.

Thanks for the advice, but I've opened the SRT file in Aegisub, and in notepad and I can say for sure that the times that are in the file do not match the proper timings in the episode. I did a test one-pass encode, just for the heck of it, and the subs are all compressed into the first 11 minutes of a 24 minute anime. Bizarre, I know.