Hi all, first post here:
I’m using Leawo Bluray Ripper to convert my discs for Plex. I wanted to include subtitles as an option, but when I select the subtitles option when I rip the movie it burns them into the video file instead of having them as a selectable option. Does anyone use Leawo that can give me some tips?
- Should I “copy” the disc instead of ripping to MP4/MKV, then convert separately?
- Should I extract the subtitles as a separate file, then drop them into the local folder marked in the prefs?
- Is there another app that you would recommend instead of Leawo?
TIA,
JVK
There’s a handy Handbrake Guide in my signature. Handbrake is free. I use Version 0.10.5
UTF-8 sub tracks/files will behave the best for use in Plex - won’t require transcoding in most cases. Embedded UTF-8 sub tracks will work best in MKV files, external UTF-8 sub files work best for MP4 files.
Handbrake will create a separate sub track if an existing sub track exists. It will also burn in a sub track or create a separate sub file. It will be limited by the format of the existing sub track.
MKVToolNix will ‘Extract’ sub tracks and create sub files with it’s packaged MKVExtract program.
Xmedia Recode can convert existing sub tracks to UTF-8 (SubRip Type).
https://handbrake.fr/
https://www.fosshub.com/MKVToolNix.html
http://www.xmedia-recode.de/en/download.html
Thanks JuiceWSA! I’m familiar with Handbrake but didn’t think of using it for this purpose – didn’t know it could rip as well as convert. Will check it out 
Not sure I know what you mean, but I’ll take a stab at it…
Handbrake can ‘rip’ from DVD.
Handbrake can ‘convert’ after you ‘rip’ BluRays with MakeMKV or something.
Handbrake can deal with sub tracks and files, but is sort of limited.
Combined with the other programs I linked to you’ve pretty much got subs covered.
For instance:
I recently got The Forbidden Kingdom (2008). It came with a forced sub track in ASS or something weird, so I burned those in with Handbrake. As I watched the first 15 minutes I was horrified to find there was a section in the beginning where no Mandarin Subs were provided until Jackie Chan speaks his first English words. Knowing Mandarin Chinese speakers are going to get something out of this movie that I’m not I went to Subscene and found a forced English UTF-8 sub file that covered those few lines of dialog, but the timing was for the Hong Kong version or something. I edited those in notepad with new and correct times and then placed the UTF-8 srt file along side the movie. The stock ASS or PGS or whatever forced subs got burned in and the add-on srt file in UTF-8 Direct Plays.
A story with a happy ending.
Correction: Handbrake does not seem capable of ripping discs with copyright protection. So I’ll need another app for that (possibly use Leawo for that purpose, but to ‘Copy’ not convert).
@jvknowles said:
Correction: Handbrake does not seem capable of ripping discs with copyright protection. So I’ll need another app for that (possibly use Leawo for that purpose, but to ‘Copy’ not convert).
Oh… you just need ‘the secret file’, but we usually let you find that on your own (in 30 seconds) with a google search.
