Subtitles run amok

Plex Media Server Metadata & Adding Files
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1

So,

I suspect this isn’t a Plex discussion per se, but I’m a brand new user, so who knows.

After dabbling with the FOSS media players, I bit the bullet and pulled the trigger on the Lifetime Plex pass.

I’ve installed Plex on my Synology DS918+ NAS and everything seems to be working properly, at least as far as I can tell at this juncture.

My wife and I like having subtitles, so I subscribed to opensubtitles.org, and set everything up in Jellyfin. I’m guessing that Jellyfin downloaded the subtitles and inserted them into the media files on the NAS.

Unfortunately, the time sync is horribly wrong. So wrong, as to be unusable. some 15+ seconds.

Is this something I can adjust in Plex, or will I need to resort to a higher power to resolve.

Any ideas you might have would be greatly appreciated.

Chris

2

That is the problematic thing. Subtitles from an external source should never be muxed into video files without them being verified for synchronicity.

Step one: play the file with enabled subtitles on a regular desktop video player. e.g. VLC
Are the subtitles out of sync there as well?

If so, extract them and put them beside their associated video file. Like so: https://support.plex.tv/articles/200471133-adding-local-subtitles-to-your-media/

Only then you have a chance that Plex’s automatic subtitle sync can try and sync them. https://support.plex.tv/articles/auto-sync-subtitles/

If the automatic subtitle sync fails, which can happen for various reasons, tzhewre is still the way to sync them manually.
I recommend Subtitle Edit
for this.
Then store them beside the video file just as described above.

3

Sorry to be so long in responding.

As it turns out, the subtitle files are separate srt files.

I’ve gone through the second link, and I think everything is set as it should be.

Refreshing the library has no effect.

Playing around in VLC, the subtitles are completely hosed timing wise. Not a consistent amount of differential.

Can I delete the offending srt files and have Plex download them?

I watched the Subtitle Edit tutorial and going through each video with the Subtitle Edit is going to be a nine line PITA.

There has to be a simpler way. (fingers crossed).

Thank you

chris

4

Have you verified that the subtitles have the exact same file name as their associated video file? (except the file name extension of course, and perhaps the language indicator as described in https://support.plex.tv/articles/200471133-adding-local-subtitles-to-your-media/ )?

5

Yes, the filenames all correspond accordingly.

For fun, I moved the subtitles somewhere that Plex can’t see them.

Then I went through the find subtitles dohicky for a movie (The Whole Nine Yards) and it found numerous versions.

I chose the first one.

It’s still WAY off. ~45 seconds best guess.

Thanks for any idea on moving forward

6

Have you tried this?
https://support.plex.tv/articles/auto-sync-subtitles/

It is supposed to work with external subtitles, provided that the audio track was successfully analysed for audio activity. That’s something you need to switch on in the server settings (“Generate voice activity data”) AND in the properties of your library(s).

8

Thank you.

I’ll have a look today.

9

This seems to have worked.

Thank you very much for your assistance.

chris

10

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