So I’m just starting this thing… and working on ripping some of my DVDs and BluRays. In the software I’m using to do the ripping it gives me a number of options for the subtitles. Subtitles are important for me as I frequently have trouble understanding what people are saying without them. However my husband gets annoyed by them so he doesn’t like them to be on if he is watching something without me.
So the options available are
Direct render to video
Extract to idx/sub file
Remux into file : VobSub Subtitles
Remux into file : PGS Subtitles
I’m having a hard time finding any information about what the differences between these options are… but what I think I’ve figured out is, option 1, is burned into the video and would therefore be always on… which doesn’t sound like the best option since my husband would want to be able to turn them off.
It is the other 3 options I haven’t really figured out which is best, or most importantly which works best with Plex.
/ 4. will give you the option to switch the subs on and off.
But there’s a fly in the ointment:
on DVD and BR, you only have pixel-based subtitles. (the subtitles are ‘pictures’)
Not many Plex clients do understand these pixel-based subtitle formats.
When you activate such a subtitle, the Plex client will then ask the Plex Server to ‘burn them in’ to the video picture on-the-fly. This is only possible when Plex server runs on a device with a fast processor.
Plex clients which can play pixel-based subtitles without help from the server:
Plex Media Player
nVidia Shield
Kodi (with Plex Add-On)
And that’s almost it. All other Plex clients need help from the server
or
you find a way to convert the subtitle ‘pictures’ into real text.
There are many more Plex clients which can handle ‘text-based’ subtitles directly. (Common format: SRT. One software for conversion: Subtitle Edit )
But this is most likely an additional step in the workflow. Only you can decide if you are willing to invest the additional time.
Option 2 will also give you the option to switch the subs on/off and it has the same limitations that @OttoKerner stated above. Option 2 also has the least amount of extra work involved but needs LMA enabled.
@OttoKerner said:
you find a way to convert the subtitle ‘pictures’ into real text.
There are many more Plex clients which can handle ‘text-based’ subtitles directly. (Common format: SRT. One software for conversion: Subtitle Edit )
But this is most likely an additional step in the workflow. Only you can decide if you are willing to invest the additional time.
Might be losing something in the translation - or be a Subtitle Edit thing - but an SRT file can contain many ‘illegal’ formats that won’t Direct Play on much.
The trick is to make sure your sub tracks and SRT files contain UTF-8, text based, formatting - that will Direct Play on almost everything.
Good Luck using the ‘New and Improved’ PMP.
It’s a nightmare of epic proportions.
(I suggest you employ an Android Mobile Plex App - it’s about the only work-around that’ll work)
(unknown about an IOS Mobile Plex App - ain’t got no Apples)
So for option 2 (external idx/sub files), can the clients you mentioned direct play with the subtitles on? I’m particularly interested in the nVidia Shield (since I kind of just ordered one on Cyber Monday).
Hmm, they have been working for me (with my server on a PC) and using both a Roku TV client and a Amazon Fire Stick client. But it always transcodes when I turn the subtitles on. So wondering if the same will be true with the nVidia client.
They might work without transcoding if you mux them in.
I don’t know the Shield from experience. Maybe they achieved direct play with external subs lately, but I am pretty certain that they didn’t.
