A subtitle issue

Moonzag · Post by **Moonzag** » Fri Sep 03, 2004 8:03 am

In a not so distant future I'm going to use alot of Swedish songs in my AMV's and I would like to know what kind of subbing would be prefered. I personaly don't want a subtitle for something I can understand, as many others. So I'm going to have one without a subtitle and one with a subtitle. But what should I do? I could make one with a hardsub, or whatever it's called and one without a sub. I could also make a softsub and skip having two AMV's. There are various other sulotions, but wich one would be most prefered?

Scintilla · Post by **Scintilla** » Fri Sep 03, 2004 8:18 am

If you go the softsub route, I highly suggest you provide links to all software required for playback (DirectVobSub, SubTitDS, the OGM filters, the Matroska filters, and/or whatever), or you're going to have a lot of people whining that they can't play the video correctly. (Of course, you might get that anyway, but at least if you give links, they have no excuse.)

I'm releasing a video to a German song later this month (with a lot of lyric synching), but I don't speak a word of German, so I know I'd personally find the subs helpful... that is, if I didn't already know what the words meant from having listened to it and read translations so many times. But I found that when I did export a version of it that included hard subs, I didn't at all like how it all looked together. Not that they looked bad, but they were distracting.

So what I'm currently planning to do is to leave the subs in for conventions, but make a subtitle-less copy for online distro and include the translation in the video info page so that people won't be totally lost as to what's going on. I can put up a lower-quality version with subtitles later if there turns out to be enough demand for it.
I'd love the softsub solution, but I don't want to have to deal with people who don't have the necessary playback filters, and I have no idea how to go about muxing an OGM.

On the other hand, on one of my videos that had nothing but English songs in it, many people claimed that the subtitles I provided helped, and there hasn't been any clamoring for a sub-less copy yet (= almost 9 months after its initial release).

I'd have to suggest sending beta copies of your video to friends and seeing what they think about the sub job.

AquaSky · Post by **AquaSky** » Fri Sep 03, 2004 8:19 am

Since I'd imagine not as many people would have players for the formats that support optional subtitles, I'd go with the two different versions. It wouldn't be too difficult to do, provided you use a seperate subtitling program rather than using overlays or the like in your editing program. With an .ssa script (format used by several programs, most notably SubStation Alpha) and the appropriate VDub plugin, you can simply run your original version though VirtualDub and export it with the subtitles added. Of course, since you can't have two different versons of a video hosted on the local server, you'd need to make one or the other available by direct or indirect download. But that would seem to be the preferable option.

JCD · Post by **JCD** » Fri Sep 03, 2004 12:09 pm

Scintilla wrote:I'm releasing a video to a German song later this month (with a lot of lyric synching)

We'll see if you synched correctly after AWA :]

Um yeah... you have alot of possibilities if you want to do softsubbing, Moonie. Scintilla mentioned most of them, however not the one I prefer: Use an avi for online distribution without subtitles. Additionaly put up a srt, ssa, sub or whatever file with the same filename as the avi and note in the video description that the viewer needs to download Vobsub in order to display these. If they have the avi and the subtitle file in the same folder now and playback the avi, the subtitles will show, in any kind of player (even wmp).
This has also the advantage that people can change font sizes, font faces etc.

Moonzag · Post by **Moonzag** » Sat Sep 04, 2004 6:17 pm

I think I'll go with softsub, but I'm still nor sure.

Org Profile · Post by **Otohiko** » Sat Sep 04, 2004 11:14 pm

Why not just type lyrics in the video description? Or is the timing of special importance?

I generally find that to be my preferred method of translation.

Moonzag · Post by **Moonzag** » Tue Sep 07, 2004 4:28 pm

Otohiko wrote:Why not just type lyrics in the video description? Or is the timing of special importance?

I generally find that to be my preferred method of translation.

Nah, it would be better with a subtitle... With a subtitle you get to know when they sing "Jag har en köttbulle i mina byxor" so you won't have to look it up in the lyrics later... Not that you'd ever want to know what that means (Translation: I have a meatball in my pants).

Jnzk · Post by **Jnzk** » Tue Sep 07, 2004 4:30 pm

Moonzag wrote:With a subtitle you get to know when they sing "Jag har en köttbulle i mina byxor" so you won't have to look it up in the lyrics later...

I'm already scared of this video...

Moonzag · Post by **Moonzag** » Tue Sep 07, 2004 4:36 pm

Janzki wrote:
Moonzag wrote:With a subtitle you get to know when they sing "Jag har en köttbulle i mina byxor" so you won't have to look it up in the lyrics later...
I'm already scared of this video...

Haha! I have no plan for such an AMV since I don't know any song where they sing that but I do know one that sounds just like that... "Stoppa inte köttbullar i näsan Marcus". What I intend to use in those AMV's are Swedish punk and progg. By the way... Anyone want to see they lyrics for the song I wrote? It's called "Morotens Mentala Hälsa" (Translation: The Carrots Mental Health). ^^

inthesto · Post by **inthesto** » Tue Sep 07, 2004 4:38 pm

I think it really depends on how important the subtitles are to the video. If an understanding of the lyrics is essential to the understanding of the video, then make the subs hard. Otherwise, I'd just skip the subs all together and provide lyrics and translation in the video notes.