Import subtitles from DVD to Vegas

rmack350 wrote on 10/27/2009, 10:52 AM

There's no script that'll make video events out of a subtitle file. I'm not even sure there's a script to make named regions, but this is much more possible.

I think there are some tools that can use a subtitle file in VirtualDub to burn the text to video.

Rob Mack

Former user wrote on 10/27/2009, 11:04 AM

Do you want the subtitles in VEGAS or do you want subtitles in DVDA?

You can convert the SRT to either a SUB or TXT file and import it into DVDA as a subtitle. There is a lot of information on the web if you search on how to convert the SRT file.

Dave T2

TYU2 wrote on 10/27/2009, 12:40 PM

What I want is to edit the DVD in Vegas, add fx, cut some parts away etc.
If DVDA can import the the stuff some way can it export it to Vegas for edit?

R0cky wrote on 1/8/2010, 1:11 PM

Has anyone actually made this work? I found several utilities to convert SRT to SUB but apparently the sub format DVDA expects is not the MicroDVD format everyone else uses.

I looked in the DVDA help file where there was an example of their sub file layout and it is not the same as the SUB specs I've found other places.

JohnnyRoy wrote on 1/8/2010, 1:26 PM

You can use the VASST Freeware tool called SubText to help you. You can import DVD Architect .SUB files and SubText will then place/generate regions into your project with the subtitle as the label. SubText will also export regions to a DVD Architect .SUB formatted file. This allows you to edit the subtitles in Vegas and export them back out to DVD Architect... did I mention it's FREE? ;-)

~jr

PerroneFord wrote on 1/8/2010, 1:34 PM

I have to do this for every video I publish at work. DVDA works fine if you export Adobe Encore compatible subtitle files. That is what I use. I use a free (but excellent) program called Subtitle Workshop. This will import dozens of different formats of subtitles, and export dozens as well.

However, Vegas cannot import any subtitle files. At all. You have to do it by regions, and do copy and paste. Fundamentally, this was the show stopper for me with Vegas. As much as I had issues with performance, crashes, and the rest, I could usually work around it. But the inability to bring captions into the file so that I could produce video in accordance with federal rule 508 was just not something I could work around.

So if you want to import your subtitles into DVDA, just use the Adobe Encore format and you'll be fine.

Rob Franks wrote on 1/8/2010, 3:57 PM

"So if you want to import your subtitles into DVDA, just use the Adobe Encore format and you'll be fine. "

Why would you need to do this???

I can understand there being a problem if you wanted to import subtitles INTO Vegas from DVDA or a disk... that's a bit of a battle. But creating subtitles in Vegas for export out to DVDa is a breeze.

Set up your blank regions where you want the subtitles to be then use the "export regions as subtitles" script. This gives you your timing info. Import the SUB file to microsoft word and create your text... save and exit, then import to DVDa.

PerroneFord wrote on 1/8/2010, 6:58 PM

Have you done this? I've done it three times this week.

The caption session I just finished today is a 55 minute, 5 person conference. When the caption file came back, there were 1035 discrete entries.

How long do you think it would take for me to create 1035 blank regions in Vegas, export the timing file, and then type the subtitles in Word while transcribing?

The file I sent off today to the captioning service is 1hr 12min. I expect there to be at least 1500 separate subtitle entries. The second file I submitted today for another office in the building is a 7:55 file that will likely have around 200 subtitle entries.

I've done it your way. Once. For a 2:30 file. It took all afternoon to get just right. I couldn't fathom trying to do this the length of video I do. I have three more to do this month and each is over 2 hours long.

Jay Gladwell wrote on 1/8/2010, 8:12 PM

What, if any, is the difference between subtitles (as those used in foreign language films) and closed captioning, which the government requires for certain programming?

Rob Franks wrote on 1/8/2010, 8:58 PM

"Have you done this?"

Yes I have done this.
Setting up 1035 regions takes minutes... simply use a script to convert markers to regions. It's marking the in/out points for the texting that takes the time. How are you marking your in/out points? Are you doing this manually... or a clapper technique.... or something else?

PerroneFord wrote on 1/8/2010, 9:08 PM

There is a significant difference.

Subtitles are selective by the user and are often used for showing text in foreign languages. They are a part of the visible video selectively.

There are two types of captions. The first is closed captions. This is the broadcast standard. It is carried in the video on a nationally specified area in video (for SD anyway) and the decoders are built into TV sets. However, Closed captioning is NOT able to work on anything other than broadcast TV. Closed captions do not work on the internet.

Open captions are basically like embedded titles. They play on the internet, TV, or anywhere else. But you cannot turn them off. Ever.

If you have to present materials on multiple mediums, say TV, DVD, and web , then subtitles are your deal. If you need to go to broadcast, you give your subtitle file to the broadcaster and they can embed the text into legal broadcast closed captioning.

HD throws some wrinkles into the broadcast end of things, but let's not go there if we don't need to. Those are broadcast only problems.

PerroneFord wrote on 1/8/2010, 9:11 PM

I don't have markers, and I don't have regions. You'll need to describe the workflow for me.

Ok, so lets say I record a 30 minute conference. I bring the file into my NLE. Let's say it's Vegas. I need to caption the file, and export it to WMV. I've got noting but the file on the timeline. What's the workflow for your method?

Rob Franks wrote on 1/9/2010, 6:18 AM

What I find tedious in subtitling is setting up the timing info for the subtitling itself. On the larger project what I will do is set up an alternate audio track with its own dedicated mic. When I need to set a mark in point (someone starts talking) I gently tap the mic. This gives me a spike on the audio track. When they stop talking I tap again this gives me another spike. You do have to pay attention and i have never been able to get the spikes exact but they're usually accurate to the nearest second. It also gets a little confusing when you have multiple people talking, but at least you have a rough visual point at which your regions (markers if you use) should be. It takes a pretty short period of time to install and fine tune those regions... then you simply export the regions which gives you the timing info... which is imported to Word or something similar for the actual texting.

I will say I have often wondered if a script could be created to drop a marker at the spikes in the audio track..... but I simply don't do enough of this work do warrant any great big investigation on the subject

PerroneFord wrote on 1/9/2010, 8:48 AM

Wow... ok

I don't know about anyone else, but that doesn't seem very viable to me. I much preferred to find a solution where I could just drop my caption file on the track above the video and be done. Thirty seconds.

farss wrote on 1/9/2010, 2:15 PM

Your captioning service would be sending you back a text file that contains TC in/out and the text to appear.
From that I think what Rob is saying is there's a script that will convert that data into the regions in Vegas. As such it pretty much is a couple of clicks operation.

If you need to do a lot of subtitling Ppro CS4 has speech to text. I believe you can then embed the subtitles directly into a Flash file, probably even into a WMV file, I've only seen it done with Flash.

Bob.

PerroneFord wrote on 1/9/2010, 2:40 PM

Ok, then I greatly misunderstood what he was trying to explain then.

WMV files do not allow the embedding of subtitles. However, using an ASX file, the two can be played together in the same window. Since we do WMV delivery statewide for streaming, this is how we do it.

Quicktime can handle the streaming file directly, but since we don't deliver quicktime, this isn't something I do much of. Youtube has recently added caption titles so you merely upload your video, then upload your properly formatted caption file, and it plays them in sync.

I've heard about PPro CS4's speech to text, but have not tried to examine it. Many of our captions have to be precise for legal reasons, and I don't trust any software like that. Our captioning service does a magnificent job at a fair price.

This is a growing market, especially among Govt. entities who have to comply with Federal Rule 508, and for me, that means practically every video I produce for the office.

R0cky wrote on 1/11/2010, 11:35 AM

What I'm looking for is a tool that will take subtitles in the MicroDVD format *.sub file (or *.SRT format) and translate them into DVD Architect's *.sub file format.

There are many tools out there that can read the MicroDVD *.sub format and translate it into other subtitle file formats, but none that I've found that will translate into the proprietary DVDA *.sub format.

Chienworks wrote on 1/11/2010, 12:16 PM

"I will say I have often wondered if a script could be created to drop a marker at the spikes in the audio track..... but I simply don't do enough of this work do warrant any great big investigation on the subject"

Can't be done. Scripts have no awareness of the contents of events.

MarkWWW wrote on 1/11/2010, 1:57 PM

OK that's easy.

DVDA's .sub format is not proprietary, it is the same as one of the commoner .sub formats in use, that of Sonic DVD Creator.

As you say, there are a number of subtitle editng tools around that can make the conversion. I like the free Subtitle Workshop - just load the .srt (or MicroDVD .sub file) and then do a Save As and choose SonicDVD Creator.

Mark

Porpoise1954 wrote on 1/11/2010, 7:43 PM

Maybe the guys at pluraleyes could come up with something?!?

R0cky wrote on 1/12/2010, 10:36 AM

Thanks very much Mark, that tool was the one I was looking for.

Rocky

sensory wrote on 6/3/2018, 12:19 AM

@PerroneFord are you still on this forum? I feel like you have almost exaclty the same captioning needs as me, im wondering if you streamlined this issue and what was the resultant workflow, using which programs?

I require open captions ( i.e. colours for different speakers, move Around the screen if need be, burned in, NOT for broadcast, final product an mp4 (or any suggested format that can be used by anyone, anywhere - many of my users are not I.T. Savvy), t he user can download and hold on their drive for viewing (and they may also choose to put it i to their internal online library to be steamed within their organisation.)

I use dvd architect to achieve the colours and movement around the screen.

i then have 2-options, depending on the length and quality of the footage.

(1) use architect to make coloured subtitles. Preprareto hard drive. Use handbrake to seleect the prepare folder and burn in the captions. I dont like this option because the captions look blurry around the edges and the footage itself becomes a worse quality.

(2) use architect to do the timing and editing, but no colours etc. import into vegas using vegasaur conversion tool that converts the subs to titles&text, then go through and do colours and moving around screen if needed. Then render with vegas and titles (i.e. captions) get burned in. I do like this because the captions look very clear however vegas tends to crash often with long footage.

if i use srts or vegas ccs , i cannot achieve colours or flexible movement around screen.

What i would like to do:

Make open-captions in such a way that they can be burned-in, retaining colours and positioning. Whether that be by making sidecar captions and burning them in via something like handbrake, or whether that be via the coordinarion of vegas products i dont know.

Can you please advise what workflow tou ended up with?

thanks.