Subtitles in MP4

[wunderlong88]

Running Handbrake 0.10.2.7286 on Windows 10.

Just checking to make sure I understand about subtitles (and that nothing has changed since my last understanding of the situation )

I am converting from mkv to mp4.
I can add a subtitle track to the subtitle tab.
If I do my output file (mp4) now has subtitles that it appears I can't turn on or off.

Last time I checked here there was to use mp4 and make the subtitles where I could turn them on/off. I either had to have them permentally on or permentally off. Is that still correct?

[mduell]

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Activity Log is required for support requests. See Must Read: How To Get Questions Answered on These Forums for details

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Activity Log is required for support requests. See Must Read: How To Get Questions Answered on These Forums for details

Forum rules
Activity Log is required for support requests. See Must Read: How To Get Questions Answered on These Forums for details

[wunderlong88]

Sorry, my question is about the general working of subtitles not about a particular dvd, so I didn't have a log to attach.

[mduell]

Talking in general it can be either way.

You referred to a specific encode with a specific outcome ("If I do my output file (mp4) now has subtitles that it appears I can't turn on or off."), and you could provide a log from that if you want help.

[Woodstock]

Some subtitle types can't be put in an MP4 file. When you ask it to, they're burned in.

Logs tell us what you tried to do. Why wouldn't they be useful when you're asking what went wrong?

[wunderlong88]

Some subtitle types can't be put in an MP4 file. When you ask it to, they're burned in.

Logs tell us what you tried to do. Why wouldn't they be useful when you're asking what went wrong?

Is there a way for me to tell what subtitle types?

I wasn't trying a particular dvd at this time. Just giving a hypothetical based on what I thought I remembered from using handbrake in the past.

I have some dvds I would like to redo sometime, if I can put subtitles (preferably with the option to turn them off/on) but in past they would only burn in or not be there at all. I just wondered if anything had changed to make that possible now. I was trying to understand what options I had with the subtitles without trying actual dvds so I knew if I wanted to try to redo some of them or not.

When I have more time I'll try one and post a log.

[Woodstock]

You cannot put PGS subtitles from bluray into MP4. You will receive a warning if you have multiple PGS tracks, because only one is supported, and that one will be "burned" in to the video, even if you uncheck the "burn in" box for the track.

Actually, support for VOB subtitles (DVD) is not part of the MP4 standard, but they is an extension that is "mostly supported" to allow it. From what I've read, MP4 was designed to use TEXT subtitles, and some players only support text subtitles.

If you want multiple or switchable subtitles, you need to use MKV format for the output.

At the top of this forum, there is a thread on hard/soft subtitles, explaining all of this. It's even been tagged as "sticky", so it stays on top and you don't have to SEARCH for it: viewtopic.php?f=11&t=16527

[wunderlong88]

Ok...I read the article you mentioned. So, that seems like a lot of work to get soft subtitles but I may try when I have time or I may just do hard ones on the dvds that I really need them on (mostly British dvds, of which I just have a few)

If I need help I'll be sure to post a log