Assistance with Subtitles

[cyber_pete]

I have searched the forums and the internet. I have a general understanding of subtitles and how they work. When converting my regular DVD's to MKV and the using Handbrake to convert to MP4 with subtitles I can turn on and off (hardcoded?) I have no issues. The problem comes when I convert my Blu Ray's to mvk and then use Handbrake to convert those to MP4 with subtitles I can turn on and off. I have read so many different discussions on this but still am not clear on if this is even possible and if so how can I do it. I am able to get the subtitles on permanently but not selectable. Does someone know where I can find a guide to this or have instruction or a tool that works? Or is this not a possibility yet?

Thanks for any assistance and sorry for such a noob question but I have been searching for a few weeks now and can't seem to get the answers.

[JohnAStebbins]

What you are asking for requires OCR because mp4 only support text subtitles and BD subtitles are bitmap images. I believe there are standalone tools out there (e.g. suprip) that can do the OCR and produce SRT files. But I think it's a multistep process that requires extracting the PGS subs from BD, conversion with suprip, then remux into your destination file. I've never done this, so can't give more detail than that.

You would probably be better off finding an SRT somewhere like opensubtitles.org and muxing them in during transcoding.

[Woodstock]

Bluray subtitles are a format (PGS) not compatible with the MP4 file format. MKV can accommodate them, but MP4 does not.

That leaves you the option of burning them in to the video when using MP4, or converting them to a format that MP4 supports, which is error prone.

Also, MP4 in the strictest sense does not support DVD VOB subtitles... Earlier versions of HB used an extension to the format to allow that, but newer versions stick with the standard more closely, so DVD subtitles need to be burned in, if you're using a recent nightly build. I hope this eventually changes back...

You need a nightly build to support PGS subtitles at all in MP4, but you need the release version if you want switchable VOB subtitles right now.

[cyber_pete]

Thanks for the replies, this is helpful.

The term burned in means that the subtitle are always viewable and not switchable, correct?

One other question, softcode vs hardcode? Is softcode always viewable and hardcode switchable?

[Deleted User 11865]

Thanks for the replies, this is helpful.

The term burned in means that the subtitle are always viewable and not switchable, correct?

One other question, softcode vs hardcode? Is softcode always viewable and hardcode switchable?

Nope, the oppsite. Hardcoded == burned-in, softcoded == selectable subtitle tracks.