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m4v with embedded subtitles: non-apple support?

Posted: Thu Mar 25, 2010 1:40 pm
by kvaruni
Is there any non-Apple device that will play back m4v files with embedded subtitles? This works fine on anything from an AppleTV to an iPod to mplayer to VLC, but it fails terribly on both the WD TV and the popcorn hour. I understand that these embedded subtitles are not "standard", but these devices simply show me a black screen (sometimes with sound) instead of ignoring the unknown layer.

Are there non-Apple devices that are not full-blown computers out there that can display embedded subtitles in m4v or, at the very least, play the file without subtitles? Neither the WD TV or the popcorn hour is my own, so I was not at the liberty to upgrade the firmware to the latest version. But I am not buying any of those devices without positive experience with displaying embedded subtitles (that is, showing them or ignoring them). And no, I am not going to remove the subtitles from all my files :roll: .

Re: m4v with embedded subtitles: non-apple support?

Posted: Thu Mar 25, 2010 1:50 pm
by Deleted User 11865
kvaruni wrote:I understand that these embedded subtitles are not "standard"
Actually, they are: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MPEG-4_Part_17
kvaruni wrote:Are there non-Apple devices that are not full-blown computers out there that can display embedded subtitles in m4v or, at the very least, play the file without subtitles?
No idea. Though assuming it works in XBMC (which you can test on a computer), any device capable of running XBMC should work.

Re: m4v with embedded subtitles: non-apple support?

Posted: Thu Mar 25, 2010 2:07 pm
by kvaruni
Rodeo wrote:
kvaruni wrote:I understand that these embedded subtitles are not "standard"
Actually, they are: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MPEG-4_Part_17
Interesting. And the Popcorn Hour developers keep on saying that it is no standard ... Time to mail them again :)
Rodeo wrote:
kvaruni wrote:Are there non-Apple devices that are not full-blown computers out there that can display embedded subtitles in m4v or, at the very least, play the file without subtitles?
No idea. Though assuming it works in XBMC (which you can test on a computer), any device capable of running XBMC should work.
I am not entirely sure, but I though it worked in XBMC. A quick look shows that this excludes the WD TV and the Popcorn Hour, as was to be expected. Are there no other small media players around? I wouldn't be surprised if most are based on the same chips, but I would be equally surprised if only the AppleTV can play such content without a problem.

Re: m4v with embedded subtitles: non-apple support?

Posted: Thu Mar 25, 2010 3:16 pm
by mkelley
If you don't mind the 10 seconds that it takes per file the WDLive will play mkv files with or without subs (on the PC I use mkvmerge to change my M4V files to MKV). Just thought I'd mention it.

Re: m4v with embedded subtitles: non-apple support?

Posted: Thu Mar 25, 2010 4:33 pm
by kvaruni
Thanks for the reply but actually, I do mind. I am talking about 2.5 TB worth of encoding of each and every DVD we have. This means roughly 5000 files. Which is exactly the reason why I do not want to run some script to remove the subtitles. Besides, I have no spare 2.5 TB to store the subtitle-less versions :).

Re: m4v with embedded subtitles: non-apple support?

Posted: Thu Mar 25, 2010 4:44 pm
by mkelley
Well, I only had to convert around 1,000 and it did take a day, but it was no big deal. But it's your choice (I love my WDLive so much I bought two). And you don't need to keep the M4V version so disc space isn't an issue.

Re: m4v with embedded subtitles: non-apple support?

Posted: Thu Mar 25, 2010 4:55 pm
by Deleted User 11865
mkelley wrote:Well, I only had to convert around 1,000 and it did take a day, but it was no big deal. But it's your choice (I love my WDLive so much I bought two). And you don't need to keep the M4V version so disc space isn't an issue.
That is, unless you're also targeting Apple devices like kvaruni seems to be ;-)

Re: m4v with embedded subtitles: non-apple support?

Posted: Thu Mar 25, 2010 7:44 pm
by mkelley
Well, I'd agree that playing on Apple devices is implied, but it's not specifically stated (which is to say he says the files play fine on lots of Apple devices but nowhere does he state that he wants them to continue to play there).

I had to make a choice as well (my was a no-brainer, though -- I just gave up using my AppleTV as well as realized that playing movies on my iPhone wasn't really a very smart thing to want to do). He seems to want to be able to play these files on some sort of "other" device, as if he's maybe thinking of switching as I did but just doesn't want to convert all his files (as I had to) so that implication could be read as well. If he wants to stay with Apple he ought to just buy another AppleTV and be done with it (hey, I'll sell him mine :>)

Re: m4v with embedded subtitles: non-apple support?

Posted: Thu Mar 25, 2010 8:02 pm
by kvaruni
Rodeo is correct: I want to keep my Apple equipment :). The AppleTV is in heave use and series such as futurama or the simpsons are wonderful for short train trips on the iPhone (which implies subtitles, because trains can be crowded at times, making it difficult to hear everything clearly). Now, the device would not be for me but for my father. This should not pose too much of a problem, except for the part where he is allergic to Apple. I did hear some rumors saying that apparently there is a new series of the WD TV that DOES support embedded subtitles. However, I have yet to see this confirmed.

Re: m4v with embedded subtitles: non-apple support?

Posted: Fri Mar 26, 2010 12:12 am
by Jabrwock
Rodeo wrote:Actually, they are: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MPEG-4_Part_17
Is there a standard to the layout of the text? I'm having issues playing multi-line soft subtitles on the ATV, and if there's a standard, and my .srt track I've inserted isn't following it, that might explain what the problem is...

Re: m4v with embedded subtitles: non-apple support?

Posted: Fri Mar 26, 2010 2:09 pm
by TedC
I tried the popcorn hour c200 - it was a piece of [Censored]! I was 1/2 way into my encodes (400 of 800 gb) when I bought it - I didn't try any subtitles - but the kicker was it didn't support the m4v secondary audio track (AC3). frickin Chinese communists still charged me the 15% restocking fee when it was out of the box for 15 minutes - for the $299 (I think - or was it $199) - it's an overpriced POS that i ended up losing $150 bucks on (shipping to the states + 15% restocking fee + return shipping).

I went out and bought the apple tv instead and couldn't be happier.

Re: m4v with embedded subtitles: non-apple support?

Posted: Fri Mar 26, 2010 3:28 pm
by mkelley
If you like AppleTV you'd LOVE the WDLive -- but neither of those opinions does anything to help the OP <g>.