Subtitles too big and can't be adjusted in 3.0.0

[bxle]

Just installed 3.0.0 today on my Windows 10 laptop. Watching a .mts file that my DVR (digital video recorder) recorded on a thumb drive, as I have been doing with previous VLC versions. When I turn on subtitles now, they are about twice as big as they used to be, which is bigger than I want. I read the wiki instructions on how to adjust subtitles, but nothing there applies. For example, when I go to Tools > Preferences > Show settings (all) > Subtitles/OSD, there is nothing about changing the font size. "Text rendering module" does not show anything about font size. I have never tried to change the subtitles display before except to turn it on, so I don't know anything about subtitle files. When I click "Browse" next to "Use subtitle file" and go to C:\Windows\Fonts as the doc recommends, I get a pop-up that I don't have the right admin privileges, although I am logged into an admin userid.

Any other suggestions?

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

What format are the subtitles in? (Ctrl+I)

[bxle]

Thanks for the reply. Not sure how to say what format the subtitles are in. I have selected Subtitle > Sub Track > Closed captions 1. (BTW, that failed to show the subtitles when I tried it on the same .mts file just now, but they returned when I restarted the laptop and selected it again.) Ctrl-I shows this when I scroll down to where it shows closed captions 1:
Stream 3
Codec: EIA-608 subtitles (c608)
Description: Closed captions 1
Type: Subtitle
There was nothing else related to subtitles in the output of ctrl-I.
Tools > Preferences > Subtitles / OSD shows Font: Arial, Font size: Normal.
However the subtitles clearly all have serifs, so it can't be Arial. Sometimes they are displayed in italics.
When I change the "Font size" setting to "Smaller", there is no change in the font size. When I change the color to yellow, the subtitles continue to be displayed in white.
My guess at this point is that the subtitles are in a form that VLC can not alter before displaying it. What do you think?

[#thweiss]

Hello,

I've installaed VLC Version 3.0.1 (32-Bit) on "Microsoft Windows 7 pro" and get the same result with subtitle as discribe.

By watching german DVB-T2 (Digital Terrestrial Television) it is not possible to change the Font for DVB-Subtitle and Teletext.

My results with DVB: Audio description for the visually impaired
and Codec: A/52 B Audio (aka E-AC3) (eac3)
also with Codec: LATM are the same.

Menü / Tools / Settings - all / Video / Subtitle
Menü / Tools / Settings - all / Video / Subtitle / Text-Rendering
Textrender-Modul changed from Automatic to Freetype2 with saving has no change.
Changing the Fonts and saving the Settings get no Change after a restart.

The Subtitle-Changing works fine for the Title-Show, but not for the DVD-Subtitle or Teletext.

Hope you can fix the issue.

Thanks
Thomas

[Rémi Denis-Courmont]

DVD subtitles are images, so obviously FreeType settings won't affect them, and never did.

Similarly, teletext is preformatted.

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

Teletext should be adjustable, IMHO.

Can you share a sample with teletext?

[#thweiss]

I uploaded two *.ts-Files (two different DVB-T2 Multiplexes in Germany) in https://streams.videolan.org/upload/
with the Trac Ticket "https://forum.videolan.org/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=142342".

- vlc-record-2018-03-01-07h49m08s-dvbt.ts (43.744KB) - Subtitle/Teletext Example: "Arte HD" Teletext-ID=150
- vlc-record-2018-03-01-07h49m58s-dvbt.ts (55.426KB) - Subtitle/Teletext Example: "ZDF HD" Teletext-ID=777

Hope that's correct.

Thanks for your help.
Thomas

[#thweiss]

I find a small difference between select a Subtitle in a Single DVB-T2 Programm, which I started with the Commandline-Example and a DVB-T2 Playlist.

CMD-Example Singe TV-Program:
@echo off
start "" "C:\Program Files (x86)\VideoLAN\VLC\vlc.exe" dvb-t://frequency=698000000 :live-caching=1000 :program=2001 --vbi-text --vbi-page=777

Here I can change the Subtitle Font for the Teletext.
But the CMD-Parameter --vbi-text and vbi-page=777 do not work in this case.

When I start my *.xspf-Playlist or my *.m3u-Playlist for DVB-T2, then the VLC-Player do not change the Teletext-Font.
The DVB-Subtitle Font will not change in both examples.

DVB-T2.m3u-Playlist Example:

#EXTM3U
#EXTINF:1,arte HD
#EXTVLCOPT:program=770
dvbt://frequency=498000:bandwidth=8
#EXTINF:1,Phoenix HD
#EXTVLCOPT:program=771
dvbt://frequency=498000:bandwidth=8
#EXTINF:1,ONE HD
#EXTVLCOPT:program=773
dvbt://frequency=498000:bandwidth=8
#EXTINF:1,BR Nord HD
#EXTVLCOPT:program=801
dvbt://frequency=498000:bandwidth=8
#EXTINF:1,HR HD
#EXTVLCOPT:program=833
dvbt://frequency=498000:bandwidth=8
#EXTINF:1,WDR Köln HD
#EXTVLCOPT:program=1030
dvbt://frequency=498000:bandwidth=8

#EXTINF:1,QVC HD
#EXTVLCOPT:program=16966
dvbt://frequency=514000:bandwidth=8
#EXTINF:1,HSE24 HD
#EXTVLCOPT:program=16967
dvbt://frequency=514000:bandwidth=8
#EXTINF:1,Bibel TV HD
#EXTVLCOPT:program=16968
dvbt://frequency=514000:bandwidth=8

#EXTINF:1,ZDF HD
#EXTVLCOPT:program=2001
dvbt://frequency=698000:bandwidth=8
#EXTINF:1,ZDF info HD
#EXTVLCOPT:program=2002
dvbt://frequency=698000:bandwidth=8
#EXTINF:1,ZDF neo HD
#EXTVLCOPT:program=2003
dvbt://frequency=698000:bandwidth=8
#EXTINF:1,3sat HD
#EXTVLCOPT:program=2004
dvbt://frequency=698000:bandwidth=8
#EXTINF:1,KiKa HD
#EXTVLCOPT:program=2005
dvbt://frequency=698000:bandwidth=8

How can VLC-Player handle DVB-Subtitle and Teletext in the same Way for a Single TV-Programm and in an DVB-T2 Playlist with some Multiplexes?

Thanks
Thomas

[Jeptioak]

Hello. I don't know how to add file links that I've submitted to that Trac Ticket thing, but it should be under this thread under "VLC.zip" and includes several screenshots of the Linux version of VLC and an American ATSC MTS file with captions that really should be centered, but aren't in both Linux and Windows versions. I think that the problem is that the font used is either too wide (it's also like this on Android's VLC) or too thin. American broadcast subtitles are divided into 32 columns on the TV, and the size or kerning of the text has to be adjusted proportional to the video itself for the subtitles to to be displayed correctly. If you don't, it'll wrap around like in the screenshots in that ZIP file. On a side note, I'd like to see that German sample of their broacasting, but I can't quite figure out how to download those files. If it's not a bother, I'd love if someone could help me on that.