The VideoLAN Forums

Are there any plans to include support for DirectVobSub subtitle format?

I searched the forums and only found a passing reference saying something about them being GPL'ed. If there are no plans, anyone know a way to play files with them on Mac OS X? (VLC is the best player on the OS bar none!) Or is there any way to convert the files to another, VLC friendly, subtitle format?

is there a significant difference between directvobsub and ordinary vobsub. Cause ordinary vobsub is supported as of 0.8.0-test2

I just read on doom9.net that DirectVobSub is "simply a DirectShow filter which can be used to display subtitle files created by VobSub during playback" which must mean DirectX. Uh oh. Sounds like a pain outside of Windows.

files playable by directvobsub should (hopefully) be playable by vlc version 0.8.0-test2 then.

I just tried it with a couple. Crashes on loading either! Whoops. Unfortunately a search of the readme etc. it comes with shows up nothing for DirectVobSub (normal VobSub is another matter). Have to say there's a bunch of extras I do like the looks of, but I doubt a Direct Show filter soft sub format is an easy thing to do in a cross platform player.

yeah that's why we don't use it.
We have our own vobsub module. It should play it, but several problem with it have been fixed since the 0.8.0-test2 release already again.

Reading that it crashed, i conclude that the names of the .idx, .sub and the avi did not match. This could cause a crash in the test2 version.

Actually the files I have are a bit odd. The DirectVobSub subtitles are embedded inside the .avi - at least that's what the readme says that came with them.

I got them on bit torrent and apparently none of the other seeds have reason to complain. Plus my brother says he sees the subtitles just fine on Media Player Classic in windows.

On an unrelated note - I like the icons for VLC on OS X, both the app's own and the ones for its filetypes. But there isn't one for MKV yet...

Could you upload this sample to
ftp://streams.videolan.org/incoming

A couple of MBs should do just fine.

You mean the avi?

yes

I've no experience with FTP so you'll have to talk me through it
Also, have patience with the file as the first talking is about 30 seconds in, and my upload bandwidth is not hot.

Accidentally turned up as 'Guest' through switching from Safari to Firefox to see if it could help me with this FTP business...

Sorry, but this is not something i'm gonna guide you in.
Just as much as this is not a forum on how to download files.
It would just take too much time.

Use google, that's what it is for.

Using GSpot codec info on a PC, I've pulled the following info on those files I had with direct vobsub titles integrated into the .avi itself:

DirectVobSub (auto-loading version)
vsfilter.dll
(c) 2001-2004 Gabest

The link given in the details leads to the guliverkli project at sourceforge, home of Media Player Classic. The component for doing these subs is VSFilter.

I don't know if any of this info is news, but there you go. Meanwhile I'm trying to find a way to re-code the files (losslessly I hope) to use different subs.

so, .80 is out and as is well known, it does not support directvobsub

I have posted a file on the ftp called directvosub.avi which uses directvob

this file crashes as soon as vlc opens

It DOES support Vobsub

What it does not support are vobsubs IN avi files. why do people insist on making such ugly hacks to a fileformat...

My thoughts too. Any ideas how to convert the files back into something useful though? VLC is my only player, being a Mac devotee!

Even a pc program ... I've access to one, but I won't be able to watch everything on it

BTW, the reason that these files crash, is because there seems to be an error in the index of theses files. it's not so much that VLC doesn't support subtitles in avi, it's more that the files are created with avimux GUI which apparently creates broken avi indexes (QuickTime crashes on them as well).

I just downloaded and installed VLC player, and I like it a lot!

It plays video files much faster than all the other media players I've tried, but I have one problem. It doesn't support DirectVobSub

I do know that VLC can use subtitle files by itself, and it works perfect for me, but I just like DirectVobSub more. So I was wondering, is it really impossible to make VLC player support DirectVobSub?

no it cannot.

VLC doesn't use the central codecs system of windows. That's what makes it's behaviour so predictable.

good day to everyone.

DJ seems to makes it very clear: VLC doesn't support DirectVobSub and probably never will.
this simply means to me that DirectVobSub ISN'T an option on mac.

still! as many others here, I DO have a certain number of avi encoded with it, and I would like to find a way of watching them (short of buying a freaking PC! ).

there are Unix tools out there to demux matroska and ogg vorbis, is it possible that nobody ever made a similar tool for directvosubbed avis?

this is a plea to every Unix/Mac user-sympathising genius in the world:
please help us help those poor avi bastards in taking out of their bodies those subtitles that were never meant to be put inside them in the first place