A subtitles player (For insternet video)

RonJaxon · 10-05-2008, 06:12 PM

Not long ago I had an idea that might help some of us out with having closed captioned internet video. I did some research and it's evident that there are many people concerned and even a little upset about this issue. Now I'm not talking about illegal internet videos here. Many of the major TV networks now now stream or allow you to download their TV shows. Here's a link to more information about that:
http://online.wsj.com/public/article..._20061125.html

Some steps have been taken on this issue. The best I've seen is hulu.com. You can go there and watch TV episodes that are closed captioned. Not many of them but some. For example the shows HOUSE, Who's smarter then a 5th grader and Kitchen Nightmares will show closed captions on their site.

Anyway not long ago I started looking for a programmer that might be able to help make my idea for a subtitles player a reality. I finally found one and some our efforts are starting to show results. It's not near perfect yet but it's working to some degree. Still got a lot of tweaking to do thought so it'll take some time.

Now for the reason I'm making this post. I'd like to ask what you think of what we've done so far. I'd also like to ask if you have any suggestions to please let me know.

Now heres the idea. It's actually a separate video player but it doesn't play videos. it only displays the subtitles. Picture it almost like a small karaoke screen that just displays the words of the subtitles. Now you can open this and drag it over your browser below the streaming video you are watching. The hard part here is getting the subtitles to match the timing of the video. There's also the issue that many online TV videos also contain commercials. So you'll have to pause the subtitles when the commercials come up. But this timing issue is one of the things we are working on right now.

So that's the basic concept. What do you think? If you have any thoughts or suggestions I'd love to read them.

Ron Jaxon

***VamPyroX*** · 10-06-2008, 05:19 PM

But wouldn't you need a subtitle/caption layer from the video itself?

A video is only subtitled or captioned if the layer is included.

RonJaxon · 10-06-2008, 06:07 PM

No, what I'm working on a completely separate player that only plays the subtitles. Not the video.

Here's an image to help explain. This image only shows the general idea.

Like I said. There's more to it then this but that's the basic idea. Imagine you are on a web page that streams a TV show or movie that does not have subtitles. You can download subtitles (They are very small and simply files such as .srt files). The subtitle player (Black box in above image) will display the subtitles. You position it below the streaming video. The goal is to actually have it more like this image below where you can position it over the video and the subtitles player has a transparent back.

It's work in process but it's coming along and I'm confident we'll have it useful before long. Just have to work out some glitches and think up any improvements that might make it better. So I appreciate any comments or suggestions you might have.

To further explain. If you go to this page and you'll find a streaming movie.

Go to this page you can download the subtitles to that movie.

So you'd play the subtitles file on the subtitles player and position it over the streaming video of that movie. Yes, timing is an issue and that's one of the things being focused on.

Ron Jaxon

RonJaxon · 10-13-2008, 12:14 AM

Ok. There's been some progress on this. It's not perfect yet but it's a start.

I found a small application program that'll just play the subtitles file. Here's a screen shot I made of subtitles that match a video on youtube.

The black box below the video is the subtitles player. I just had to download the matching subtitles.

It's a little tricky to get the timing of the subtitles right but it is possible.

I'm hoping that some of you can give it a try and share any suggestions you might have. So below I'll link to everything you need to try it out.

Ok, we'll use the video I used in the above image and I'll walk you through how to use it.

The video we'll be watching is found here. Just download the compressed (zipped) file. Uncompress/unzip it and save it on your computer (.srt files are very small text files).

The matching subtitles (.srt) file is here.

Now you need the subtitle player. It's a small program and I had no trouble with any kind of spam or anything like that. Click here to go to the page to download the subtitle player.

Once you have the program then open it. Click the "Browse" button and open the subtitle file you just downloaded.

Open the youtube video linked to above.

Now this next step is very important. When you start the subtitles player it'll automatically jump to the first line in the subtitles. To help explain here are the first few lines of the above subtitles (.srt) file.

Code:

1
00:01:10,717 --> 00:01:13,481
- Bring it in, Gordon.
- Okay, Dad.

2
00:01:13,553 --> 00:01:16,646
All right! Way to shoot, there.
You look good, son.

3
00:01:16,722 --> 00:01:18,656
Thanks.

4
00:01:18,724 --> 00:01:21,716
Listen, i want you
to remember this pond.

5
00:01:21,793 --> 00:01:24,887
No matter how far you go,
don't forget your home.

Notice the first line of the subtitles file starts at 00:01:10,717. This means that when you start the subtitle player it'll skip to this first line right away. So you're timing will be off from the video.

So what you do is you first let the video run and push the play button on the subtitle player when the video reaches 1:10. I hope this makes sense.

I've been experimenting with it and have been able to watch some online TV episodes and movies using this. It can be tricky to get the timing right but it's a start.

I hope someone can give this a try and I hope someone finds this useful.

Ron Jaxon

JClarke · 10-13-2008, 07:52 AM

Best to watch the spelling, mate.

RonJaxon · 10-13-2008, 01:47 PM

What do you mean?

JClarke · 10-13-2008, 05:21 PM

The mighty Ducks subtitles has detected a spelling error

Oh, what a hit.!

We don't need the full stop before the excliaming mark, so it should be

Oh, what a hit!

RonJaxon · 10-13-2008, 08:02 PM

Oh I see what you mean. I didn't create the subtitles. They are made by people and given away in sites such as opensubtitles.com for people to download. You're right. Some of them are terrible but most are alright.

Another thing to keep in mind if anyone wants to try this out is that not all subtitles will be timed to the version of the show or movie you are watching. They can play at different rates/speeds or start at a different spot. For example some might include opening credits or commercials while other's don't. So the timing of the subtitles might not match the video you are watching.

What I do when this happens is I try to adjust it using a program such as Time adjuster. This will allow you to change the time that the subtitles start to match the timing of the video. If I can't get it aligned up I usually just download a different version of the subtitles and try them out. Might take a few tries but I usually find the right one eventually. Good thing they are free and very small files.

Thanks again.

Ron Jaxon

JClarke · 10-13-2008, 08:03 PM

ohhhh, thanks for the heads up - No worries!

10-05-2008, 06:12 PM	#1 (permalink)
RonJaxon Registered User Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 211	A subtitles player (For insternet video) Not long ago I had an idea that might help some of us out with having closed captioned internet video. I did some research and it's evident that there are many people concerned and even a little upset about this issue. Now I'm not talking about illegal internet videos here. Many of the major TV networks now now stream or allow you to download their TV shows. Here's a link to more information about that: http://online.wsj.com/public/article..._20061125.html Some steps have been taken on this issue. The best I've seen is hulu.com. You can go there and watch TV episodes that are closed captioned. Not many of them but some. For example the shows HOUSE, Who's smarter then a 5th grader and Kitchen Nightmares will show closed captions on their site. Anyway not long ago I started looking for a programmer that might be able to help make my idea for a subtitles player a reality. I finally found one and some our efforts are starting to show results. It's not near perfect yet but it's working to some degree. Still got a lot of tweaking to do thought so it'll take some time. Now for the reason I'm making this post. I'd like to ask what you think of what we've done so far. I'd also like to ask if you have any suggestions to please let me know. Now heres the idea. It's actually a separate video player but it doesn't play videos. it only displays the subtitles. Picture it almost like a small karaoke screen that just displays the words of the subtitles. Now you can open this and drag it over your browser below the streaming video you are watching. The hard part here is getting the subtitles to match the timing of the video. There's also the issue that many online TV videos also contain commercials. So you'll have to pause the subtitles when the commercials come up. But this timing issue is one of the things we are working on right now. So that's the basic concept. What do you think? If you have any thoughts or suggestions I'd love to read them. Ron Jaxon

10-06-2008, 05:19 PM	#2 (permalink)
*VamPyroX* bloody phreak from hell Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Hell Posts: 31,473	But wouldn't you need a subtitle/caption layer from the video itself? A video is only subtitled or captioned if the layer is included. __________________ Check out my city... CLICK HERE! (If you already visited yesterday, visit again today!)

10-13-2008, 12:14 AM	#4 (permalink)
RonJaxon Registered User Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 211	Ok. There's been some progress on this. It's not perfect yet but it's a start. I found a small application program that'll just play the subtitles file. Here's a screen shot I made of subtitles that match a video on youtube. The black box below the video is the subtitles player. I just had to download the matching subtitles. It's a little tricky to get the timing of the subtitles right but it is possible. I'm hoping that some of you can give it a try and share any suggestions you might have. So below I'll link to everything you need to try it out. Ok, we'll use the video I used in the above image and I'll walk you through how to use it. The video we'll be watching is found here. Just download the compressed (zipped) file. Uncompress/unzip it and save it on your computer (.srt files are very small text files). The matching subtitles (.srt) file is here. Now you need the subtitle player. It's a small program and I had no trouble with any kind of spam or anything like that. Click here to go to the page to download the subtitle player. Once you have the program then open it. Click the "Browse" button and open the subtitle file you just downloaded. Open the youtube video linked to above. Now this next step is very important. When you start the subtitles player it'll automatically jump to the first line in the subtitles. To help explain here are the first few lines of the above subtitles (.srt) file. Code: 1 00:01:10,717 --> 00:01:13,481 - Bring it in, Gordon. - Okay, Dad. 2 00:01:13,553 --> 00:01:16,646 All right! Way to shoot, there. You look good, son. 3 00:01:16,722 --> 00:01:18,656 Thanks. 4 00:01:18,724 --> 00:01:21,716 Listen, i want you to remember this pond. 5 00:01:21,793 --> 00:01:24,887 No matter how far you go, don't forget your home. Notice the first line of the subtitles file starts at 00:01:10,717. This means that when you start the subtitle player it'll skip to this first line right away. So you're timing will be off from the video. So what you do is you first let the video run and push the play button on the subtitle player when the video reaches 1:10. I hope this makes sense. I've been experimenting with it and have been able to watch some online TV episodes and movies using this. It can be tricky to get the timing right but it's a start. I hope someone can give this a try and I hope someone finds this useful. Ron Jaxon Last edited by RonJaxon; 10-13-2008 at 01:45 PM.

10-13-2008, 07:52 AM	#5 (permalink)
JClarke Good times, good times. Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Packing bags for U.S.A Posts: 20,211 Blog Entries: 5	Best to watch the spelling, mate. __________________

10-13-2008, 05:21 PM	#7 (permalink)
JClarke Good times, good times. Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Packing bags for U.S.A Posts: 20,211 Blog Entries: 5	The mighty Ducks subtitles has detected a spelling error Oh, what a hit.! We don't need the full stop before the excliaming mark, so it should be Oh, what a hit! __________________

Today
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10-06-2008, 06:07 PM	#3 (permalink)
RonJaxon Registered User Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 211	No, what I'm working on a completely separate player that only plays the subtitles. Not the video. Here's an image to help explain. This image only shows the general idea. Like I said. There's more to it then this but that's the basic idea. Imagine you are on a web page that streams a TV show or movie that does not have subtitles. You can download subtitles (They are very small and simply files such as .srt files). The subtitle player (Black box in above image) will display the subtitles. You position it below the streaming video. The goal is to actually have it more like this image below where you can position it over the video and the subtitles player has a transparent back. It's work in process but it's coming along and I'm confident we'll have it useful before long. Just have to work out some glitches and think up any improvements that might make it better. So I appreciate any comments or suggestions you might have. To further explain. If you go to this page and you'll find a streaming movie. Go to this page you can download the subtitles to that movie. So you'd play the subtitles file on the subtitles player and position it over the streaming video of that movie. Yes, timing is an issue and that's one of the things being focused on. Ron Jaxon

10-13-2008, 01:47 PM	#6 (permalink)
RonJaxon Registered User Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 211	What do you mean?

10-13-2008, 08:02 PM	#8 (permalink)
RonJaxon Registered User Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 211	Oh I see what you mean. I didn't create the subtitles. They are made by people and given away in sites such as opensubtitles.com for people to download. You're right. Some of them are terrible but most are alright. Another thing to keep in mind if anyone wants to try this out is that not all subtitles will be timed to the version of the show or movie you are watching. They can play at different rates/speeds or start at a different spot. For example some might include opening credits or commercials while other's don't. So the timing of the subtitles might not match the video you are watching. What I do when this happens is I try to adjust it using a program such as Time adjuster. This will allow you to change the time that the subtitles start to match the timing of the video. If I can't get it aligned up I usually just download a different version of the subtitles and try them out. Might take a few tries but I usually find the right one eventually. Good thing they are free and very small files. Thanks again. Ron Jaxon

10-13-2008, 08:03 PM	#9 (permalink)
JClarke Good times, good times. Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Packing bags for U.S.A Posts: 20,211 Blog Entries: 5	ohhhh, thanks for the heads up - No worries! __________________

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