I've just completed my first DVD project with DVDWS2. There is a subtitle track with extra information for those who like technical background.
Unfortunately this is on by default (which most viewers won't want) and I can't see how to change it so that the default is for it to be off.
I know it is easy (in theory) for customers to use the remote control to turn it off, but I suspect that 90% of the general public don't know what 90% of the buttons on their remote control are for, so I want to avoid confusing them and have the subtitle track off by default.
Any suggestions as to what I can do?
Many Thanks
Paul D
I have the same problem in DVD Architect with 2 subtitle tracks. The first track seems to be on by default. However, this may be a DVD Player thing, some players have subtitles on by default, others don't. My solution was to create an empty subtitle track 1 then add my real subtitles as tracks 2 and 3. Perhaps the same theory applies to DVD Workshop. At least in DVDA2 you can create Audio/Subtitle Setup menus to select appropriate Audio/Subtitle Tracks/Streams.
Anyone else know how subtitles are handled by the DVD Spec/DVD Players?
Thanks for that suggestion. As you say it would be interesting to see how the DVD Spec says this should be handled. I must admit I think (but I'm not sure) that some players turn on subtitles by default.
There's certainly a difference in how some manufacturers work things. Press the subtitle button on my Sony and it turns subtitles on or off. Press the subtitle button on my Toshiba and it brings up a dialogue box and you then have to navigate to another box to confirm that you want to change the subtitles on or off.
One thought, if you have the first subtitle track empty is there a danger that people will navigate to that and wonder where the subtitles have gone?
Many thanks for your input.
Hi
The DVD specification allows a disk to use a predefined menu specifically for setting up subtitles. What your Toshiba remote subtitle button has is in effect a 'Subtitle Menu' button, which is pre-programmed to navigate to this menu.
If your disk hasn't got such a menu then it looks like the player's firmware provides its own version to allow you to choose to show the sub-picture (subtitle) stream.
The Sony player, like most these days, doesn't have a Subtitle Menu button, it has a simpler button which just enables the sub-picture stream, or toggles through the various different streams.
The DVD spec allows the remote to have both types of button. (And the same for Audio, Angles and Chapters).
Commercial DVD authoring software allows the system registers of the DVD player to be manipulated by the disk on "First Play' so as to either show or hide the subtitles.
Some lesser software allows the creation of a subtitle stream which is 'turned off' (rather like the Enable Clip menu option in some NLE apps), which then shouldn't show when the DVD is played until the remote button is pressed.
However I have DVD players which work exactly the opposite ways to one another. One defaults to show the subtitles, the other doesn't...
Regards
PaulD (the other one!)
PaulD (the other one!) has it spot on. Both of my DVD Players (KIIRO838d & Pioneer DV-350) have options in the Setup Menus to switch subtitles on or off by default and when on, which langauge should be used as the default.
Have now switched subtitles off by default on both players, which has allowed me to remove my empty subtitle track - which I never liked having in the first place. The use of subtitles is pretty new to me, so have never come across this problem before.
For me DVDA2 has the edge over DVD Workshop, as it allows you to build Audio & Subtile Selection Menus into your project.
Thanks for the information provided.
Regards
Many thanks (from Paul D to PaulD) for that interesting info.
It would be nice if DVD Workshop included menu items for audio and subtitle tracks, but having just done my first major DVD project, what I really feel the need of is one application that integrates video editing and DVD authoring in one package. I've got Liquid Edition which does both, but the lack of multiple audio tracks and subtitles meant it was a non-starter for this project.
Thanks again for the information.