Any HandBrake (The Video Conversion Software) Users/Experts?

[offspring86]

I'm backing up my DVD collection to make space. Everything has gone swimmingly so far but I have come across an issue with a film with partial foreign language. Most of the film is in English, but then portions are spoken in a foreign language. With the settings I have, subtitles are off as default, which has provided a problem with this film as they aren't showing for the foreign element.

I have played around with the settings and managed to get the whole thing subtitled, but I can't figure out how to get just the foreign element. Can anyone assist?

[Murph7355]

These are known as "forced" subtitles.

"To enable this functionality within the HandBrake user interface, from the “Subtitles” tab select the “Foreign Audio Search (Bitmap)” option from the “Track” dropdown menu and click the “Forced” Checkbox."

From here:

https://handbrake.fr/docs/en/1.3.0/advanced/subtit...

[offspring86]

Murph7355 said:

These are known as "forced" subtitles.

"To enable this functionality within the HandBrake user interface, from the “Subtitles” tab select the “Foreign Audio Search (Bitmap)” option from the “Track” dropdown menu and click the “Forced” Checkbox."

From here:

https://handbrake.fr/docs/en/1.3.0/advanced/subtit...

Thank you, I'll try that. Oddly enough I did try accessing their website yesterday to search but it was down so assumed it was no longer being maintained.

[stemll]

offspring86 said:

Murph7355 said:

These are known as "forced" subtitles.

"To enable this functionality within the HandBrake user interface, from the “Subtitles” tab select the “Foreign Audio Search (Bitmap)” option from the “Track” dropdown menu and click the “Forced” Checkbox."

From here:

https://handbrake.fr/docs/en/1.3.0/advanced/subtit...

Thank you, I'll try that. Oddly enough I did try accessing their website yesterday to search but it was down so assumed it was no longer being maintained.

I've actually found the opposite to be more reliable on over 700 DVDs I've ripped and converted (I wish I hadn't looked up how many there are!). Select "Foreign Audio Search" but untick "Forced Only" as selecting forced only means it will only display any that are actually set as forced (in which case you won't need to select them). I tend to set this for every film just in case and most work just fine. I also tick Burned In so I don't have to turn them on and they are always there (I'm assuming you are converting to MP4 or similar?).

What are you using to rip the disc in the first place? I have found MakeMKV the most reliable (and free) by far.

The worst for subtitles was The French Connection, I spent absolutely ages trying to get subtitles for the French bits before I found out that there aren't any!!

Out of interest which film is it?

[offspring86]

stemll said:

What are you using to rip the disc in the first place? I have found MakeMKV the most reliable (and free) by far.

Unless I’m missing an extra step, I’m just using Handbrake? I’m very new to this process and have only copied a couple of my DVDs, it would be good to know now if I’ve missed something!

stemll said:

Out of interest which film is it?

Dances With Wolves. There are quite large elements of the dialogue spoken in Lakota.

[Murph7355]

Out of the box Handbrake won't rip copy protected discs (which is most of the ones you buy with movies on).

You can make it rip them (https://www.dumbofab.com/resource/how-to-use-handbrake-rip-dvds.html) but IME it's not reliable in terms of being able to break the copy protection (I am obviously referring to backing up discs rather than pirating. Though technically even backing them up is verboten).

I've used MakeMKV for ripping before but also found that patchy (I have over 1,000 discs now, bought over the last 25yrs). And the issue with the freeware/openware applications is that if you find a disc that won't rip, getting a fix isn't always quick.

I use DVDFab. I paid $30 for it...you can run it in trial mode for free, but I found it reliable enough that I was prepared to pay for it. When discs can't rip they are quick to fix them.

I've started buying 4k UHD discs now and, again, DVDFab has been more reliable than MakeMKV. I've not had to shell out for it yet as have only bought 4x discs...and the software is a chunk more expensive. So until I feel the urge to buy more discs (at present there aren't that many decent transfers to full 4k UHD standards that warrant the extra cost) I'll wait on that.

My process is:

1. disc in computer drive
2. use DVDFab to rip the disc raw (Video_TS files/folders/etc). These will play in native form on Kodi so you lose no quality at all
3. use Handbrake to rip an MP4 version of it (for use where I have smaller TVs or for mobile use)

[stemll]

As Murph7355 says Handbrake's ripping ability is limited (or used to be anyway) and you need a plugin to do it at all. If you have done some I assume you have done this.

MakeMKV has ripped everything I have tried but sometimes it's not a one click think. A recent disc had 4 apparently identical titles and three of them kept stopping when played after ripping so I ended up having to do all of them until I found the one that worked (I assume this is deliberate and a crude attempt to stop ripping as the default title won't play.

Anyway, I use MakeMKV to create an mkv file of the title I want with the soundtrack I want and all of the English subtitle tracks. Then feed that mkv into Handbrake to get an mp4. Sure I lose some quality but I don't have a huge TV and may eyesight is lousy so it makes no odds to me. MakeMKV. will rip a disc in about 10-15 minutes.

I used to use SlySoft's AnyDVD and liked that it was single step but refused to pay them for it again when they shutdown in Antigua and reopened as RedFox in Belize and wanted paying again in spite of my "lifetime" licence.