DVD Subtitles with Recording Date - A Task for
DV_DateCode
"How can i add the recording date of my DV videos to a DVD video?"
This is the question why DV_DateCode was created for. Since DVD subtitles can be switched
on and off during playback, they don't disturb the video as much as burned-in subtitles.
But how can we transfer the DV recording date to DVD subtitles?
DV_DateCode reads recording date and time from a DV AVI file and feeds this result into other
programs for DVD subtitle creation.
The following way is a low-cost solution to do this. Nowadays there are more DVD authoring programs
which are capable to create subtitles. You can use these instead of IfoEdit. There is a cool program
called Subtitle Workshop which can convert DV_DateCode files in the subtitle text files needed for a
lot of DVD authoring programs. OK, let's start...
"Which tools do we need?"
- First of all a DV AVI video with recording date and time
- DV_DateCode v0.3 or newer (
DV_DateCode
)
- DVD Subtitle Tools v1.3 or newer (
web.quick.cz/FKasparek)
- MPEG2 Encoder e.g. TMPGEnc v2.58 or newer
- Ein Mux-Programm zum Verbinden der MPEG-Daten mit den Untertitel-Daten
- DVD buring program with DVD-Video templates e.g. Stomp Record Max Now or Nero
1. Suitable DV AVI Videos
Some (all?) DV camcorders write additional data in the recording e.g. recording date and time
During DV transfer between camcorder and PC this data (metadata) is transfered too and it's
captured in the DV AVI file.
But the metadata can be lost during the editing of the video. You should check your favorite
NLE program whether metadata is destroyed (e.g. Adobe Premiere) or changed (e.g. Vegas Video 4).
I started a table with some results. Please report you results...
2. Reading the recording date and time with DV_DateCode
The DV AVI file can be placed on the DV_DateCode icon by Drap-&-Drop. When you start DV_DateCode alone,
you will get a file selector box and you can choose the input DV AVI file. You can start DV_DateCode
with a commandline too. This might be useful for batch operations. The name of the DV AVI file is the
first and only argument. When the result of DV_DateCode is required in following programs, you should
use the '/wait' option of the 'START' command in the batchfile. Otherwise DV_DateCode and the following
commands from the batchfile are working simultaneous.
DV_dateCode creates as output file a SUB-file with the extension .dv_datecode.sub. This is a
text file formatted for the next tool in our collection...
; Script for DVD Subtitle Tools
; Produced by DV_DateCode 0.3 (C) 2003 stef@skydiver.de
;
; Video=E:\dvdatecode\test_avi\tandem\tandem.avi
;
FrameW=720
FrameH=576
FrameRate=25
Delay=0
FontName=Arial
FontCharSet=238
FontSize=23
FontStyle=REGULAR
Contour=1
Palette=3210
Alpha=FFF0
OnTop=0
ShowBitmap=0
;
{0}{2}28.07.2002|18:19:24
{1}{27}28.07.2002|18:19:25
{26}{52}28.07.2002|18:19:26
...
{3762}{3788}28.07.2002|19:40:40
{3787}{3813}28.07.2002|19:40:41
{3812}{3838}28.07.2002|19:40:42
{3837}{3863}28.07.2002|19:40:43
{3862}{3888}28.07.2002|19:40:44
...
|
3. Painting the DVD subtitles with DVD Subtitle Tools
F. Kasparek's DVD Subtitle Tools (
web.quick.cz/FKasparek)
take as input the SUB-file and produce a SUP-file.
The SUP-file contains the subtitles rendered as compressed bitmaps. The appearance of the subtitles
(font, fontsize, position...) can be changed by format instructions in the SUB-file. See the instructions
of the DVD Subtitle Tools...
4. MPEG Encoding the DV AVI video
This step is well known from DVDs without subtitles. The changes are:
- DVD subtitles require about 5 KB/s. Therefore you should lower the video bitrate.
When the final DVD is too large, you can transcode the DVD with DVDShrink or similar tools.
- IfoEdit as DVD authoring tool wants Elementary Streams (ES). When your favorite MPEG
encoder produces Program Streams (PS) only, you can demux these with TMPGEnc.
- I have trouble with IfoEdit in combination with audio in WAV format. The video is played
back nearly twice as fast. This depends not on subtitles. Audio in MPEG1 Audio Layer II format or
Dolby Digital AC3 Format works.
5. Mixing all information with IfoEdit
IfoEdits function 'DVD Author' collects the three files (MPEG2 Video file, MPEG1
Audio Layer II or Dolby Digital AC3 Audio file and SUP file) and produces the structur of
a DVD-Video (VOB, IFO and BUP-files).
The subtitles require a small adjustment in the fresh IFO files. At four positions inside the
of the VTS_01_0.IFO file the colors have to be specified. Otherwise you get ugly subtitles in
green on black! Read more about this adjustment in the manual of the DVD Subtitle Tools.
6. Burning the DVD-Video
This is te final task. I hope you know this process from regular DVD authoring.
Happy DVD Authoring...
Stefan
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