[JohnnyD2]

Hi,

Not to flame the devs here, but I've been using XBMC for some time now and I've only just found out how lame the subtitle concept is.

I'm being quite harsh about this for one reason and one reason only - it's a REALLY old issue and REALLY easy to fix - set them off (false) by default in guisettings.xml!

Anyway onto the scenario - I've been converting my blu rays to mkv with embedded subtitles and vlc\MPC-HC plays them all fine. What happens with XBMC? Subtitles. How do I turn them off? I dunno, there's no 'subtitles' toggle anywhere in any of the menus. Certainly not anything that says something useful like 'toggle subtitles'.

Now EVENTUALLY I find out that 't' (obviously!) toggles them. But it's not in the OSD (Aeon Nox) and it's not in any menu I could see. I search the net - LOTS of people complaining about exactly the same issue way back to 2003. That's EIGHT YEARS.

Seriously. For the enormous hard work that's been put into this product, why for the love of all that's good would you leave something on by default which will - at some point - annoy everyone except a very, very small minority of the population??

And why would you make it the default when it's so hard to find how to change it\turn it off? And why would you make something so visual so hard to turn off?

The only reason that there aren't more people up in arms is that there are so few files with subtitles embedded. But now that technology is at a point where it's becoming more common, it's about time something was done.

Please, please make 'off' the default? Or create a 'global' setting? (e.g. '2' in the database is the default and means... 'use the global setting' - which defaults to 'off'. This would also allow you to keep using 0, and 1 in the database as subtitlesoff and subtitleson respectively).

Very little re-coding involved for that?

C'mon... whaddya say?

[/rant]

P.S. This isn't just an empty rant - I'm just getting into coding XBMC plugins and I'll be making this my second one. i.e. turning the setting off in guisettings and 'backdating' it - since it doesn't apply to videos already imported - so that it DOES include everything already in the library...

JD

[Hudson_Hawk04]

there is an open subtitle addon that works quite well, well at least the last time i checked. The best advice I can give is that people who live in glass houses don't throw bricks...

see link given specifically the last post.
http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=75437

What normally happens is what I did, just focus on the gripe...like i just did..
next time do some research or god forbid ask nicely...it never hurt anyone.

[CASHMON3Y]

Oh. Wow. Open the OSD and open the sound/audio options and uncheck subtitles.

[dan350zr]

When The movie is playing move your mouse arrow to the top of the screen and click on the speaker icon, you will see a setting for subtitles, unclick it and then at the bottom of the menu click on apply to all as default...

Subtitle problem gone....

Took me like 30 mins to figure it out... you can also go into "Settings" and find the same menu in there to change the default of the subtitles...

What do you expect for something that is free or at most a small contribution you make to the site.....

XBMC is the best media front end out there, blows away Windows Media Center...

[Japaja]

I wish there was a toggle so we could turn you off.. seriously you name a thread "Subtitle support SUCKS" just because you don't know how to use a program or read it's documentation?

This is directly from XBMC Online Manual:

Subtitles

By default subtitles are turned on, and can be turned ON/OFF manually from the On Screen Display (OSD).

There is no global ON/OFF setting for subtitles, as this setting is stored on a per-video basis, but you can quickly set the setting on all videos by manually changing it using the OSD, then hitting "Set as default for all movies".

Note that this will save *all* settings from this page as the default for all movies, not just the subtitle option.

[gabbott]

I wish there was a toggle so we could turn you off.. seriously you name a thread "Subtitle support SUCKS" just because you don't know how to use a program or read it's documentation?

This is directly from XBMC Online Manual:

Subtitles

By default subtitles are turned on, and can be turned ON/OFF manually from the On Screen Display (OSD).

There is no global ON/OFF setting for subtitles, as this setting is stored on a per-video basis, but you can quickly set the setting on all videos by manually changing it using the OSD, then hitting "Set as default for all movies".

Note that this will save *all* settings from this page as the default for all movies, not just the subtitle option.

Exactly, the OP needs to realize that

Most of my files have subs embedded that I don't use but when I do a new XBMC build I just take the 20 seconds to do the above and problem solved. This really isn't an issue.

OP just needs to know how to ask since they haven't searched correctly, for example:
http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=100866

[StefanM]

I am looking forward to the response from the OP

[topfs2]

I feel I need to state that the reasoning behind why having them on by default is valid.

The majority of the people on this earth most likely want the subtitles on. Most non-english native uses subtitles always and there are more non-english native countries than english native countries Another reason is if you consider that the people wanting them on are most often those which can't find the settings (older people, non-techy people etc.)

Finally consider that it doesn't harm to have them on (more than esthetic's) but it may harm someone if you don't have them on by default

Also, its kindof standardized among all dvdplayers and media players alike to have them on by default, I see no reason why it would be better to go against the stream in this.

Cheers,
Tobias.

[gabbott]

Just another note that xbmc also respects the 'forced flag' for subtitles in the matroska container. This is great because for titles that have a foreign soundtrack, I can enable that flag for the subs I want and regardless of setting them off as default for all movies, those particular ones will still always display default.

So yes, there is some flexibility with sub support in xbmc.

[darkscout]

Pebkac.

[>>X<<]

The only reason that there aren't more people up in arms is that there are so few files with subtitles embedded. But now that technology is at a point where it's becoming more common, it's about time something was done.

The only reason their not up in arms is because they went to the wiki and typed "subtitles" and as Japaja pointed out it tells you exactly how to turn them off for all video content

Subtitles aren't going to be under video in the OSD are they when its audio related I guess that's where you were looking

Why didn't you save yourself some energy and just ask how do I turn off subs please ?

[Jeroen]

Your ability to RTFM before ranting SUCKS

[The_Dogg]

...and after being flamed for not RTFM the OP was never seen again LOL

this sh1t is funny

[FishOil]

I feel I need to state that the reasoning behind why having them on by default is valid.

The majority of the people on this earth most likely want the subtitles on. Most non-english native uses subtitles always and there are more non-english native countries than english native countries Another reason is if you consider that the people wanting them on are most often those which can't find the settings (older people, non-techy people etc.)

Finally consider that it doesn't harm to have them on (more than esthetic's) but it may harm someone if you don't have them on by default

Also, its kindof standardized among all dvdplayers and media players alike to have them on by default, I see no reason why it would be better to go against the stream in this.

Cheers,
Tobias.

Uh......There are THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY MILLION PEOPLE in the United States alone and the vast majority of them could be potential XBMC users (not saying they are). The third world population on this planet is staggering (well over 3 billion, Almost half the planet). The rest of the world is much less likely to even HAVE a computer let alone have XBMC. I think electricity would be a bigger concern. Your reasoning is suspect.

I have NEVER bought a dvd or dvd player and had to turn OFF subtitles.

With that being said, I could care less if they are on by default or not.

[topfs2]

Uh......There are THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY MILLION PEOPLE in the United States alone and the vast majority of them could be potential XBMC users (not saying they are). The third world population on this planet is staggering (well over 3 billion, Almost half the planet). The rest of the world is much less likely to even HAVE a computer let alone have XBMC. I think electricity would be a bigger concern. Your reasoning is suspect.

I have NEVER bought a dvd or dvd player and had to turn OFF subtitles.

With that being said, I could care less if they are on by default or not.

Yes, majority of USA has a computer and everything not third world are unlikely to own a computer. And you call my logic suspect

My point was more that there are likely more people wanting subtitles on by default because you have a large non native population and even if we disregard that many native speaking I'm guessing wants it (elderly or handicapped etc).

And the final point was that even if the majority wants it on by default itsa feature those that carecan easily turn off those who need it aren't as surely to be able to turn on. And those that don't need it will most likely be less bothered by them being on than those which need it who can't turn it on.

And i have never bought a DVD in America in Sweden they are on by default from experience. If we sold a ln xbmc box in America we could provably turn it off by default on those shipped units, we are a global app in this discussion though.

Edit: sorry for spelling posted from phone

Cheers,
Tobias