23

My TV can only play subtitles if they are embedded into the file (eg a MKV or hardcoded over the video).

So given a film in a format (eg MP4) and a subtitle as something like a SRT, how can I combine them into something my TV can play?

Improve this question
24

Short answer

You could use mkvmerge (apt-get install mkvtoolnix) to create a Matroska container and include the subtitles in the output:

mkvmerge -o output.mkv input.mp4 subtitle0.srt subtitle1.srt

This does not require re-encoding, so it is pretty fast.

Further customization

You may set the language and name of each subtitle track:

mkvmerge -o output.mkv input.mp4 \
    --language 0:en --track-name 0:English english_subtitles.srt
    --language 0:es --track-name 0:Español spanish_subtitles.srt

Note that we used for both languages the same track ID (0:), which corresponds to the input video track.

The --language needs to be properly encoded. You can list all allowed ISO 639-2 and ISO 639-1 codes with:

mkvmerge --list-languages

Other useful features

You may also set the title of the output video with:

--title "Your title"

We can check how all subtitles were added to the output:

$ mkvmerge -i output.mkv
File 'output.mkv': container: Matroska
Track ID 0: video (MPEG-4p10/AVC/H.264)
Track ID 1: audio (AAC)
Track ID 2: subtitles (SubRip/SRT)
Track ID 3: subtitles (SubRip/SRT)

If you really want to "burn" the subtitles in the video, you may use ffmpeg instead.

Improve this answer
4
  • Can you explain how to do this with multiple files? – Sumeet Deshmukh Jun 19 '17 at 2:33
  • It doesnt support special characters as á à ñ... – Vitor Abella Aug 5 '17 at 0:27
  • Also (as per superuser.com/questions/609113/…) mkvmerge -o output.mkv input.mkv --language 0:ger --track-name '0:German subs' subs.srt – sdaau Oct 25 '18 at 8:47
  • @SumeetDeshmukh A bit late, but I actually asked myself the same question and took the opportunity to update the answer. :-) – Peque Nov 19 '20 at 20:39
10

Try HandBrake. HandBrake is an open-source, GPL-licensed, multiplatform, multithreaded video transcoder, available for MacOS X, Linux and Windows. it allows users to add subtitles as a part of the movie with the option to turn the subtitle on and off. Something like DVD movie subtitles.

To install HandBrake from Ubuntu PPA:

  1. In terminal window enter: sudo add-apt-repository ppa:stebbins/handbrake-releases Your system will now fetch the PPA's key.
  2. Now just update the list of software repos, including the PPA you just added, by using apt-get: sudo apt-get update
  3. Open "Ubuntu Software Center" and check your "Sound & Video" category. You can also filter results by clicking the small down-arrow on right-side of "All Software" option and select your PPA.

OR

If you are using Karmic (9.10) or later, you can just click on "Technical details about this PPA" link on the PPA page and select your Ubuntu version. sources.list entries hence shown can be added directly to your system's software sources: System Setting > Software Sources > Other Software(Tab).

Improve this answer
4
  • 2
    you can even use vlc's convert/save feature to hard-sub videos. – codegenki Apr 5 '12 at 21:48
  • 1
    I couldn't install handbrake. I add the ppa and update, should I also add the lines frome here: launchpad.net/~stebbins/+archive/handbrake-releases to the system software source? If do, how? – yinon Apr 6 '12 at 7:47
  • 1
    just updated my answer, just check it. similar instructions can be found on HandBrake Releases page. – codegenki Apr 6 '12 at 13:10
  • Handbreak is not yet available for 12.04. Only daily non-stable snapshots. I recommend waiting a bit for it since they are fixing a couple of saving issues. – Luis Alvarado May 11 '12 at 10:31
5

I added them with avconv like:

avconv -i The.Hunt.For.Red.October.1990.1080p.BluRay.x264.anoXmous_.mp4 -f srt -i The.Hunt.For.Red.October.1990.1080p.BluRay.x264.anoXmous_.spa.srt -c:v copy -c:a copy -c:s mov_text The.Hunt.For.Red.October.1990.1080p.BluRay.x264.anoXmous_subtitles.mp4
Improve this answer
5

you can use avidemux.

To install

sudo apt-get install avidemux

The procedure:

1.Launch avidemux.

2.Open the .avi file.

3.Select a video encoder from the pull-down menu on the left pane, where it says Video.

4.Configure the encoder by clicking the "Configure" button.

5.Add a subtitler filter. First click on the "Filters" button in the left pane (under Video).

7.To finalize the process, click Save and type in a name for the output file.

More You can use VLC

  1. Make a new folder and keep the movie file inside that folder.

  2. put the subtitle file into the folder that you have created.

  3. Rename the subtitle with the movie name and use .srt extension at the last

Read more on.

Improve this answer
1

Use ffmpeg:

ffmpeg -i "/tmp/toggle-android-lib-and-layout.mp4" -f srt -i "/tmp/toggle-android-lib-and-layout.srt" -c:v copy -c:a copy -c:s mov_text /tmp/t.mp4 -y
Improve this answer

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.