Completed Plug-in request: Subtitle plug-in

[yardameus 220]

I started this in the previous forum, but I again wanted to plead for the subtitle downloader plugin for MB3. MB Classic and MB Theater would be awesome, but I figure just for MBT would suffice. After living without it for the last few months, I realized how many times I would use the MB2 plugin. I personally don't like subtitles, but the wife does so it's helpful with a few remote clicks to have the subtitle.

[Redshirt 1487]

It should actually be a server plugin, that way all the clients can consume the subtitles. I agree it would be a nice addition.

[Luke 38551]

yes, Red is right, it should be a server plugin.

[yardameus 220]

Can you call a server plugin from the client? Like with Trakt, how you have the Trakt server plugin, but then have the MB Classic plugin so you can rate? If it were just server, than awesome, I just thought in order to tell it from the menu to download a subtitle, it had to be client specific.

 

[Redshirt 1487]

In my mind it would be better served as an automated server plugin that, like the tmdb/tvdb providers. If an item doesn't have a subtitle, the provider just silently acquires it in the background. If one can't be found, it checks again in 14 days or whatever the refresh interval is. No fuss, no muss... they just appear

Edited October 19, 2013 by Redshirt

[yardameus 220]

I guess that would make more sense, especially with the option to display or not display the subtitles with MBT.  I really wish I knew how to program.  Gonna have to brainstorm about some places to recruit someone to make this.  Thanks for the input guys.

[kamakamadaun 6]

Whoever might be willing to make this might look into this library: https://github.com/Diaoul/subliminal

It is for example used by this fork of sickbeard: https://github.com/junalmeida/Sick-Beard

[doron 8]

There was a thread about this in the old forum here. One user even said he's on it, but unfortunately hasn't checked back. 

 

This is really important for some of us -- here, it is the last straw that keeps an MB2 instance running. (I tried to have subliminal run routinely on a nearby unix box but it has too many issues.)

 

The plugin for MB2 did the right thing, all we need is someone to do the very same for MB3 server.

[ebr 15377]

I'm sure I'm not the best one to develop this as I never use subtitles but, for the sake of argument, what would be the order of these sources for subs in terms of quality and availability?

 

opensubtitle.org

theSubDb.com

subtitleseeker.com

allSubs.org

[other?]

[yardameus 220]

I can't really speak to which is better than any others.  There is also subscene.com.  I've had the best luck with opensubtitle.org.  I've only recently encountered subscene through the app Sublight.  Handy, but hit or miss on some subtitles and some uploaders have accounts that you have to have an account for, so that would be a pain.

[doron 8]

Hi ebr,

 

There's also:

http://www.podnapisi.net/

http://www.tvsubtitles.net/

http://www.bierdopje.com/

 

(and I presume you mean opensubtiteS.org)

Have you considered using subliminal ? It's a Python library which you can simply call, and it will do the magic for you.

 

Thanks for picking this up!!

[ebr 15377]

I haven't committed to picking this up yet.  It could be difficult for me because I never have used subs.

 

Also, only two responses in here so far so that doesn't tell me this is a huge priority.

[Redshirt 1487]

I'd certainly like to see subtitle downloading as a plug in, but it's not my highest priority. 

[doron 8]

Can't speak about priority in general... can say that here, it is a priority, so much so that an MB2 instance has to remain up and running just for that.

 

I'd happily volunteer to work closely with you for alpha/beta testing, if that makes a difference.

[mranim8or 3]

+1....I'd love to see a subtitle downloader as well

[kreeturez 27]

Another +1; this is actually one of my favorite XBMC features so would love go see it here!

[aspdend 174]

I would like to see this too - but I would like to see MBT more developed first...

[Cheesegeezer 3095]

Whoever might be willing to make this might look into this library: https://github.com/Diaoul/subliminal

It is for example used by this fork of sickbeard: https://github.com/junalmeida/Sick-Beard

Unfortunately both are written in python.

 

The biggest problem i can see with this plugin is getting the right subtitles for each movie type, fps and length. As this will greatly affect when the subtitles appear in the movie. So to correct any inconsistencies each client would need to add an delay/advance adjustment in the player to allow the user to tune subs to movie.

[Aphid 212]

A lot of these databases allow you to retrieve subtitles by file hash, so if you are using files from a major release group, rather than one you encoded yourself, they will usually find the correct subs.

[WWWestern 94]

I'm sure I'm not the best one to develop this as I never use subtitles but, for the sake of argument, what would be the order of these sources for subs in terms of quality and availability?

 

opensubtitle.org

theSubDb.com

subtitleseeker.com

allSubs.org

[other?]

notabenoid.com/ - for Russian subs

[radeon 702]

This has been on my radar for a while. I'm not promising anything but once I get some new features out of the way on my other plugins, I may take a look. Again, I don't much use subs but I may try and rope @@Cheesegeezer in on the mix and what what we can pull off if we bump heads.

[doron 8]

The biggest problem i can see with this plugin is getting the right subtitles for each movie type, fps and length. As this will greatly affect when the subtitles appear in the movie. So to correct any inconsistencies each client would need to add an delay/advance adjustment in the player to allow the user to tune subs to movie.

 

The subtitle databases are built to address this. They provide you with subtitles based on file hashes (as already mentioned by Aphid) or file names (on which you typically apply some right hand side fuzziness), plus language code. They're not 100% correct and sometimes come up with funny results, but the in the vast majority of cases they do very well.

 

There are some issues to work around with encoding. I'll be more than happy to engage as alpha and general advice for anyone picking this up,

[radeon 702]

The subtitle databases are built to address this. They provide you with subtitles based on file hashes (as already mentioned by Aphid) or file names (on which you typically apply some right hand side fuzziness), plus language code. They're not 100% correct and sometimes come up with funny results, but the in the vast majority of cases they do very well.

 

There are some issues to work around with encoding. I'll be more than happy to engage as alpha and general advice for anyone picking this up,

 

You sound way more suited to the job than we are! Why dont you pick this up? You already have a lot of knowledge on the workings of the subtitles.

[Tikuf 663]

I can tell you right now that will not work unless there is a timeshift and the only way that can happen is with human intervention which kind of defeats the purpose of an automated fetching system (sure it will get you a subtitle file) but without an external program to shift the subs in the actual file this will be a pita.

 

Sure this will be able to be done. It would be relatively easy on files that are played locally where it can be tweaked but on transcoded files changing the pts of the subs while possible will have to start a new transcode for every test until the user is happy that said i can write the c/l required we would then have to have a mechanism for recording the correct delay in the database (from every client). I'm not sure it wouldn't be easier for everyone to get subs for files then match them up outside mb (if you rip all your own content the subs are available for you to use).

 

Subs work on presentation time stamps only so unless duration of the subs file that is downloaded exactly matches the file length of my file the subs will be out of sync and as you all know even 1 sec is annoying.

 

Just my 2 cents.

[Cheesegeezer 3095]

Thanks @@Tikuf for strengthening my point i made earlier

 

 

Unfortunately both are written in python.

The biggest problem i can see with this plugin is getting the right subtitles for each movie type, fps and length. As this will greatly affect when the subtitles appear in the movie. So to correct any inconsistencies each client would need to add an delay/advance adjustment in the player to allow the user to tune subs to movie.

 

 

Also, you may know this, does MB's ffprobe get the hash from the movie?  This could be another way to go to ensure a higher success rate if this plugin is to be developed?

Edited December 7, 2013 by Cheesegeezer