Anime Frustration

[nynex 1]

I am so frustrated. I have a lot of anime that I've ripped from blurays into MKV files. In said MKV files, I set the default language (Japanese) and default subtitles (English) using MKVToolNix and ffmpeg scripts. I have the MKV files setup just how I want them so that any player will simply read them and use the correct language and subtitles.

Emby (and Plex), for some unknown reason, ignores the info in the MKV file and gives me a wide range of default languages and subtitles (sometimes none at all) despite the default info being right in the file that it's reading. I don't understand this. It seems to me that you'd have to go out of your way to design a video server that ignores the info right in the video file. How did that even happen?

I've been trying to get my Anime libraries to work (one for series, one for movies) and I'm about to give up.

I have the libraries configured thusly:

Preferred metadata download language: English
Country: Japan
Preferred image download language: English

I've tried other combinations, but this one works the best. Which isn't very good.

So my question, then, is how can I get Emby to simply pull the default language/subtitles out of an MKV and use that instead of whatever it is that it does. If there's no way to deal with this, then Emby is useless for me. I might as well go back to VLC and Explorer. I never have to mess around with languages and subtitles in other players.

Anyone?

[Abobader 3464]

Hello nynex,

** This is an auto reply **

Please wait for someone from staff support or our members to reply to you.

It's recommended to provide more info, as it explain in this thread:

Thank you.

Emby Team

[Luke 42079]

Hi there, have you configured your emby user subtitle  preferences?

[nynex 1]

I have it set this way:

Preferred subtitle language: English

Subtitle Mode: only forced subtitles

This has given me the best results so far, but it's still all over the place. For instance, with some series, Emby doesn't show any subtitles at all as being available as options to pick from, but there's several in the MKV file.

[Luke 42079]

Quote

Emby doesn't show any subtitles at all as being available as options to pick from, but there's several in the MKV file.

 

Hi there, let's look at an example. Please attach the information requested in how to report a media playback issue. Thanks!

 

[nynex 1]

Okay. I'll gather the required info and post again tomorrow. I'm not at home right now. Thanks!

[pwhodges 2012]

"Only forced subtitles" will probably give you (in anime terminology) the signs & songs subtitle track, not the full dialogue track.

But given that I and many others have loads of anime (and other stuff - anime is not fundamentally different) with subtitles of many types, mostly included within the video file, and playing just how I expect, I'm sure you must be misunderstanding something.  Emby shows me, and gives me the choice of, all the subtitles in the file (though at one time it didn't recognise VTT subs).

On the details screen for a film or episode, are the subtitles listed in the technical details at the bottom?

Paul

[visproduction 315]

Just a guess.  The bandwidth of the media goes past the maximum and the media is transcoded to x.264 for playback which probably doesn't support the embedded subtitles.  In this case you could get a long list of subtitles and non of them work.

[nynex 1]

1 hour ago, pwhodges said:

"Only forced subtitles" will probably give you (in anime terminology) the signs & songs subtitle track, not the full dialogue track.

But given that I and many others have loads of anime (and other stuff - anime is not fundamentally different) with subtitles of many types, mostly included within the video file, and playing just how I expect, I'm sure you must be misunderstanding something.  Emby shows me, and gives me the choice of, all the subtitles in the file (though at one time it didn't recognise VTT subs).

On the details screen for a film or episode, are the subtitles listed in the technical details at the bottom?

Paul

A fellow Weeb!

Thanks for the tip about the S&S. I'll keep that in mind.

I, too, am sure I must be misunderstanding something cause I can't figure this out.

Not all of my anime is broken. Most of it works just fine. Just some don't, and I don't understand why. One in particular (D-Frag) doesn't display subtitles as options at all in Emby, but they're in the MKV.

See below, however. I think I may know what the root of my problem is.

[nynex 1]

20 minutes ago, visproduction said:

Just a guess.  The bandwidth of the media goes past the maximum and the media is transcoded to x.264 for playback which probably doesn't support the embedded subtitles.  In this case you could get a long list of subtitles and non of them work.

I have a theory that your comment has made pop into my hazy brain.

I'm on Windows 11 and I use MakeMKV and a modified 4K drive (the firmware is modified, not the drive) to rip all the movies, concerts, and anime that I buy. However, I'm a Snooty Audiophile and I change settings in MakeMKV to get the best audio because sometimes it's only the audio that I'm after (like from a Live DVD). I'm guessing (wildly) that that might mean that I've been accidentally changing other settings that I'm not even aware of (cause I don't know any better) and maybe that's been messing with Emby. Like I strayed from best practices for Emby cause I'm an audiophile and we go to great lengths to get even the tiniest bit of perceived sound quality improvement. It's a sickness.  Kids, stay away from audiophiles... we're catching. 

I'm good with audio, not video, so that might have all been a lot of dumb. It's all I can think of, though.

[pwhodges 2012]

Are you using the release version of Emby (4.7.x.x) or the beta (4.8.x.x)?  There has been a lot of work in the 4.8 beta to improve the handling of subtitles in edge cases, and ASS subs can now be burned in for clients that can't handle them with full effects (karaoke etc), for instance.  Some problematic PGS subs are better handled as well.  The 4.8 beta is pretty stable now (but still a beta, of course) and may have just the extra capability you need (note - the new burning in code still needs the use of the "diagnostics" plugin to activate it).  There's stuff about the improvements here (can also be installed as a channel in Emby itself).

I generally remux video files made by MakeMKV by running them through MKVToolNix.  This also give you a good view of the main flags.  I also use MediaInfo (installed to run from explorer context menus) to get a more detailed view.  HandBrake is my preferred re-encoding software, but the current version often sets "forced" flags when it shouldn't...  JMkvpropedit is great for setting flags or track names on all files in a series at once.

I am not a "snooty audiophile"  (at 76 my ears don't justify it, though they still work pretty well); but I was trained by the BBC (in radio, not TV), and have recorded and mastered a number of commercial classical CDs as well as being involved in early experimental surround sound [ambisonics].

Paul

[rbjtech 5284]

Perhaps a 'MediaInfo' output for an epsiode that 'works' and 'does not work' would be useful to see the differences in the sub formats/flags ?

As Paul has said above - the latest emby beta has some significant subtitle improvements above and beyond anything I've seen on a media player tbh - so I'm pretty certain it will accommodate your needs.

Edited November 27, 2022 by rbjtech

[nynex 1]

59 minutes ago, rbjtech said:

Perhaps a 'MediaInfo' output for an epsiode that 'works' and 'does not work' would be useful to see the differences in the sub formats/flags ?

As Paul has said above - the latest emby beta has some significant subtitle improvements above and beyond anything I've seen on a media player tbh - so I'm pretty certain it will accommodate your needs.

I will try the beta. Thanks, guys.