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xfire
06-30-2008, 07:24 AM
Styled Subs in Linux
Most anime watchers who download anime must be knowing what styled subs are but for those who don't know styled subs are special type of subtitles which have different fonts. The picture below demonstrates why exactly styled subs are needed.
Here's a picture to show a particular video with styled subs disabled
http://img2.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/de394fd0d8.png (http://www.freeimagehosting.net/)
Here's the same one with styled subs enabled
http://img2.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/8f1e5c86c8.png (http://www.freeimagehosting.net/)
Now in the next to images notice the position of the word [Fail]
http://img2.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/th.4b9fdf7512.png (http://img2.freeimagehosting.net/image.php?4b9fdf7512.png)

http://img2.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/th.15d10784e6.png (http://img2.freeimagehosting.net/image.php?15d10784e6.png)
In the first one the word[Fail] is at the bottom and is white in color , while in the second one when styled subs are enabled it is displayed right under the Japanese word for fail and is black in color
Here's the perfect demonstration of styled sub in windows media player classic with vobsub filter
http://img2.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/th.64c4a152b1.jpg (http://img2.freeimagehosting.net/image.php?64c4a152b1.jpg)
Here is the same picture in Mplayer without styled subs
http://img2.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/f83e96e4e3.png (http://www.freeimagehosting.net/)
Here is the same picture of Mplayer with styled subs
http://img2.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/fac4af6209.png (http://www.freeimagehosting.net/)
Note that it still isn't completely perfect but it is almost there

Getting Styled subs to work
Now the best player for these kind of files is Smplayer. Even mplayer does the job.
You can get them from the following places
Smplayer (http://smplayer.sourceforge.net/downloads.php?tr_lang=en&PHPSESSID=b93ee03fae2e6e3928d87e9bc7d00584)
mplayer (http://www.mplayerhq.hu/design7/dload.html)
After dowloading Smplayer or mplayer right click at any part of the player and select preferences(or you can hit cntrl+p for Smplayer). Now go to subtitles settings, for Smplayer select SSA/ASS Library tab and select use SSA/ASS library, for mplayerunser subtitles & OSD tab select SSA/ASS subtitle rendering.
Here the pictures of the preferences of mplayes and smplayer respectively
http://img2.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/th.c7dcddd670.png (http://img2.freeimagehosting.net/image.php?c7dcddd670.png)

http://img2.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/th.c7a27650a1.png (http://img2.freeimagehosting.net/image.php?c7a27650a1.png)
Now load the file you want to play and enjoy!
Note: For Mplayer each time you load it you have to select channel 0 for subtitles.

P.S: click on the images to enlarge

Wile E
07-13-2008, 10:23 PM
Very nice. Thanks a whole lot xfire. That's one of the main things that keeps me using linux a majority of the time.

xfire
07-14-2008, 07:37 AM
Very nice. Thanks a whole lot xfire. That's one of the main things that keeps me using linux a majority of the time.
You're welcome:). I suggest you use Smplayer as it has a better interface and it loads subtitles automatically.
I'm at present downloading Fedora 9.