Subtitles

[Fintan Gaughan]

I have been happy with get-iplayer for ages now and only use it to
download when I have stupid subtitle delay.
As I am deaf and rely on subtitles , take a look on BBC iplayer
website and watch BBC Click when playing click on small S next to
volume and wait a few minutes . You normally find previous programme
subtitle usually the weather before BBC Click and at one point it
there  was a delay of 5 minutes. Go on try it and see how frustrating
it is!


As you know being a license payer its unacceptable and yes I have
complained a number of times only to get a response “we will look into
it” etc.

I am well aware  of  --suboffset   only problem is not knowing how
much of a delay until I play it and then re download  subtitles with a
different delay time.

So let me tell you what my set up at home and then hopefully you give
me an idea/solution to a problem that I have.

I have a xbmc and mythtv set up at home majority of my recordings is
done via mythtv, I do up to 4 recording of a same program.
For example  Top Gear I’d be happy watching it every week  and say
from 4th   episode onwards it start to use live subtitles  even though
it’s not a live show  so there is a subtitle delay .
I then watch a repeat  it could be a 2nd 3rd or 4th showing  and
subtitles usually be perfect timing with correct spelling

BBC tells us due time constraints not all programmes make it in time
for subtitlers  so they use live subtitles.
As you may aware that live subtitles they use automatic computer
speech recognition and they are not perfect.
So my guess is subtitlers  use automatic computer speech recognition
and they correct it with timing and spellings before it gets 2nd  3rd
or 4th  showing.
So as you can see why I have mythtv to re-record if 1st showing uses
live subtitles ,BBC click always uses live subtitles even its repeated
so many so i never record it.

If live subtitles still being used despite number rerecording  then
this is where get_iplayer subtitles comes to play and I adjust the
timing myself.
I map my keys to remote control and once I start xbmc and Top Gear
starts I adjust the timing while its playing , i can speed up or slow
it down at the touch of a button on remote control rather than having
to re-download subtitles and guessing the sub offset time.

Only problem I have is that XBMC does not play mp4 is there a way of
get iplayer to record to avi?


-- 
My Blog http://www.gaughan.co.uk/