How do I rip a DVD and put my own subs (for Densha Otoko)

[wes88]

Hi, I have this series on DVD but the English subtitles are very mediocre. It makes me wonder why it's so difficult for the production company to hire a decent translator.

I noticed that this forum has subtitle files for this series in SRT format. I was thinking about ripping the DVD to AVI files and then adding the SRT subtitle file to the AVI file. Is this possible? What would be the best course of action?

The DVD has soft subtitles (can be turned on or off) so I assume that I can turn off the subtitles when ripping to AVI (so that it is a pure video file). Can I then add the better subtitles that the forum members have contributed?

Cheers.

[aNToK]

Ripping the vid from the dvd is how many of us get them in the first place. I use DVD Decrypter, though there's a few others that will do most of it automatically.

[groink]

The DVD you bought may be a Chinese bootleg. I don't think Fuji TV ever released the TV series with English subtitles (the movie version with Yamada has subs.)

--- groink

[wes88]

It's an original DVD from Malaysia, not a fake. Original doesn't guarantee good english subs. Even a Korean Drama series that I bought from HMV in Singapore had poor subs (bad grammar, typos, and sentences that just didn't make sense).

Thanks for the help. I'll definitely have a go at ripping the DVD.

[Kazuya_]

That's a bootleg. One sure indication is the poor subs that you mentioned. And the price you paid. If you paid a fairly low price it's a bootleg. The official Region 2 DVD will cost you big time. Anywhere from 15000 Yen to 25000 Yen ( $150 to $250 USD. )

And just because it's got a fancy box and looks official in Malaysia or another other country for that matter doesn't mean it's not a bootleg. Only a Region 2 DVD released in Japan would be considered an official DVD. And 99.9 of those do not have subs. Only Region 2 MOVIES that you might find on Yesasia for example would be considered official releases and include subs. Not dramas.

[wes88]

Thanks for clearing that up. The price I paid was only about $18 USD so it is most likely a bootleg copy.

So even the dramas sold on Yes Asia are bootleg copies and not official releases?

[wes88]

When ripping a DVD to an avi file, what size does the avi file have to be to ensure that there is no difference in quality?

The DVD disc is a single layer - approx 4.25GB and there are 4 episodes on the disc.

Cheers.