Since they are not part of the video image, video compression does not affect them, and with a good subtitle renderer, they are sharp and crisp - a huge benefit to readability. Unlike with a DVD though, digital softsubs are actually text (DVD subtitles are pictures) which adds many nice features at the cost of complexity. The subtitling can be turned on or off as needed, and multiple languages can be supported with just one combined media file. This method can be best compared to subtitles on most DVDs. Softsubbing is a method that keeps subtitles seperate from the video and relies on the playback device to combine the two when the video is being played. The increase in bitrate necessary is typically around 3 to 10%.Ĭhanging the subtitles requires a re-encode of the video source, which can add a lot of time and extra work to the release process. This, of course, means an increased filesize, or lower quality at the same size. Under typical circumstances, the inclusion of the subtitles will cause an increase in the bitrate needed for the video to keep the same quality. This effect is especially evident at lower bitrates. This will cause compression artifacts along the edges of the encoded subtitle, and blurring of the subtitle. Subtitles add a sharp contrast in a video image due to their nature. This, by the nature of lossy video encoding, causes a reduction in video quality. The method of hardsubbing requires that the source video is re-encoded so the subtitles can be written on the image. Also, these stylings will show back exactly the same on any device, unlike softsubs which depend on the playback device to properly intrepret and display the stylings.ĭespite what some may call numerous advantages for hardsubbing, there are several distinct disadvantages that should be evaluated before making a decision. Many playback devices and computer platforms cannot display the special fonts and formattings that softsubs contain, but this problem is removed with hardsubs, where the style is preserved. However, the presence of very good subtitle extractors designed for the purpose of extracting this embedded text removes much of the argument that hardsubs prevent script stealing. Some people argue that with hardsubs, scripts are harder to steal, since the text is embedded in the image - thieves cannot simply extract subtitles as in a softsub. Even in softsubbed anime fansubs, the opening and closing karaoke are often hardsubbed because of the special effects used. You are also often able to make special effects that would be difficult to replicate in a soft subtitle format, because of the large amount of CPU usage required to renderer them. Since the text is already part of the video, it will only take as much processing as the unsubtitled video would. Hardsubbing is usually much less demanding on the playback device. Digital hardsubs are much like subtitled VHS tapes the subtitles cannot be turned off.

Hardsubbing is a method that 'burns in' subtitles into the actual video portion of a movie. 6.2 Variant 2: distributing script files.6.1 Variant 1: softsubs inside the video container.

Import aegisub effects