Android MiniClient - Subtitle + CC support

[stuckless]

My understanding is that the Android MiniClient should work with .srt files, right now. Could I get someone to confirm if that is the case, and if not, then open an issue.

Handling embedded subtitles is a completely different task, and I might support this initially in ExoPlayer, since they provide access to the Text stream. Jeff provided me with the details on how I need to pass this information to the server, so it might be easier to build and test using ExoPlayer and then modify IJKPlayer to support it as well.

If people have sample files with CC or embedded subtitles, I'd like to get a sample for testing.

[EnterNoEscape]

Originally Posted by stuckless

My understanding is that the Android MiniClient should work with .srt files, right now. Could I get someone to confirm if that is the case, and if not, then open an issue.

Handling embedded subtitles is a completely different task, and I might support this initially in ExoPlayer, since they provide access to the Text stream. Jeff provided me with the details on how I need to pass this information to the server, so it might be easier to build and test using ExoPlayer and then modify IJKPlayer to support it as well.

If people have sample files with CC or embedded subtitles, I'd like to get a sample for testing.

If you didn't delete them already, all of the video files I sent you had closed captioning still embedded in the video.

[HelenWeathers]

Originally Posted by EnterNoEscape

If you didn't delete them already, all of the video files I sent you had closed captioning still embedded in the video.

Same here for the ones I sent the first of the year.

[stuckless]

Originally Posted by EnterNoEscape

If you didn't delete them already, all of the video files I sent you had closed captioning still embedded in the video.

Originally Posted by HelenWeathers

Same here for the ones I sent the first of the year.

Perfect... I'll analyze the videos to see which ones have embedded subtitles.

@EnterNoEscape, since you create .srt files for your videos, do you know if the Android MiniClient actually shows them?

[EnterNoEscape]

Originally Posted by stuckless

Perfect... I'll analyze the videos to see which ones have embedded subtitles.

@EnterNoEscape, since you create .srt files for your videos, do you know if the Android MiniClient actually shows them?

I actually am not doing it with all of my recordings, just the ones I'm testing with the next OpenDCT version. I'll make a few happen and let you know what happens.

[nyplayer]

Originally Posted by stuckless

My understanding is that the Android MiniClient should work with .srt files, right now. Could I get someone to confirm if that is the case, and if not, then open an issue.

Handling embedded subtitles is a completely different task, and I might support this initially in ExoPlayer, since they provide access to the Text stream. Jeff provided me with the details on how I need to pass this information to the server, so it might be easier to build and test using ExoPlayer and then modify IJKPlayer to support it as well.

If people have sample files with CC or embedded subtitles, I'd like to get a sample for testing.

I tried it with video files with srt subtitles and it does not work.

[EnterNoEscape]

I ran a few through the Android miniclient and it worked surprisingly well. I found one with a sync problem, but the HD300 had the same issue with the same recording. It was 20/20, so it's possible that the real problem was "live" closed captioning.

If you want to see similar results, just grab a copy of the CCExtractor source and compile it for Linux. It's really easy since everything needed short of the usual build tools is a part of the package.

[nyplayer]

Originally Posted by EnterNoEscape

I ran a few through the Android miniclient and it worked surprisingly well. I found one with a sync problem, but the HD300 had the same issue with the same recording. It was 20/20, so it's possible that the real problem was "live" closed captioning.

If you want to see similar results, just grab a copy of the CCExtractor source and compile it for Linux. It's really easy since everything needed short of the usual build tools is a part of the package.

Mine did not work ... on the Nexus Player. They work in kodi just fine ... on the Nexus Player

[EnterNoEscape]

Originally Posted by nyplayer

Mine did not work ... on the Nexus Player. They work in kodi just fine ... on the Nexus Player

I was using the Nexus Player, so you can imagine my surprise that you had a different experience.

[nyplayer]

Originally Posted by EnterNoEscape

I was using the Nexus Player, so you can imagine my surprise that you had a different experience.

What type of file ??? H.264 MPEG2 or mp4?

PS in Kodi you can offset the SRT file to sync with the video.

MP4 Works cannot offset though.

Edit found the offset got them in Sync.

[EnterNoEscape]

Originally Posted by nyplayer

What type of file ??? H.264 MPEG2 or mp4?

It was a small sampling of MPEG-2 video, MPEG-TS files with .srt files with matching names. Ex. Recording.ts, Recording.srt

I haven't tested it, but I understand you can have multiple subtitle options for one recording like so:
Recording.ts
Recording.cc1.srt
Recording.cc2.srt

I have also added captioning via .srt to one of your recordings and it worked well.

Note that you need to enable subtitles, not closed captioning when using .srt files.

[nyplayer]

Originally Posted by EnterNoEscape

It was a small sampling of MPEG-2 video, MPEG-TS files with .srt files with matching names. Ex. Recording.ts, Recording.srt

I haven't tested it, but I understand you can have multiple subtitle options for one recording like so:
Recording.ts
Recording.cc1.srt
Recording.cc2.srt

I have also added captioning via .srt to one of your recordings and it worked well.

Note that you need to enable subtitles, not closed captioning when using .srt files.

Yeah I was enabling CC saw Subtitles they work.

[nyplayer]

They Work with Exoplayer and IJKPlayer.

[stuckless]

This is good news Thanks for testing. After talking with Jeff I suspected they should work, since it's all done on the server side and pushed to the client.

Embeddd subtitles are diffrent, and there is still work to do there, but good to know that the srt files work.

Thanks for testing.

[TechBill]

The "embedded subtitle" are called Closed Captioning .. We Deaf people prefer it call it CC or Closed Captioning not "subtitle" and to keep them separate to avoid the confusion between the two.

Subtitle was designed and intended for to translate spoken language into a different foreign language.

Closed Captioning was designed for Deaf population and it does not do any translating instead it take spoken word into printed word that are in the same language and not only that it also take background sounds and print it out too like *baby crying* or *door slammed* etc along with spoken words.

My family depends on CC and yes SageTV with HD300 does an awesome job with CC decoding on our TV screen and it never misses. Even recording from HDHomeRun which embedded CC into the mpeg files.

I have tried to play back on a android client once but I couldn't toggle the cc off or on in the menu. It wouldn't take but that was months ago when I tried it and it was on a HDHomeRun recording so it was very choppy playback too.

I will install the latest client onto my Nexus player and Firestick then play the HDHomeRun to see if CC work and report back within a day or two.

Now days on Blueray and newer DVD, they stopped embedding CC into the file and started creating a separate file just like the .srt subtitle but it called SDH (Subtitle for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing) because HDMI cannot pass the CC information over to the TV that suppose to be doing the decoding.

When they create HDMI standard, I guess they forgot about the Deaf population and the CC so they started to force cable boxes and players to add the decoder instead of depending on the TV doing the decoder and they made a real mess of thing doing that because every STB manufacture had their own idea of standard to go with. It became a hit and miss with Closed Captioning and that was a horrible year for Deaf population when HDTV started to hit the market way back then.

Thank you for thinking of us Deaf people and making sure it works with your creation. We really appreciate people like you and Jeff his SageTV.

Bill

[TechBill]

Oh one more thing, If you have received HDHomeRun recordings samples from others in the past, I am sure those samples have already Closed Captioning embedded in it as long it not a commercial or informative show.

Those HDHomeRun samples should work for testing purpose.

It the law in USA that major TV shows or movies are supposed to be CC-ready.

Bill

[stuckless]

@TechBill - Thanks for the clarification on subtitles vs CC. I referenced it that way, because technically, in how the server handled them, they go through the same processes.

That being said, the Android MiniClient has no support, yet, for CC (while it does work with external srt files). I have some work to do there, and unfortunately, CC support will be a little slower coming, because it will require that I make native changes to the player in order to pull out the information and then send it back to sagetv server.

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by TechBill

Now days on Blueray and newer DVD, they stopped embedding CC into the file and started creating a separate file just like the .srt subtitle but it called SDH (Subtitle for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing) because HDMI cannot pass the CC information over to the TV that suppose to be doing the decoding.

When they create HDMI standard, I guess they forgot about the Deaf population and the CC so they started to force cable boxes and players to add the decoder instead of depending on the TV doing the decoder and they made a real mess of thing doing that because every STB manufacture had their own idea of standard to go with.

That's because TVs don't "decode" anything from HDMI. HDMI carries raw, uncompressed video, there's no decoding done at the display. All video decoding and UI compositing is the responsibility of the playback device when we're talking HDMI.

It's not like a OTA (coax input) signal where the TV demodulates, demuxes, and decodes the compressed bitstream and does any compositing itself.

[TechBill]

I wanted to added right now in the mini-client on the playback menu, Captions (Off) cannot be toggle On. When I click on it to enable it - nothing happens it stays at (Off)

I think we need to change the wording "Captions" I believe proper term is either Closed Captions, CC, or [CC] but I know that not related to mini-client and need to be updated in main SageTV core.

Bill

[stuckless]

Originally Posted by TechBill

I wanted to added right now in the mini-client on the playback menu, Captions (Off) cannot be toggle On. When I click on it to enable it - nothing happens it stays at (Off)

I think we need to change the wording "Captions" I believe proper term is either Closed Captions, CC, or [CC] but I know that not related to mini-client and need to be updated in main SageTV core.

Bill

Thanks Bill, I haven't done any work, yet, on enabling CC in the MiniCient. Unfortunately it's not a trivial task Out of curiousity, how does one go about enabling CC?