Uploading a self-edited version of an anime?

[Xiong Chiamiov]

Let's try not to get off onto localization discussion, though, as that's very apt to take over the thread in the blink of an eye.

[Zalis116]

@Numenor: actually, I think you're in the majority (among torrent site users, anyway) on the name order preference. As per xchiamiov's warning, I won't debate the matter.

How about a system in which people can upload their own subs in an archive, and specify for what version they are?

I kind of like this idea. For DNA^2, it wouldn't solve the "problems" of .ogm or audio defaults, but it would be less bandwidth-intensive to distribute the original a4e files and then provide alternate subtitles as attachments, DDL linked in the description, or in some centralized listing like a forum sticky. And I can see other uses as well...converted imagesubs, fansub .ass files from alternate groups, fansubs edited to fix errors or change the "localization level." And I'm sure there are more possibilities I'm not thinking of.

[neo1024]

I second that - lets allow subs as attachments or provide a new section for alternative subs, open for peer additions...

[Xiong Chiamiov]

I've started a topic in Site Feedback for this issue, so go there, please.  I didn't split any posts off because it's too messy.

[archivisth]

Just to add to this thread: I'm doing the same for Hand Maid May, with some additions - full retiming (R1 timing is often horrible), limited editing to correct obvious mistakes, fully styled subs (with retention of the original SRT), and, most importantly, real typesetting of the signs.

The starting point is the Blitz version, which is about the best I could find (most others are not even 640x480).  The project has the sanction of the group leader but won't be an official release.

Personally, while the mistakes from the OCR process used to convert vobsubs to SRT are annoying (i's coming out as l's, etc), it's the awful timing and the mangling of the signs in most R1s that I find most annoying.

Based on feedback in this thread, maybe I'll do two styled sub tracks - one with honorifics restored, and one as is. 

archivisth

[Stsin]

One styled subs with honorifics would be enough, since the majority of people choosing subs prefer it that way.  Then again, not much effort for also adding the original.  Hmm, maybe even modify the stylized honorific subs by cross-referencing the fansubbed versions.

Well, I like dual audio not just for myself, but for archiving and knowing that my non-otaku friends prefer dubs.  Satisfies both and are some of the best video quality of the old releases.  The extra size from the additional ogg/mp3 track is small compared to the runaway use of high bitrates used in today's releases.  Plus many groups have stylized the DVD imagesubs, from KAA to LIME on dual audio releases.  Didn't A4E stylized some of their releases?

[Xiong Chiamiov]

It would be nice to include an unstyled track as well, so people can apply their own adjustments.  While they look pretty, oftentimes I'll choose unstyled over styled because it's more readable.  Then again, I'm perfectly ok with vobsubs, too.

[Zalis116]

Just to add to this thread: I'm doing the same for Hand Maid May, with some additions - full retiming (R1 timing is often horrible), limited editing to correct obvious mistakes, fully styled subs (with retention of the original SRT), and, most importantly, real typesetting of the signs.

The starting point is the Blitz version, which is about the best I could find (most others are not even 640x480).  The project has the sanction of the group leader but won't be an official release.

Personally, while the mistakes from the OCR process used to convert vobsubs to SRT are annoying (i's coming out as l's, etc), it's the awful timing and the mangling of the signs in most R1s that I find most annoying.

Based on feedback in this thread, maybe I'll do two styled sub tracks - one with honorifics restored, and one as is. 

archivisth

I find R1 sign subs passable a fair amount of the time, it's just that the conversion to .srt (or .ass with no additional typesetting) causes them to become mangled. Hand Maid May's were decent, but you're right, they could be a lot better with real typesetting. As I asked when you mentioned this Hand Maid May project before, would you be willing to do a Songs/Signs Only track to go with the English dub? Copying the song and sign lines, pasting them to a new .ass file, and including that new .ass in the final mux would be enough. And my offer from before still stands -- if you send me the .ass files after you finish retiming/editing/TS, I'd be happy to copy out the song and sign lines to create the new tracks. This would be an improvement over the DVDs themselves, as they lack a secondary track.

Hmm, maybe even modify the stylized honorific subs by cross-referencing the fansubbed versions.

The better question is, does anybody have the original fansub versions? I'd love to see them, as they're from the early days of digital fansubs (Summer 2000). As far as I can tell, the best mix would be Anime-Fansubs for 1-3, HighQualityAnime for 4-5, FiveStar for 6-10, and AnimeCoalition for the specials. All we have on BBT, aside from the a4e release, is an oooold R1-rip, which ironically is still the best-formatted version out there, assuming it took the DVD subs and hard-subbed them "as-is."

[ShannonNii]

Sadly remuxing the whole thing just for some better subs isn't really an option.

But the general idea of adding the extra subtitles as an attachment to the torrent does sound good.
The question though is if current codec/player solutions support this by making the extra subs show up in the player even though there are already sub streams in the original container. Anyone played around with that yet?
 

[Desbreko]

Both VSFilter and MPC-HC's subtitle renderer can load and display external sub tracks even when there's internal ones. Just name the subtitle file the same as the video, other than the file extension of course, and it'll auto-load them.

[midhras]

I would really like it when offers of encodes that have no SRT substream would include one (from another encode) in the extra files section. Alternate languages could also be offered. It wouldn't even have to be included in the offer, but there could also be a subforum for it, like the way for instance mvgroup.org have done it.

[Numenor]

Sounds like we're pretty much all agreed on it being a good idea to add extra subs as extra files - how do we go about petitioning the site admins to allow/enable it?

[Xiong Chiamiov]

Sounds like we're pretty much all agreed on it being a good idea to add extra subs as extra files - how do we go about petitioning the site admins to allow/enable it?

You already are.  A better place for that, specifically, though is Site Feedback, with a linku back here.  I don't recall if there was one already created there, though, so take a search first.

EDIT:
Bah, I need to reread this thread from the beginning again.  My old brain can't remember things from that long ago.

I've started a topic in Site Feedback for this issue, so go there, please.  I didn't split any posts off because it's too messy.