Subtle fix, what works for me Sony Bravia 2014

ok so because I have a Sony TV KDL-48W600B (2014) and these MKV files in x264 and x265 that contain a video stream, one or more audio streams and subtitle(s), I can't see subtitles when I want to.

Now, this subtitle problem has been plaguing me and the internet for ages and no one seems to understand how to fix this problem.

But I have one more piece of the puzzle: Language names are a no-no on my tv!

I want to say that "ALL Sony TVs" do but that would be a gross generalization since I don't have enough evidence to support that claim. So feel free to reply if it works for you.

So every time I have an MKV with subs and of course they are named or identified (English, French, Italian, etc) the tv doesn't show subs and as a matter of fact it doesn't show the subtitle sub-menu in the options menu while playing the file either !

But using MKVToolNix v70 ("caught a little sneeze"), it's important to use that specific version for this trick to work. I don't know why v71 and up don't do MKV right for my tv but here are the steps I use to fix the subs in mkv files.

1st install MKVToolNix v70.0.0 (Windows)

2. Open the mkv in MKVToolNix

original streams.png (12.41 KiB) Viewed 292 times

3. For all subtitles you want to keep in the MKV file, change the language to Undetermined (Und)

properties.png (22.72 KiB) Viewed 292 times

Side note: I also do some cleaning up of other parts of the MKV that will trip up my TV
such as removing the CHAPTERS, GLOBAL TAGS and various SUBTITLES that I don't need.

Too many subs make my TV reboot !!

Tracks, chapters and tags.png (14 KiB) Viewed 292 times

That's it ready to start multiplexing !


Now, I'm hoping I can get a profile for Serviio to use on my TV, anyone know a good profile maker ?

[atc98092]

You have to remember that few (if any) TVs support image based captions, such as PGS or VOBSUB. And of course, those are the captions contained on almost every DVD/Blu Ray disc. The only way to display those captions on a player that doesn't support them (such as your TV) is to have Serviio burn the captions into the video stream. That is an available option, but it will also do it with captions the TV does support (text based) and it takes a lot more computer power to transcode the video. With HDR/DV content, you might lose the video metadata for HDR as well, so the image might not look as good when the captions are burned in.

A better solution is to use a player that supports those captions without requiring modification. There are a number of Android based players that can do that, starting as low cost as the $20 Onn 4K video player from Walmart to the $200 Nvidia Shield. Personally I use a Shield on several of my TVs, as players like a Roku won't play the image based captions either. The advantage of the more expensive Shield is that it will bitstream all of the lossless audio tracks (Dolby TrueHD, including with Atmos, DTS-Master Audio/DTS:X) to a compatible AVR. If you are simply using the TV speakers, then the simpler players like the Onn will work fine.

First things first.

The properties and the structure of the MKV files itself is the problem. Old firmware and new specs don't make for good TV.

Sony does not offer help or firmware updates for very long for their devices, lucky if it's for a couple of years. I suspect other companies do the same as it doesn't pay in the long run. Customers can be loyal to a brand but with the smorgasbord of new brands and devices, they think people will be swayed too easily to another brand. Hence, longterm updates are costly to them, with little benefit. It is unfortunate for those of us that like to keep our things a long time. I still have my 1st cell phone from 2013. It's Android 4.0.4 ice cream sandwich. it hasn't had an update since 2014. it's mostly a mini tablet now, useful for email, note taking, pictures and scheduling. But It's simple and easy to use. And paid for !

Same as my tv, I like the fact that I bought it with my own money and it has served me well. Still does.

/nostalgia

That's why we need a program like Serviio to be the bridge between hardware and innovation !

I'm tired of running my own scripts to "fix" on each of these files by hand.

So I'm hoping someone can come up with a user profile that will do all that: remove global tags and the "language" property (it is the culprit) and reduce/hide the non preferred languages from the mkv.

The rofile basically needs to remove all but video, audio and preferred Lang subs in order to stream the content to the tv. I think it should be enough.

Maybe just looking to tweak the Sony13/14 profile.


Ps: fixed the subtle title typo. it took this long because it was indeed very subtle , lol!

[atc98092]

So I'm hoping someone can come up with a user profile that will do all that: remove global tags and the "language" property (it is the culprit) and reduce/hide the non preferred languages from the mkv.

The rofile basically needs to remove all but video, audio and preferred Lang subs in order to stream the content to the tv. I think it should be enough.

Maybe just looking to tweak the Sony13/14 profile.


Ps: fixed the subtle title typo. it took this long because it was indeed very subtle , lol!

I don't think there's any way to "remove" any embedded tags in the file, other than perhaps simply transcoding everything, which will convert the file into something completely different. As a test, you could try the DirecTV profile, which I believe will transcode everything.

There's also a program called MKVToolNix that can quickly and easily remove audio and/or caption tracks and remux the file back into a new MKV container. Because it's not actually converting anything, it's very fast, and I believe it can even be used from a command line to automate doing the same thing to multiple files.

https://www.videohelp.com/software/MKVToolNix