Re: [DCP-o-matic] Subtitles

DCP-o-matic version 1.xx (current 'official/release version) will only create burnt-in subtitles from bitmap subtitles included in supported container file formats for video, audio and subtitles. A typical example is an MKV file containing video, sound, and subtitle bitmap images from DVD or BluRay. There is no way to import the titles as an external file with DCP-o-matic 1.xx. That means, if you want to create a subtitled DCP from separate files with DCP-o-matic 1.xx, you first need to 'multiplex' the subtitles into your source footage with suitable tools. In your case, that tool will also need to create the subtitle bitmap files from a text file. (Carl - can you tell us which container/file formats including bitmap subtitles are supported? I always found this a bit of a mystery...)

Now, unlike version 1.xx, preliminary DCP-o-matic v.2 is able to create SMPTE subtitles the way the big boys do it, as a text-file that is rendered to visual subtitles by the projector at show time. DCP-o-matic v2 is able to use externally supplied text files. But not your Excel file, unfortunately, so you need to convert it before hand as well. I have not played too much with v2 and have no knowledge which file formats it actually supports for subtitles. I understand that Carl probably does not intend to make DCP-o-matic a full fledged mastering solution including a subtitle editor (although I think that would be great). So I guess we will always need to find ways to convert subtitle files from various sources and in various formats. And DCP-o-matic probably will only support a small number of formats, maybe only 'the one'.