I'm trying to convert DVD to MPEG using Smartripper, DVD2AVI (actually I used the equivalent DGIndex) and finally TMPGEnc. I obtained a MPEG-1 file (to see on a Pocket PC with Pocket TV) that seems ok except the fact that subtitles are not shown. I verified the streams on Smartripper and subtitle stream is enabled with the option "Direct stream copy", but it seems that I need to do something else to have the subtitles in the final mpeg file. What is missing here????
Well if you enabled the subs, then that just means that they are in the VOB. None of your further steps you have mentioned have anything to do with subs, so that is where they remain; in the VOB. You need to extract to VOBSubs using VSRip or equiv, then you can use VSFilter with AVISynth to frameserve the video with subs to TMPGEnc. It can then encode the video with hardsubs.
Thank you, you helped me to understand the thing! I follow more or less your advice: actually, after ripping the vob's I used VobSub to extract the subtitles, then, with dvd2avi, I obtained a d2v file + a wav file. Afterwards, with VFAPIconv, I produced a pseudo AVI (I've read about this possibility in this forum at http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/808), which I opened with VirtualDub. At this point, after inserting the subtitles with vobsub filter, I frameserved another pseudo AVI to TMPGEnc. And it worked...! I obtained my MPEG-1 file with the subtitles, that worked perfectly on my PocketPC. Alleluia!!!!!!!!! And thank you once more!