1. This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Learn More.

Is there a way to "code"/"protect" textual subtitles?

Discussion in 'Subtitle help' started by PoOr, Mar 27, 2007.

  1. PoOr

    PoOr Member

    Joined:
    Dec 25, 2005
    Messages:
    5
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    11
    Hello,

    As many of you know, textual subtitles are most common (notably .srt and .sub), for its easiness of use and its small size, etc...

    However, in the same time, it's the easiest format to steal! After hours and hours of translating a movie, and after big efforts, someone simply downloads the subtitles, opens it with Notepad, changes the name of the translator to his name, then publishes it as his own work.

    Therefore, I was really hoping to find a solution for this, so if you can help me out, it would be much appreciated.

    So, here's what I'm thinking of: I'm wondering if something like the following exists or can exist.

    Subtitles format that -

    1) Can't be edited (for instance VobSub).
    2) Allows you to change font (type and size...).
    3) Can be synchronized, spilt and joined.
    4) Can be hardcoded in order to watch on PC or DVD.

    Like if there were a way to "protect" an .SRT file from editing. To do the same with regular .SRT files, but you can't view it on Notepad or SubtitleWorkshp or any other application that supports it, only you can watch it with the movie...

    I hope I don't sound romantic, or in dream land, if you will... but unfortunately a lot of people suffer because of that, so if there were anything that can be done, it would be much helpful and appreciated.

    Thanks in advance.
     
  2. moonrocks

    moonrocks Regular member

    Joined:
    Jul 30, 2005
    Messages:
    378
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    26
    If the subtitles are a separate stream, as in most DVD's, then they can always be ripped and edited. You can't protect them. The only way you could prevent easy editing of the subs would be to burn them in.
     
  3. PoOr

    PoOr Member

    Joined:
    Dec 25, 2005
    Messages:
    5
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    11
    Hello,

    Thanks for your reply, first off. This is not like ripping subtitles from DVD. These subtitles that I make, I do them myself, they're in .srt format, and I want to share them with everybody, but I just don't want anybody to be able to edit them or change their content, for changing credit or something like that.

    If I set a file to read-only, that would help, but not exactly, because anybody can open the file in notepad and save it as... or copy the text to another file.

    So if there's a way to prevent text from being copied or file saved as... that would help. If anybody knows a way, please tell me.
     
  4. moonrocks

    moonrocks Regular member

    Joined:
    Jul 30, 2005
    Messages:
    378
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    26
    The subs that you create, the .srt subs, are just a text file. No matter what you try to do you can't protect the contents of that file and still have it be a plain text file.

    If you set the file to read-only someone else needs only to turn off the read-only attribute. It's even easier to just copy and paste the text.

    There is no way to prevent the data in a text file from being edited.
     
    Last edited: Mar 28, 2007

Share This Page