How to Add Additional Subtitle Streams (.ts) to Satellite Recordings

In the world of satellite TV recordings, Transport Stream (TS) files are commonly used to store video and audio data. Although these files usually contain embedded subtitles, there might be situations where you want to add extra subtitle streams. One such scenario is when you have recordings in multiple languages and wish to include subtitles for all of them. This article will guide you through the process of extracting subtitles from a TS file and saving them as an SRT file, which can be later loaded as an additional subtitle stream.

TS files and satellite recordings

In digital television, Transport Stream (TS) is a container format used to broadcast audio, video, and data over a communication medium. TS files are commonly used for satellite TV recordings since they can handle multiple programmes and languages in a single file, making it easy for users to record and watch their favorite shows.

Embedded subtitles in TS files

Most TS files contain embedded subtitles for one or more languages. These subtitles are contained within the TS file along with the audio and video data. However, sometimes users might require additional subtitle streams that are not present in the original recording. That's where the need for extracting and adding new subtitle streams comes in.

Extracting and converting subtitles from TS to SRT files

To extract subtitles from a TS file, you can use the TS Doctor tool, which is a free and open-source software designed explicitly for this purpose. The TS Doctor can extract subtitles and convert them into an SRT format, which can be used later as an additional subtitle stream for your satellite recordings.

Using TS Doctor

To get started, download and install the TS Doctor software from its official website. Once installed, follow these steps to extract and convert subtitles:

1. Open the TS Doctor software and click on the 'Add File(s)' button to load your TS satellite recording.
2. After loading the file, click on the 'Start Analysis' button, and wait for the software to analyse the file.
3. In the analysis results window, you will find the embedded subtitle(s). Select the subtitle(s) you want to save and click on the 'Save' button.
4. Choose a location on your computer to save the subtitle file(s) and select the SRT format before clicking on the 'Save' button again.

Adding additional subtitle streams

Now that you have extracted the subtitles from your TS file and saved them as SRT files, you can add them back to the original file or any other TS satellite recording as additional subtitle streams. To load an SRT file as an additional subtitle stream, you can use various media players that support the SRT format, such as VLC Media Player or PotPlayer.

Adding SRT files using VLC Media Player

To load an SRT file as an additional subtitle stream in VLC Media Player, follow these steps:

1. Open VLC Media Player on your computer and click on the 'Media' menu at the top.
2. Select the 'Open File' option and browse for your TS satellite recording.
3. After loading the TS recording, click on the 'Subtitle' menu at the top of VLC Media Player and select the 'Add Subtitle File' option.
4. Browse for the saved SRT file(s) and click on the 'Open' button.

Adding SRT files using PotPlayer

To load an SRT file as an additional subtitle stream in PotPlayer, follow these steps:

1. Open PotPlayer on your computer and click on the 'File' menu at the top.
2. Select the 'Open' option and browse for your TS satellite recording.
3. After loading the TS recording, right-click on the video and select the 'Subtitle' options from the context menu.
4. Select the 'Add Subtitle File' option and browse for the saved SRT file(s). Click on the 'Open' button.

References

• TS Doctor - A free and open-source software for extracting and converting subtitles from TS files: https://github.com/emonterroso/ts-doctor

• VLC Media Player - A popular and free cross-platform media player that supports SRT subtitles: https://www.videolan.org/vlc/

• PotPlayer - A free, lightweight, and customizable media player that supports SRT subtitles: https://potplayer.daum.net/