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Subdownloader Grabs Subtitles For All Your Movies
Posted by Lifehacker US Edition at 12:30 AM on August 22, 2008
Windows/Mac/Linux: Cross platform application Subdownloader makes short work of locating subtitles for your movies. Subdownloader uses a fast hashing algorithm, which, according to the developers, tears through about 4GB of movies per second. The application will search through folders and subfolders and can even handle seasons of television shows. Subdownloader also supports manual searches if you need subtitles for a file or DVD that isn't stored on your computer. Subdownloader is a free download for Windows, Mac, and Linux (requires Python to run).
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
Merricat
Posted 12:58 AM 22/8/08
Interesting idea but don't expect it to last long. It is working by having people upload and storing subtitles on a server and letting others download them.
Sharing subtitles is just as infringing on copyright as sharing movies, so I doubt it'll be long before the long arm of the MPAA comes knocking.
Merricat
seda
Posted 12:57 AM 22/8/08
Great. Now I just got to find the best way to hard code the subtitles for an .avi file so I can stream them on my xbox360
seda
Dangger
Posted 1:35 AM 22/8/08
@Merricat: Sharing subtitles is not illegal, actually you can make them and then share them. There are a lot of movies that do not have Spanish subtitles and for me to watch them with my friends, the ones that don't speak English, I have to find them on my own.
Although getting subtitles that work is not as easy as having a program to do it. You have to be very careful with the version of the movie, because these things should synchronize perfectly.
Dangger
xahmol
Posted 1:17 AM 22/8/08
Great program, but shame it does not seem to find any Dutch subtitles. So will continue to use nlondertitels.com instead.
xahmol
Merricat
Posted 2:01 AM 22/8/08
@Dangger: You might want to read this: [www.fk2w.com] this [techdirt.com] or even this [en.wikipedia.org]
I'm not a fan subtitler, but since I was first formally introduced to Anime in college I've followed the community a bit. It is most definitely illegal to 'share' subtitles.
Some parts of the movie/tv industry won't care about it, for instance the fan subtitling community for Anime that hasn't yet been licensed for distribution in America rarely gets bothered. But there are, without any doubt, parts of the industry out there that are willing and ready to bring a hammer down on this sort of program.
This isn't a theoretical or hypothetical situation. Cases have been tried and the subtitles have almost universally lost to the companies on this one.
Merricat
BoredMind
Posted 1:50 AM 22/8/08
This is such a great app! Finally I don't have to download each file for each episode and rename each one. Great work!
BoredMind
airfeed
Posted 1:45 AM 22/8/08
Dang, no Mac binary. Does this mean I should go on a journey and compile it from source?
airfeed
dwhicks01
Posted 2:49 AM 22/8/08
After aquiring tv shows, some of which are nearly impossible to understand all the dialogue anyways (read: Gilmore Girls for the fiancee) this is a big help considering she can't hear so well.
dwhicks01
dogcow
Posted 6:36 AM 22/8/08
@seda:
For my iPhone, I use Handbrake with Perian and the "force quicktime" option to create H.264 files with hard coded subs. Surprising how readable they are on a small screen.
dogcow
Cheshire Cat
Posted 5:06 PM 22/8/08
@seda: Try Auto Gordian Knot. Painfully slow but it does the job.
Cheshire Cat
ez13
Posted 10:04 PM 22/8/08
Sure ain't much if it doesn't do dutch..;(
ez13
Dangger
Posted 12:16 PM 23/8/08
@Merricat: OMG you are right, I take it back. Then what is the point in this post?
Dangger
Dakiall
Posted 12:19 PM 25/8/08
C´mon! Someone please do something for de code-challenged people....
Dakiall