Give it all

[Cats4U]

It's a fact, I very rarely, if ever, agree with Corey75 on anything he writes here but what he wrote recently in the Feature Request message thread is absolutely brilliant, in my opinion. That is located at https://forum.dvdfab.cn/forum/softwa...e15#post413613 Besides the big stink about video resolutions for HBOMax and Apple+ the most complaints appearing in this forum are about subtitles and audio languages. Corey's idea is the option to click on a "Select All" button and all the subtitles and languages for the video would be downloaded rather than having to pick and choose. Personally, I'd like to take that even further and have it be the only way that you receive the download. I don't know of a single modern player or media manager that doesn't allow you the ability to choose your subtitle and audio selections right before (or during) the playing of the video. Moving the selection time from StreamFab to the player will make the coding of SF easier and free up the developer to concentrate on other issues. Some will, of course, complain about larger file size and longer download times, both of which will actually be not much more at all. Besides, anyone thinking of getting involved in collecting TV Shows and Movies using minimal hardware, storage space and Internet speeds is just fooling themselves.

[jpp72]

It's a fact, I very rarely, if ever, agree with Corey75 on anything he writes here but what he wrote recently in the Feature Request message thread is absolutely brilliant, in my opinion. That is located at https://forum.dvdfab.cn/forum/softwa...e15#post413613 Besides the big stink about video resolutions for HBOMax and Apple+ the most complaints appearing in this forum are about subtitles and audio languages. Corey's idea is the option to click on a "Select All" button and all the subtitles and languages for the video would be downloaded rather than having to pick and choose. Personally, I'd like to take that even further and have it be the only way that you receive the download. I don't know of a single modern player or media manager that doesn't allow you the ability to choose your subtitle and audio selections right before (or during) the playing of the video. Moving the selection time from StreamFab to the player will make the coding of SF easier and free up the developer to concentrate on other issues. Some will, of course, complain about larger file size and longer download times, both of which will actually be not much more at all. Besides, anyone thinking of getting involved in collecting TV Shows and Movies using minimal hardware, storage space and Internet speeds is just fooling themselves.

I prefer choice. Always. I do not want all the extra audio tracks or subs and it has nothing to do with space (Have 375+ Terabytes and add another 12TB every few months). I always want Original Audio and subs i want English, French and Romanian. If there are English subs that are normal and some that are Closed Captions, i prefer the normal.

So no issue with select all but definitely will not be using it. Especially not on Netflix that has 12 audio tracks and 30 subtitle tracks. Apple, IMHO, is the company that likes to shove things down your throat. So i don't use their products. If Streamfab tells me you will get Cantonese Audio and Tamil subtitles along with English and French and you will shut up and take it, i will forfeit my license and stick to downloading my stuff off newsgroups (which is 90% what i do now)

The argument for freeing up dev time doesn't really hold up as the selection dialog needs to be coded only once. It builds the list dynamically with what's available. You can still have bugs that all a language is selected but is not downloaded or wrong one is downloaded. Devs will still have to look at why it's happening.

I can guarantee you that the majority of people would not take kindly to what actually amounts to regression of the product (Not being able to pick what is downloaded).

[Mike_M]

1. Corey's idea is the option to click on a "Select All" button and all the subtitles and languages for the video would be downloaded rather than having to pick and choose.

2. Personally, I'd like to take that even further and have it be the only way that you receive the download.

(Above edited only for specificity and response)

Hi Cats4U,

1. Yes, if that would be good for people to have. I agree it would be a good option to have.

2. No.

These files are only for me and I watch over 90% in English or Spanish and only want forced subtitles if they go off-English/Spanish.

I do occasionally choose English/Spanish subtitles on some foreign content such as on Classic foreign films, Japanese Kaiju, Martial Arts movies and movies that get awesome reviews and or seem very interesting that are in foreign languages I don't speak.

Due to my eyesight (having to wear glasses) I prefer movies in English, but will go with my second language of Spanish.

I find that reading a movie and wearing glasses, takes away from my full immersion and enjoyment of a movie and I also like giving my eyes a rest.

Sometimes wording will go by so fast (or is out of synch with action) and I have to pause and re-read to link the dialogue and action in my mind.

Subtitles are so varied in placement, size and font that in one movie they might seem ok to me and in another obscure some of the view.

I have to be in the mood to watch a subtitled film also, if that makes any sense.

I don't want all the languages and subtitles there and taking up space for no good reason for me.

I have 60TB online in storage bays and duplicate those disk with the same size offline and update via USB docking station.

Thanks!

Mike

[Cats4U]

I prefer choice. Always. I do not want all the extra audio tracks or subs and it has nothing to do with space (Have 375+ Terabytes and add another 12TB every few months). I always want Original Audio and subs i want English, French and Romanian. If there are English subs that are normal and some that are Closed Captions, i prefer the normal.

But you do have choice. It is at the player stage. Anyone familiar with torrent and/or newsgroups downloading routinely make their choice at that stage.

I hope you don't think you are going to live long enough to watch all 375+ TBs. I have 31 TBs, of which 90% of it is my wife's. I often tell her that she has no time for sleeping since she has videos, that she asked me to obtain, sitting waiting to be watched.

So no issue with select all but definitely will not be using it. Especially not on Netflix that has 12 audio tracks and 30 subtitle tracks. Apple, IMHO, is the company that likes to shove things down your throat. So i don't use their products. If Streamfab tells me you will get Cantonese Audio and Tamil subtitles along with English and French and you will shut up and take it, i will forfeit my license and stick to downloading my stuff off newsgroups (which is 90% what i do now)

It's been many years since I've used the newsgroups. I stopped when things went from open and free to everything hidden behind a password. I don't know what it is like now but it was "take whatever was given." So, you routinely got audio and/or subtitles that weren't to your needs.

The argument for freeing up dev time doesn't really hold up as the selection dialog needs to be coded only once. It builds the list dynamically with what's available. You can still have bugs that all a language is selected but is not downloaded or wrong one is downloaded. Devs will still have to look at why it's happening.

This is where I really disagree with you. Daily reading of this forum clearly shows that SF users of non-English speaking countries are having a big problem with audio and subtitle selection. Over and over again Mona is having to send StreamFab.logs over to the developer for these problems. If everything is offered up that the streaming provider makes available then it is out of the hands of StreamFab. Since you speak and read multiple languages, I don't know why you would be opposed to this. I speak and read one language, English, (Disclaimer: I've retained maybe 5% of my high school German and I know all the best curse words in Spanish) and in theory this should adversely affect me more since I am receiving what I don't need, but I couldn't be more for it if it can cut down the number of problems sent to the developer.

[KidJoe]

I'll admit haven't followed the back story of this discussion.

That being said....

If they keep it as it is now, and ADD a button to select all, I'm fine with that and think that would be a great addition.

But I'd rather not have it only download every language audio track and subtitle. Especially since I use English only, so when I need to go in and toggle forced subs on, I don't want to scroll through a long list to find the right one.

[jpp72]

This is where I really disagree with you. Daily reading of this forum clearly shows that SF users of non-English speaking countries are having a big problem with audio and subtitle selection. Over and over again Mona is having to send StreamFab.logs over to the developer for these problems. If everything is offered up that the streaming provider makes available then it is out of the hands of StreamFab. Since you speak and read multiple languages, I don't know why you would be opposed to this. I speak and read one language, English, (Disclaimer: I've retained maybe 5% of my high school German and I know all the best curse words in Spanish) and in theory this should adversely affect me more since I am receiving what I don't need, but I couldn't be more for it if it can cut down the number of problems sent to the developer.

Well we will have to agree to disagree. The problem is not with selecting the tracks. It's that the tracks are selected and yet they are not downloaded.

Case in point, Discovery+. You select English subtitles (only ones available for 99% of the shows) and they are not downloaded. So if they go the route of selecting "every" subtitle, it still won't download. So Mona will still need to send the logs and the devs have to work on it. Now they have alienated the majority of their users but have not solved the issue of people complaining that subs are not downloading.

It's lose/lose IMHO. If they never had selection of tracks, users would be clamoring for it. Having selection and removing it, people would lose their minds! lol

Again, everyone has preferences. I don't want all the extra crap i don't use. If you want them, you should have the choice. I know you say you don't care but are you honestly telling me that if they have a select all, you will actually download all the language tracks and all the subs of a Netflix show even though by default, it selected only English? I find that hard to believe.

If you say yes, i will honestly be perplexed and just leave it at that...

[Cats4U]

If they keep it as it is now, and ADD a button to select all, I'm fine with that and think that would be a great addition.

Then nothing would be gained unless the developer finally manages to clear up all the problems with the audio and subtitles selection process in each of the modules. One of my favorites (NOT!) is when it shows my audio selection as "en,en,en" and when you look at the checkboxes and they all just say "English" I preset SF to English 2 channel stereo but that is not reflected there and darn if I know which one of the three is for English stereo. Face it, the audio and subtitle selection code is weak and it is different for each module. Better to just scrub the whole selection process, give us everything, and we can figure out what we really want in the player.

But I'd rather not have it only download every language audio track and subtitle. Especially since I use English only, so when I need to go in and toggle forced subs on, I don't want to scroll through a long list to find the right one.

Some (but admittedly, not all) players have settings that automatically turn on forced subs for your language, if present. Two of the three players I use have this feature.

[Cats4U]

Well we will have to agree to disagree.

I'm fine with that. We're just having a friendly conversation about a subject that SF has the final decision over and they probably don't care what either one of us thinks.

You select English subtitles (only ones available for 99% of the shows) and they are not downloaded. So if they go the route of selecting "every" subtitle, it still won't download.

The problem is in the selection code. No selection, no code, no problem. Everything gets downloaded.

I know you say you don't care but are you honestly telling me that if they have a select all, you will actually download all the language tracks and all the subs of a Netflix show even though by default, it selected only English? I find that hard to believe.

I hate to break it to you but the answer is Yes. My player, even now, is set to play only English and to show only forced English subtitles in case someone is briefly speaking a foreign (non-English) language.

If you say yes, i will honestly be perplexed and just leave it at that...

Well, I'm not perplexed but I'm ready for the end of this conversation, as well. Everyone gave their opinions and no one took up arms. It was a good one.

[jpp72]

The problem is in the selection code. No selection, no code, no problem. Everything gets downloaded.

I know i said i was done but i need to correct you there. The problem is not in the selection and even if it was, have you looked at the JSON data, M3U8 or MPD files that they download and parse before downloading actual tracks?

There is no ALL option. There is a list of tracks, formats, bitrates, etc... For them to download all, they need to select all the tracks listed and download them. If data says there are 12 subtitle tracks and these are the languages, they need to select all 12 as opposed to just one or two you define. So that does not remove the need for subtitle selection.

[KidJoe]

One of my favorites (NOT!) is when it shows my audio selection as "en,en,en" and when you look at the checkboxes and they all just say "English" I preset SF to English 2 channel stereo but that is not reflected there and darn if I know which one of the three is for English stereo.

yup. But at least you only have 3 choices when you play back. I mean English isn't always at the top of the list if you download all audio.

Some (but admittedly, not all) players have settings that automatically turn on forced subs for your language, if present. Two of the three players I use have this feature.

I don't remember how external subs (SRT) are handled, but for internal subs using Plex on my Shield, Roku and Firetv sticks, the subs need to be flagged Forced, and that doesn't work with MP4, only MKV.