Video Syncing Problem

[Vermachtnis]

So I'm trying to watch something and it won't sync up. Like they'll be talking and the subs won't match up or the opening song will end before the actual opening. I thought it was the file so I redownloaded but the same thing happened, so I tried a different subber, but still the same problem. Two different episodes with both subbers and it's the same problem with both episodes and subbers. And I tried both VLC and the CCCP and it's the same story. Any suggestions?

EDIT: I'm downloading a DivX thing the CCCP FAQ linked me to. I'll see if that works.

[Carl the Llama]

Did you try downloading a different srt file? I know that sometimes helps, if this doesn't solve you problem then I would recommend downloading GOM media player, it will allow you to change the sync of the sub file at a 0.5 second interval.

Hope this helps.

[crono_logical]

What's the specs of the file you're playing, e.g. resolution, length, filesize, and maybe codec used? And your PC specs? I find this happens if you try to play something too complex (eg hi-res and/or hi-bitrate h264 stuff) on a PC with a processor that's not powerful enough to play the video at full speed :p Basically it can't decode and render the video fast enough, causing it to lag behind the audio. I find softsubs is an especially big performance hit on rendering video, more so when they use those fancy karaoke effects.

Luckily in my case, my laptop can just about manage some of the 1080p softsubbed fansubs out there as long as they don't use those fancy effects, so the problem usually only happens for me during the OP/ED sequences - I just temporarily disable the subtitles during the karaoke then turn them back on afterwards to keep it all sounding in sync :p

[Shiny]

Data/Bit rate like say, "122kb/sec" has a lot to do with stuff being out of synch -- not so much length and filesize. I'd have to know what kind of computer you're using, the codec of the file, and the data rate to help more.

[Vermachtnis]

I've got an Aspire One. Where do you find the codec and the data rate? But if it helps any it's CoalGuys K-ON!! I didn't have a problem with the first season.

[crono_logical]

I was asking length/filesize since I thought it would be easier to ask for that and work out the bitrate myself than just ask straight for bitrate :p

You can either use tools like MediaInfo (http://mediainfo.sourceforge.net/en) which I think is very good for giving technical information about media files, or in this case, since you told me the series and fansub group, I just looked up the file information straight on anidb.info :p

Looks like 720p encoded with h264 in this case, but then your laptop's only an Intel Atom CPU, which isn't really that powerful either. Seems to be lower bitrate than their releases of the first series (same codec), so either maybe they're using more extreme CPU-intensive settings to get the filesize smaller, or they've gone more overboard with the karaoke effects :p At least with the latter, you can temporarily turn subs off when things get heavy on the CPU (at least in Media Player Classic - I set "S" as a hotkey to toggle subs quickly) :p

[Shiny]

Where do you find the codec and the data rate? But if it helps any it's CoalGuys K-ON!! I didn't have a problem with the first season.

If you have Quicktime -- which most people do even with PC, then you can open up the file in Quicktime. After you have that open, go to "Window" ---> "Show Movie Inspector". It should give the codec and data size info. If it's an avi, you may have issues opening the file if you don't have the necessary plug-in. It would be more helpful to know what the type of file you're dealing with too.

[Vermachtnis]

Thanks for the tips, turning off the subtitles during the opening seemed to do the trick.