VobSub to SRT Converter

Convert VobSub (IDX/SUB) subtitle files to SRT format using FFmpeg and Mac System OCR. This approach has some benefits over vobsub2srt and vobsubocr in that Mac System OCR is generally more fast, accurate and built-in.

Overview

This tool provides a complete solution for converting VobSub bitmap subtitles (commonly found on DVDs) to text-based SRT subtitle files. It handles the entire workflow:

1. Parse IDX files for timing and metadata information
2. Extract subtitle frames as PNG images using FFmpeg
3. Apply OCR (Optical Character Recognition) to convert images to text
4. Generate SRT files with proper formatting and timing

Features

• 🎯 Accurate Conversion: Uses Mac System OCR for high-quality text recognition
• ⚡ Batch Processing: Efficient batch OCR processing for optimal performance
• 🧹 Text Cleaning: Automatic correction of common OCR mistakes and character replacements
• 📏 Smart Wrapping: Intelligent line wrapping for subtitle display constraints
• 🔧 CLI Interface: Easy-to-use command line tool
• 📊 Verbose Logging: Detailed progress reporting and statistics

Requirements

• macOS: This tool uses Mac System OCR and only runs on macOS
• Node.js: Version 22.0.0 or higher

Installation

Global Installation (Recommended)

npm install -g vobsub-to-srt

After global installation, you can use the vobsub-to-srt command anywhere:

vobsub-to-srt -i input.idx -o output.srt

Local Installation

npm install vobsub-to-srt

Then run using npx:

npx vobsub-to-srt -i input.idx -o output.srt

Usage

Basic Usage

vobsub-to-srt -i path/to/subtitles.idx -o path/to/output.srt

With Verbose Logging

vobsub-to-srt -i subtitles.idx -o subtitles.srt -v

Command Line Options

| Option | Short | Description | Required | | ----------- | ----- | ------------------------------------------------- | -------- | | --input | -i | Path to the input IDX file | ✅ Yes | | --output | -o | Path for the output SRT file | ✅ Yes | | --quality | -q | OCR quality: 'fast' or 'accurate' (default: fast) | ❌ No | | --verbose | -v | Enable verbose logging | ❌ No | | --help | -h | Show help information | ❌ No |

Example Output

VobSub to SRT Decoder
=====================
Input IDX file: /path/to/movie.idx
Output SRT file: /path/to/movie.srt
Verbose logging: enabled

Reading IDX file...
Video size: 720x480
Palette: 16 colors
Language: en
Parsed 342 subtitle entries
Extracting subtitle frames using FFmpeg...
Extracted 342 subtitle frames
Starting batch OCR processing...
Processing 342 frames with MacOCR batch processing...
OCR batch processing completed. Processing results...

✅ Conversion complete!
📊 Statistics:
   - Parsed 342 timing entries from IDX
   - Extracted 342 subtitle frames using FFmpeg
   - Generated 338 SRT entries via OCR
📁 SRT Output: /path/to/movie.srt

File Requirements

Your VobSub files should include both:

• IDX file: Contains timing information and metadata
• SUB file: Contains the actual subtitle bitmap data

The SUB file must be in the same directory as the IDX file and have the same filename (e.g., movie.idx and movie.sub).

How It Works

1. IDX File Parsing

• Extracts video dimensions, color palette, and language information
• Parses subtitle timing entries with precise timestamps
• Maps file positions for subtitle data

2. Frame Extraction

• Uses FFmpeg to render subtitle bitmaps as PNG images
• Creates temporary frames with proper scaling and positioning
• Handles various subtitle formats and encodings

3. OCR Processing

• Applies Mac System OCR with optimized settings for subtitle text
• Processes frames in batches for maximum efficiency
• Uses fast recognition with confidence thresholds

4. Text Processing

• Cleans common OCR mistakes and character misidentifications
• Applies intelligent line wrapping for subtitle display
• Formats timing according to SRT specification

5. SRT Generation

• Creates properly formatted SRT files with sequential numbering
• Ensures correct timestamp formatting (HH:MM:SS,mmm)
• Handles subtitle duration and overlap resolution

Programming Interface

You can also use this package programmatically:

import { VobSubDecoder } from "@bigtimebuddy/vobsub-to-srt";

const decoder = new VobSubDecoder({
  idxFile: "subtitles.idx",
  subFile: "subtitles.sub",
  verbose: true,
});

// Parse IDX file
await decoder.parse();

// Process with OCR (timeline and frame extraction are handled internally)
const srtEntries = await decoder.processFrames({
  tempDir: "/tmp/frames",
  quality: "fast",
});

// Generate SRT file
await decoder.generate(srtEntries, "output.srt");

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

"Cannot access SUB file"

• Ensure both IDX and SUB files are present
• Verify files have the same base name (e.g., movie.idx and movie.sub)
• Check file permissions

"No text could be extracted"

• The subtitle images may be too low quality for OCR
• Try with verbose mode (-v) to see processing details
• Ensure subtitles contain text (not just graphics)

"This tool is only supported on macOS"

• This limitation exists because the tool uses Mac System OCR
• Alternative OCR solutions could be implemented for other platforms

Development

Running from Source

git clone https://github.com/bigtimebuddy/vobsub-to-srt.git
cd vobsub-to-srt
npm install
npm test

License

MIT

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit issues and pull requests.

Repository

https://github.com/bigtimebuddy/vobsub-to-srt