How to convert multiple subtitle files

[Pippin]

Hi,

Trying to convert multiple *.vtt to *.srt subtitle files using ffmpeg.
A single file works fine:

Code: Select all

/usr/bin/ffmpeg -i vttfile.vtt srtfile.srt

For multiple files i have the following:

Code: Select all

#!/bin/sh

LOC="$HOME/Videos/"

for x in "$LOC/*.vtt"
    do /usr/bin/ffmpeg -i "$LOC/$x" "$LOC/$x.srt"
done

Execution:

Code: Select all

sh -v subconv.sh

Results in:

Code: Select all

*.vtt: No such file or directory

Executing as user or root makes no difference.
Example of subtitle file:

Name. Serie. Episode. English.en.vtt

Wanted result:

Name. Serie. Episode. English.en.srt

Thanks.

Edit: Typo

[donalduck]

Hello,
several mistakes in your script I think

try this

Code: Select all

#!/bin/sh
LOC="$HOME/Videos"
for x in $LOC/*.vtt
  do /usr/bin/ffmpeg -i "$x" "${x%vtt}srt"
done

also you can use -x option to debug a shell script.

more explanation: man sh

[root]

do not use quotes

[rene]

Very slight adjustment to above answers; don't use quotes around wildcards. That's to say, if indeed you want to guard against $LOC containing whitespace you'd write it as e.g. for x in "$LOC"/*.vtt. In this case it's clearly not important, $LOC being defined without whitespace just above, but this additional reply so as to say that quotes by design "take away special meaning" in shell, and specifically, take away the special meaning of *.

[root]

Very slight adjustment to above answers; don't use quotes around wildcards. That's to say, if indeed you want to guard against $LOC containing whitespace you'd write it as e.g. for x in "$LOC"/*.vtt.

Adjustment? Can the home folder contain spaces in the name?! No! You say rational things, but the word "adjustment" is inappropriate here. It is rather an "addition".

[gm10]

Can the home folder contain spaces in the name?! No!

Why would you think that? Of course it can. Try it:

Code: Select all

sudo adduser spaces --home="/home/Home Directory With Spaces/"

[Pippin]

Hi,

Thanks all, little late reaction from me but donalduck's way works here.
In the meantime I found VLC will handle vtt files so problem solved.

Thanks.

[gm10]

In the meantime I found VLC will handle vtt files so problem solved.

Don't all media players? At least mpv does as well.

[Pippin]

Hi,

VLC finds the subs automatically if the file name is the same.

Both Media Player and mpv Media Player not working.
Cannot find any menu in mpv.

Thanks.

[gm10]

VLC finds the subs automatically if the file name is the same.

Both Media Player and mpv Media Player not working.
Cannot find any menu in mpv.

Weird. I don't have Media Player but mpv behaves just like the VLC functionality you describe (actually it also picks them up as filename.languagecode, that's the preferred naming because then it can display the subtitle language in the UI).

mpv has a minimalist interface so there is no menu, the subtitle selection is at the bottom of the OSD, to the left of the volume control:

mpv-subtitles.png (6.77 KiB) Viewed 2762 times

And further to the left is the audio track selection.

But there's nothing wrong with using VLC, not trying to talk you out of it.

[Pippin]

Hi,

Your example showing 1/2 is showing -/0 for me.

mpvsubs.png (17.97 KiB) Viewed 2754 times

[gm10]

Yep, if the filename of the subs is the same but it doesn't show I have no answer for you. You could force it to load via the command line option I suppose, but that's inconvenient.

Note that I'm running the latest release version (0.29.1) rather than the older 0.27.2 in the LM 19 repos, so maybe that's the reason, although I saw nothing in the changelog about subtitles.