SubCentral original thread (2 Viewers)

[SilentException]

Overview

SubCentral is a standalone subtitles plugin for the MediaPortal HTPC application. The purpose of the plugin is to allow user to search and download subtitles for movies or TV shows managed by popular Moving Pictures and MP-TVSeries plugins. It also has the interfaces to allow easy implementation and integration in any other plugin.

Best way to use SubCentral is through one of the supported plugins. If you wish, there is a possibility to modify search data SubCentral grabs from the plugins for more customized search. If plugin is opened from home screen, only manual search is possible, where you can create your own search queries for movies or TV shows.

Before using SubCentral for the first time, use MediaPortal configuration to configure the plugin thoroughly (selecting, reordering and renaming groups/providers, selecting and ordering languages and managing of the download folders).

From the GUI you can enable/disable languages (but not language priority), search, download or delete existing subtitles and sort the search results using different criteria, including unique tag ranking system.

If you find the plugin useful, you can support the development by donating via PayPal. Thank you!


Useful links

• Download from plugins repository

Requirements

• MediaPortal v1.8.0 or higher
• Supported skin

Supported subtitle providers / languages

SubCentral uses providers (scrapers) and languages from SubtitleDownloader API . SubCentral provides a nice GUI for all the cool features SubtitleDownloader offers.

There are many providers already included in SubtitleDownloader by default. As SubtitleDownloader is very flexible and allows adding new providers, there are already few of them created by other users. All of them are included in SubCentral v1.0 and higher.

• SubtitleDownloader official providers – seco
  • OpenSubtitles
  • Sublight
  • TVSubtitles
  • Subscene
  • Bierdopje
  • Podnapisi
  • MovieSubtitles
  • s4u.se
• User created additional providers
  • ItalianSubs.net – samo_yea
  • SeriesSub.com – samo_yea
  • Sous-titres.eu – MrJul
  • SubsCenter.org – yoavain
  • Subsfactory.it – samo_yea
  • Titlovi.com – SilentException
  • Titulky.com – katulus

Integration – supported plugins

• MP-TVSeries
  • SubCentral has inbuilt support (plugin handler) for MP-TVSeries v2.6.0 or higher (it's always recommended to use latest stable release).
  • Configuration: Open MP-TVSeries configuration, under “Extras” tab there should be “Enable SubCentral” check box. Check “Use SubCentral for episode 'HasSubtitles query' if you also want SubCentral for MediaInfo subtitles check (more through search). It is also suggested that you disable SubtitleDownloader (it will be removed from MP-TVSeries in v2.6.7).
  • Users: When browsing episodes, open context menu and click “Download...”, then select “Retrieve subtitle”. SubCentral window will open.
  • Skinners: no skin changes needed, however it is also possible to add subtitles button to the skin file. For closer look on integration, take a look at SubCentral Moving Pictures integration.

• Moving Pictures
  • SubCentral has inbuilt support (plugin handler) for Moving Pictures v1.0.3 or higher.
  • Configuration: No configuration changes needed.
  • Users: When browsing the movies, click “check for subtitles” button in your skin (it should be in (hidden) menu or on movie details screen). SubCentral window will open.
  • Skinners: for closer look on integration, take a look at SubCentral Moving Pictures integration.

• MyFilms
  • SubCentral has inbuilt support (plugin handler) for MyFilms v5.0.1 or higher.
  • Configuration: No configuration changes needed.
  • Users: When browsing the movies, click “subtitles” button in your skin (it should be in (hidden) menu or/and in context menu. SubCentral window will open.
  • Skinners: for closer look on integration, take a look at SubCentral Moving Pictures integration.

• MyVideos
  • SubCentral has inbuilt support (plugin handler) for MyVideos for MediaPortal v1.1.0 or higher.
  • Configuration: No configuration changes needed.
  • Users: When browsing the movies, click “subtitles” button in your skin (it should be in (hidden) menu. SubCentral window will open.
  • Skinners: for closer look on integration, take a look at SubCentral Moving Pictures integration.

• Other plugins
  • If the data from the plugin can be accessed from the "outside", there is a possibility of writing new plugin handler. Consult manual and source code for more info.
  • There is also a possibility of integration without modifications in SubCentral. SubCentral supports data exchange through MediaPortal's GUI window messages. Consult manual for more info.
  • Another option is just to do manual search for subtitles you're after. SubCentral will allow you to rename and save subtitles to defined folders.

Supported skins

These are the skins that support SubCentral so far (that I know of):

• aMPed
• Backdrop
• Black Glass
• Black Glass Nova
• Blue3/Default (in the installer package)
• Blue3wide/DefaultWide (in the installer package)
• CLR
• Maya
• PureVision
• StreamedMP
• ?

If you're planning to add support or your skin already supports SubCentral, let me know!


Reporting issues / enhancements

If you have any issues or problems using SubCentral or ideas on improving, report them here, or even better, on the issue tracker. For any questions, write on forums

When reporting issues, it's important to include fresh debug logs. That means configuring MediaPortal for debug logging ("General section", "Log verbosity") and fresh start of MediaPortal with only the bug reproduced. Logs needed include MediaPortal.log, error.log, MovingPictures.log, MP-TVSeries.log and SubCentral.log. Without logs it might be impossible to help you, therefore your report might just be ignored. Thank you!


Developing / translating / help

You're a talented developer wanting to help us? Wrote a new plugin handler? Modified SubCentral so it works better/faster/stronger? Translated the plugin? Write here, on IRC (freenode, usually on #MovingPictures and/or #MP-TVSeries) or use issue tracker to submit your patches.


Thank you

• seco – for starting the plugin with initial ideas, helping with programming, testing and, of course, for the awesome SubtitleDownloader API, without which SubCentral would not exist.
• gibman – for SubtitlesRetriever PoC that was used as retriever base.
• fforde – for starting the plugin with initial ideas and awesome core.
• damienh – for testing, support and some very nice ideas.
• 1stdead – for testing.
• All other testers that were reporting issues even before plugin was released
• All the translators

 

[SilentException]

Re: SubCentral v0.9.1

Known issues

• When downloading to a folder on network drive or UNC share path, SubCentral might wrongly identify the download path as read-only.
  • If your drive mapping or UNC path is network name based (\\SERVER\share), adding IP to machine name mapping to Windows hosts file should help. This file is usually located in %windir%\system32\drivers\etc\hosts.
  • If your drive mapping or UNC path is IP based (\\XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX\share), try switching to machine name mapping and then doing the steps above.

FAQ

• How to add a download folder?
  • SubCentral uses MediaPortal configuration for subtitle paths. Open "Videos" section, "Subtitle" tab. Enter paths (folders) in "Subtitle paths" text box, separated by ',' (comma, no quotes). Save and restart configuration.

• How to add more providers (scrapers) or languages?
  • SubCentral uses SubtitleDownloader under the hood, therefore uses its providers/languages. For more information or help on adding providers to SubtitleDownloader or additional language requests, consult SubtitleDownloader API thread.

• Receiving errors when using MPEI package installer! How to fix it?
  • This is the change I did together with new MediaPortal site and repository. Fix is very easy to do. Open installer, go to "Options" tab, and click "Download online update info". It will refresh installer cache with latest info.

 

[forza11]

Re: SubCentral v0.9.1

excellent plugin, thanks a lot for adding the missing link in Media Portal!

tested a few subs in moving pictures and the intergration seems flawless!

 

[Scrounger]

Re: SubCentral v0.9.1

Is it possible to change the timeline of an subtitle to adapt the subtitle to a series / movie.

Because the TV-Series plugin offers also the possibility to download subtitles from diffrent sites. But the Problem is that these subtitle match only to dvd, and TV records are a bit diffrent (Advertising, Pauses, etc.)

Hope you understand what i mean

 

[SilentException]

Re: SubCentral v0.9.1

Is it possible to change the timeline of an subtitle to adapt the subtitle to a series / movie.

Because the TV-Series plugin offers also the possibility to download subtitles from diffrent sites. But the Problem is that these subtitle match only to dvd, and TV records are a bit diffrent (Advertising, Pauses, etc.)

Hope you understand what i mean

There is no option to adjust timings. But there should be plenty of different search results for you to choose from, choose best subtitle based on your media file source (TV, DVD, other). Also if your media file is rightly named, SubCentral will do it's best to push subtitles that match your file on top of the results. Try it out If you find no match, you will have to adjust timings manually.

 

[seco]

Re: SubCentral v0.9.1

For me the "plugins repository" link in the first post is not working correctly, from there I have to navigate MediaPortal Installer (MPI) -> Videos/Movies -> Page 2 -> First item is SubCentral

 

[SilentException]

Re: SubCentral v0.9.1

seco
Link should be fixed now. Crazy firefox insterted %28 and %29 instead of brackets, guess that screwed it

 

[1stdead]

Re: SubCentral v0.9.1

@seco
Link should be fixed now. Crazy firefox insterted %28 and %29 instead of brackets, guess that screwed it

And firefox is better than chrome.....

 

[ScRePt]

Re: SubCentral v0.9.1

Nice job! Will test it asap!

Can you please explain how to implement a custom scrapper and where to "put" the dll? The subtitle downloader thread has a dummy implementation but I am not sure if custom implementations are possible in SubCentral. (The wiki is still in WiP)

I am also interested in translating for Greek.

 

[seco]

Re: SubCentral v0.9.1

Nice job! Will test it asap!

Can you please explain how to implement a custom scrapper and where to "put" the dll? The subtitle downloader thread has a dummy implementation but I am not sure if custom implementations are possible in SubCentral. (The wiki is still in WiP)

I am also interested in translating for Greek.

SubCentral does not have any scrapers, it uses SubtitleDownloader under the hood.