Are all subtitles that you download pretty much the same, quality-wise or can it vary from site to site? Also, are there some that are just pain bad which causes you to have to download another one for the same video but from a different site? Finally, If there are some that get corrupted or are never programmed right, can that throw off your subtitle and audio syncing?
If you're talking about subtitle FORMAT, then no, not all subtitles are the same. Advanced subtitle files like .ssa and .ass (SubStation Alpha and Advanced SubStation Alpha) are capable of effects like karaoke, fade in/out, scrolling, tilting and rotating, etc., while simple subtitles like .srt and .sub are just your run-of-the-mill subtitles.
As far as subtitle quality off the net goes, though, all that most of those sub downloading places have are the same as every other site, and usually each site will have multiple subtitle files for a single movie. The quality of these subs are simply up to whoever first wrote them - if the translator (in the case of foreign subs) or subtitler (in the case of native subs) is good, then the subtitles will be perfectly in sync with the respective video and offer a good translation of what's being said. If they're bad, then the subtitles are gonna be bad. It's that simple.
Besides, since these are all text-based subtitles, you can always edit the subtitles yourself, either with programs like Subtitle Processor, Subtitle Workshop, and, if you've got .ass subs, Aegisub, or by yourself in Notepad.
So yeah, hope that helps solve a bit of your problems.
Yes that very much indeed did answer that question and many more.
While I've got your attention though I'd like to ask you or someone else to give me a few tips on using Subtitle Workshop.
I found this thread on it and followed the instructions, but after I found the first out-of-sync subtitle text, I highlight all of them after that, hit the double arrow symbol, then clicked "save", but when I played back the movie in the program again, it only played the one subtitle that I had originally highlighted, nothing more. Obviously I did something wrong.
Now that I have messed with Subtitle Workshop once, I'm going to start getting into a habit of always running my sub through it first, before I add it to any authoring project.
That's why I would just like to get a few basic tips on how use it. Like I said, I followed what instructions were given from that post but I obviously did not do something right!
