Open subtitle vs Closed subtitle

[barcud]

Hello!
I think I’ve read everything I could find, but I still haven’t found a clear answer.
1. If I want the subtitles to be included in the DCP package and be selectable as an option during playback, which one should I choose: open subtitles or closed subtitles?
2. In the case of an SRT file, can the projection system adjust the subtitle size and position afterward, or will it appear exactly as it is defined in the DCP package?

Thanks

[Carsten]

No easy answer for this: Typically, a projectionist can not choose to 'disable' subtitles for playback. Not the way you may be familiar with it on a DVD remote. In digital cinema, a subtitled version typically is a separate version of a non-subtitled DCP/CPL version. That is, the projectionist has to ingest both a non-subtitled and a subtitled version, and then uses one of them for playout. Once playout is started, you can not disable or enable subtitles.
There is no button the playback server guy to enable or disable subtitles during playout.
Typically, the non-subtitled CPL is a so called OV, and the subtitled version is created as a VF (version file).

Now, as for Open Subtitles vs. Closed Subtitles - 'Open Subtitles' are usually displayed on the image/on screen. While closed subtitles are sent to specific devices for parts of the audience to view them in private (e.g. through closed caption glasses) .

Open means, everyone in the auditorium will see them, closed means, only people with suitable devices will see them.

[barcud]

Thank you for the reply, it’s starting to become clearer. Yes, I have already studied the OV–VF workflow. At first it seemed a bit complicated that two DCPs are required, but if this is truly accepted practice in cinemas, then this may be the solution.

This leads to a related question:

If the OV is:

TITLE_FTR-1-25_F-185_HU_51_2K

Then is the VF naming correct like this?

TITLE_FTR-1-25_F-185_EN_VF_51_2K or TITLE_FTR-1-25_F-185_HU-EN_VF_51_2

Returning to the other approach, the official dcpomatic user manual states:

“With subtitles you have the further choice of whether to burn the subtitles into the image or include them as a separate subtitle ‘asset’ within your DCP (in which case the projector overlays them onto the image on playback… Select the Burn subtitles into image check-box to burn subtitles into the image; if this is not ticked the subtitles will be included separately in the DCP to be rendered by the projector.”

Based on this, if I do not check “Burn in” and the DCP is created this way, can the subtitles be separated in such a way that the projectionist can decide at the start of the screening whether the film is played with or without subtitles? (Obviously this cannot be changed during playback.)

EDIT: + Some more question.

> In the meantime, I did a test—unfortunately not in a cinema DCP server, just on another machine using the EasyDCPplayer to playback DCP created on DcpOmatic. Everything seems to be fine. (it can turn on off sub during playback )
> If I choose a different font, does it get “carried along” with the DCP, or does it need to be attached separately?
> If for some reason the projector/server can’t handle that font, I assume it will use some kind of default font instead?
> If the subtitles are on a separate layer (either via the OV–VF workflow or as a separate asset), does the projectionist in the cinema have any possibility to modify the subtitle placement on the image (fontsize,font type, X/Y position), or is whatever I set in DCP-o-matic final and unchangeable? I’m trying to understand how carefully I need to set up the subtitle parameters.

Thank you.