Subtitle/audio delay is counter-intuitive

[GoogleCodeExporter]

What steps will reproduce the problem?
1. Open video with a-synchronous subtitles, in this case with subtitles which 
are delayed compared to the audio (i.e. audio first, then subs arrive)
2. Intuitively, one will set the Subtitle Delay to a negative value, since you 
want the subs and audio to be in sync.

What is the expected output? What do you see instead?
Expected output is that a negative delay value, will make subs appear sooner. 
Instead, subtitles are delayed even further.

Same thing goes for the Audio Delay option.

What version of the product are you using? On what operating system?
r945 on 10.6.4

Original issue reported on code.google.com by lorenzo.fanchi@gmail.com on 14 Sep 2010 at 8:36

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[deleted comment]

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Also, when set to 0.0 the sub delay has a value in the OSD of -0.0, instead of 
just 0.0 (like the audio delay)

Original comment by lorenzo.fanchi@gmail.com on 14 Sep 2010 at 8:39

[GoogleCodeExporter]

coment 2 fixed, this is because the increment of float will bring the error 
around 0.0.

for coment 1, this depends on how to understand the word delay.

since the delay value actually means how to place the sub/audio in the time 
line, 
so minus means latter, plus means sooner.

in your case, the subtitle is latter, which means you want to put the sub 
fast-forward in the time line, so it should be a positive value.

Sorry I am a long-term user of mplayer, who already used to this word.

So there are two solutions
1. add a -1* to the value user passed in, then passed to mplayer
2. change the word delay.

which one do you think is better?

Original comment by zongyao.qu on 18 Sep 2010 at 10:25

• Changed state: Confirmed
• Added labels: Milestone-1.0.1

[GoogleCodeExporter]

I think maybe do both..

Change the word "Delay" into, e.g. "Timing" and pass -1 * user value to 
mplayer. That sound good to you?

Original comment by lorenzo.fanchi@gmail.com on 18 Sep 2010 at 12:29

[GoogleCodeExporter]

The "timing" of the subtitles/audio changes from what the user experiences as 
default (i.e. the way the audio/video/subtitles interact right after opening, 
no changes applied). So when the user inputs a negative number, the timing of 
e.g. the subs change to being displayed earlier. I think this feels very 
natural.

Original comment by lorenzo.fanchi@gmail.com on 18 Sep 2010 at 12:33

[GoogleCodeExporter]

Well, I have the natural and unnatural both in my head, so it took me several 
minutes to figure it out. :P

the "-1" will be added.

But I decide to  the delay, Timing is a word more neutral, may not give much 
hint for the direction of the ±.
Delay is more obvious, which is anti-playback direction.

Original comment by zongyao.qu on 18 Sep 2010 at 4:08

• Changed state: Fixed