Adobe ENCORE 2 Manual page 168

Timecode format
It is important that your script files correctly specify the timecode for your project. The timecode you use depends
on the television standard of the project:
NTSC projects use drop-frame timecode, which separates the numbers with semicolons, as in hh;mm;ss;ff
NTSC
(hours; minutes; seconds; frames).
PAL projects use timecode that separates the numbers with colons, as in hh:mm:ss:ff (hours: minutes: seconds:
PAL
frames).
When specifying timecode, keep in mind the following concepts:
•
Timecode in a script should match the timecode format of the project so that the subtitles sync correctly with the
audio and video. While Adobe Encore DVD can convert non-drop frame timecode to drop frame, you get the best
results if you specify the appropriate timecode for a project.
•
Timecode numbers do not need leading zeros. For example, 0;0;12;3 would be correctly interpreted as 00;00;12;03
on import.
•
Some subtitle-editing applications save subtitle scripts using the Time format instead of timecode. Time format is
in the form: hh;mm;ss,zzz (hours; minutes; seconds, milliseconds). Adobe Encore DVD does not recognize Time
format. To convert Time format to timecode, you need to convert milliseconds (zzz) to frames (ff). The formula is:
NTSC: Frame # = (Milliseconds x 29.97) ÷ 1000
PAL: Frame # = (Milliseconds x 25) ÷ 1000
Structure of text script files
Text script files specify the subtitle number, the start time and end time in the video, and the subtitle text. You
separate each line of a clip with a return. You format the text, position the subtitles on the screen, and choose the
color group when you import the file.
Text subtitle scripts should follow this format:
Subtitle_# Start_Timecode End_Timecode Subtitle_text
Additional_line_of_subtitle_text
Additional_line_of_subtitle_text
You can use either spaces or tabs to separate the elements in the script, and the Enter key to separate lines within the
script. If you want to break the subtitle text into separate lines, just use the Enter key to start a new line. Keep in mind,
however, that after you import the subtitles, the point size of the text and the size of the bounding box may force the
text to reflow, causing unexpected line breaks.
In this example, the following lines would form two separate clips, one at 2;02 and the second at 5;18:
1 00;00;02;02 00;00;03;15 The cat never came back.
She just walked away.
2 00;00;05;18 00;00;09;20 I hope she's all right.
She always looked out the window with a special kind of longing.
Note: To ensure that all characters are correctly displayed, save the script as a text file (TXT) using Unicode UTF-8 or
UTF-16 encoding.
ADOBE ENCORE DVD 2.0 163
User Guide