Spot vs. free or cheap subtitling tools
Thread poster: Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 13:11
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
Sep 29, 2020

Hello everyone

I don't do subtitles, but I know that there are free and cheap subtitling tools available these days. Do you use any of those tools? My question is about whether anyone here has heard of or has experience with the subtitling software called Spot. How does it compare to the free tools? Is it really, truly worth paying the €2000+ price for the full version? Look, I'm not considering it -- I'm just wondering about it.

There is a fully functional 15-da
... See more
Hello everyone

I don't do subtitles, but I know that there are free and cheap subtitling tools available these days. Do you use any of those tools? My question is about whether anyone here has heard of or has experience with the subtitling software called Spot. How does it compare to the free tools? Is it really, truly worth paying the €2000+ price for the full version? Look, I'm not considering it -- I'm just wondering about it.

There is a fully functional 15-day trial of Spot. One can also "rent" it for €46 per month, or buy the full version for €2172. There is a recent 2-hour zoom webinar here.

Thanks
Samuel

[Edited at 2020-09-29 10:57 GMT]
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Monica Paolillo
Monica Paolillo
Italy
Local time: 13:11
English to Italian
+ ...
Not worth it, in my opinion Sep 29, 2020

And also a bit outdated, if you ask me.

I would also discourage you from using free tools, you can hardly obtain professional results with those.

I strongly recommend SubtitleNEXT. Great value for money. Check out https://subtitlenext.com/ Good luck


 
abdelkader jbira (X)
abdelkader jbira (X)  Identity Verified
Morocco
Local time: 12:11
Arabic to French
+ ...
Subtitle Edit Sep 29, 2020

Subtitle Edit est un logiciel open source. Si vous y ajoutez le logiciel Avidemux (une version gratuite) vous pouvez incruster votre fichier srt sur la vidéo. Des professionnels travaillent avec Subtitle Edit (ou encore Subtitle Workshop) sans aucun problème.

Voir ce groupe de l'Ecole
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Subtitle Edit est un logiciel open source. Si vous y ajoutez le logiciel Avidemux (une version gratuite) vous pouvez incruster votre fichier srt sur la vidéo. Des professionnels travaillent avec Subtitle Edit (ou encore Subtitle Workshop) sans aucun problème.

Voir ce groupe de l'Ecole arabe de traduction du Caire :

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1474212082855246/


[Modifié le 2020-09-29 12:36 GMT]
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Josephine Cassar
 
Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 13:11
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
@Abdelkader Sep 29, 2020

abdelkader jbira wrote:
Subtitle Edit is open source software. If you add the Avidemux software (a free version) to it you can embed your SRT file on the video. Professionals work with Subtitle Edit (or even Subtitle Workshop) without any problem.


How does Subtitle Edit compare to Spot?


 
expressisverbis
expressisverbis
Portugal
Local time: 12:11
Member (2015)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
I couldn't complain Oct 5, 2020

In 2014, I attended a specialization course (Computer Assisted Translation) and one of its modules was audiovisual translation.
We worked with professional software such as Subtitle Workshop and Spot.
Subtitle Workshop (free software) is a more basic tool, but I found Spot very user-friendly and has a wide range of advanced features.
I was happy with Spot, I couldn’t complain.


 
kd42
kd42
Estonia
Local time: 14:11
English to Russian
Please define "advanced" Oct 6, 2020

I do subtitles now and then.
When you speak about "advanced features", I imagine a SRT and rack my brain where these features may apply, and why you need them.
Could you give a couple of examples please?


 
Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 13:11
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
@kd Oct 6, 2020

kd42 wrote:
When you speak about "advanced features", I imagine a SRT and rack my brain where these features may apply...


Well, a quick overview of some of Spot's various features can be seen in the short how-to videos:
https://www.spotsoftware.nl/howto.shtml

Here's an example that shows how to perform various types of checking:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKHMXGLpG2Q


expressisverbis
 
Epameinondas Soufleros
Epameinondas Soufleros  Identity Verified
Greece
Local time: 14:11
Member (2008)
English to Greek
+ ...
Wincaps Oct 6, 2020

I tried Spot last year but it did not perform well in my specific use case. So, I've returned to Wincaps, to which I've become accustomed and whose accuracy and checks I find good enough for most jobs—not perfect, though.

I have worked extensively with Subtitle Edit, as well, but I am not sure I can trust it for important jobs. It does not seem to be frame-accurate, in the way that Wincaps is.

[Edited at 2020-10-06 13:44 GMT]


 
expressisverbis
expressisverbis
Portugal
Local time: 12:11
Member (2015)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Useful for me Oct 6, 2020

kd42 wrote:

I do subtitles now and then.
When you speak about "advanced features", I imagine a SRT and rack my brain where these features may apply, and why you need them.
Could you give a couple of examples please?


Some I find useful:
Multiple editing shortcuts;
More precise timing than I had with Subtitle Workshop;
Generate a QC report and use of spell checker to track any typos or errors;
Interface and functions were easier to use for the first time.
The only inconvenient is the price...


 
kd42
kd42
Estonia
Local time: 14:11
English to Russian
Thanks a lot for your input, everyone Nov 29, 2020

Many thanks for your feedback and the specifics, very useful.

 
Liliana Garfunkel
Liliana Garfunkel
Argentina
Local time: 09:11
English to Spanish
+ ...
SPOT subtitling software Mar 1, 2021

I rented SPOT for 6 months. It's an excellent program, I've tried many, and it's not really expensive.
The technical support is great, but the human support is absolutely fantastic. They're always ready to offer every possible assistance.


Ticiana Massi Grenga
 
Liliana Garfunkel
Liliana Garfunkel
Argentina
Local time: 09:11
English to Spanish
+ ...
SPOT vs free subtitling tools Sep 19, 2021

I have been using SPOT for more than a year. It's great and it has a great support team that responds immediately. There are things that currently can't be done with the free subtitling tools, at least not in a professional way. I had to stop using the free programs we all know because I wasn't subtitling well and it frustrated me a lot.

Ticiana Massi Grenga
Sophie De Vriendt
 
Nica Wooters
Nica Wooters
United States
Local time: 05:11
Member (2022)
Spanish to English
+ ...
EditingSpot's Shortcuts Sep 30, 2021

Hi all,

I am testing out a few different platforms, including Spot. One thing that I have found really tough with Spot is the inability to change the shortcut commands. I am using it on a MacBook Pro running Windows via Bootcamp so I don't have a num pad or an Ins key, etc.

After watching their (really great) video tutorials, scanning old user manuals, flipping through their FAQ and rummaging through the menus in Spot itself, I can't seem to find a way to edit those sh
... See more
Hi all,

I am testing out a few different platforms, including Spot. One thing that I have found really tough with Spot is the inability to change the shortcut commands. I am using it on a MacBook Pro running Windows via Bootcamp so I don't have a num pad or an Ins key, etc.

After watching their (really great) video tutorials, scanning old user manuals, flipping through their FAQ and rummaging through the menus in Spot itself, I can't seem to find a way to edit those shortcut commands.

Does anyone know if I am missing something or if this is just a feature of Spot that's not going to change?

Thanks!
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Spot vs. free or cheap subtitling tools







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