MPlayer can display subtitles along with movie files. Currently the following formats are supported:

MPlayer can dump the previously listed subtitle formats (except the three first) into the following destination formats, with the given options:

MEncoder can dump DVD subtitles into VOBsub format.

The command line options differ slightly for the different formats:

VOBsub subtitles.  VOBsub subtitles consist of a big (some megabytes) .SUB file, and optional .IDX and/or .IFO files. If you have files like sample.sub, sample.ifo (optional), sample.idx - you have to pass MPlayer the -vobsub sample [-vobsubid id] options (full path optional). The -vobsubid option is like -sid for DVDs, you can choose between subtitle tracks (languages) with it. In case that -vobsubid is omitted, MPLayer will try to use the languages given by the -slang option and fall back to the langidx in the .IDX file to set the subtitle language. If it fails, there will be no subtitles.

Other subtitles.  The other formats consist of a single text file containing timing, placement and text information. Usage: If you have a file like sample.txt, you have to pass the option -sub sample.txt (full path optional).

If you experience a growing delay between the movie and the subtitles when using a MicroDVD subtitle file, most likely the framerate of the movie and the subtitle file are different. Please note that the MicroDVD subtitle format uses absolute frame numbers for its timing, but there is no fps information in it, and therefore the -subfps option should be used with this format. If you like to solve this problem permanently, you have to manually convert the subtitle file framerate. MPlayer can do this conversion for you:

mplayer -dumpmicrodvdsub -fps subtitles_fps -subfps avi_fps -sub subtitle_filename dummy.avi

About DVD subtitles, read the DVD section.