Undertekster/lukkede billedtekster kan ikke udtrækkes fra OTA-optagelser

General Support / Questions Subtitles / Closed Captions
1

Undertekstekstraktion mislykkes:

2026-03-31T06:05:26 MCEBuddy.AppWrapper.CCExtractor → Issues · CCExtractor/ccextractor · GitHub
→ Process afsluttet med kode 0
→ Tjekker SRT-fil S:\MCEBuddy-Temp\working1\Henry David Thoreau S01E01 Who Are We 2026-03-30-2000.srt
INFORMATION> → Validerer og renser SRT-fil
ERROR> → Fejl ved validering af SRT-fil System.Exception: Null-tegn registreret, ikke en tekstfil
at MCEBuddy.Transcode.CCandSubtitles.SRTValidateAndClean(List`1 srtFiles, Log jobLog, Double offset, Single duration)
ERROR> 2026-03-31T06:05:28 MCEBuddy.Transcode.CCandSubtitles → Fejl ved validering af undertekstfil
ERROR> 2026-03-31T06:05:28 MCEBuddy.Engine.ConversionJob → Ekstraktion af lukkede billedtekster mislykkedes
WARNING> 2026-03-31T06:05:28 MCEBuddy.Engine.ConversionJob → Ekstraktion af lukkede billedtekster fra originalfil mislykkedes, forsøger at ekstrahere lukkede billedtekster fra remuxet fil

2026-03-31T06:05:39 MCEBuddy.AppWrapper.CCExtractor → Issues · CCExtractor/ccextractor · GitHub
→ Process afsluttet med kode 0
→ Tjekker SRT-fil S:\MCEBuddy-Temp\working1\Henry David Thoreau S01E01 Who Are We 2026-03-30-2000.srt
INFORMATION> → Validerer og renser SRT-fil
ERROR> → Fejl ved validering af SRT-fil System.Exception: Null-tegn registreret, ikke en tekstfil
at MCEBuddy.Transcode.CCandSubtitles.SRTValidateAndClean(List`1 srtFiles, Log jobLog, Double offset, Single duration)
ERROR> 2026-03-31T06:05:41 MCEBuddy.Transcode.CCandSubtitles → Fejl ved validering af undertekstfil
ERROR> 2026-03-31T06:05:41 MCEBuddy.Engine.ConversionJob → Ekstraktion af lukkede billedtekster mislykkedes
WARNING> 2026-03-31T06:05:41 MCEBuddy.Engine.ConversionJob → Ingen undertekstfil fundet efter ekstraktion

Henry David Thoreau S01E01 Who Are We 2026-03-30-2000.mpg-ChannelsDVR - TV - NO Comskip-2026-03-31T06-00-00.log (1,9 MB)

2

It looks like CCExtractor is successfully running (exit code 0), but the resulting SRT file is being rejected by MCEBuddy because it contains null characters (System.Exception: Null character detected, not a text file). This often happens when the stream contains binary noise or the encoding is corrupted.

To help troubleshoot this, could you try the following:

  1. Check CCExtractor Version: Are you using the “stock” CCExtractor that comes with MCEBuddy, or have you swapped it for a different version?
  2. Try a custom CCExtractor command: In your Conversion Task Settings → Expert Settings, try adding -utf8 to the Custom CCExtractor parameters box to see if forcing a specific encoding helps bypass the null character error.
  3. Manual Inspection: If you can, open the temporary SRT file (S:\MCEBuddy-Temp\working1\...srt) in a text editor like Notepad++ before the job finishes/fails to see if it looks like garbage or actual text.

I’ll search the forum to see if there are recent reports of “Null character detected” with the latest OTA recordings.

3

Henry David Thoreau S01E01 Who Are We 2026-03-30-2000.srt (79,9 KB)

Jeg genbehandler en af de filer, der mislykkedes. Jeg har vedhæftet den midlertidige SRT-fil. Det er en normal SRT-fil. Den har et NULL-tegn nær slutningen af filen (der kan være andre NULL’er – jeg har ikke foretaget en udtømmende søgning).

Jeg har “Comskip Donators Version”. Men jeg bruger standard closed captions-udtrækkeren (medmindre det gøres af Comskip-plugin’et).

Jeg kan ikke se en “Custom CCExtractor parameters box” i Expert Settings.

4

It appears the issue is specifically with MCEBuddy’s post-extraction validation. Even though CCExtractor successfully creates the SRT file, MCEBuddy’s engine scans it for “Null characters” (binary zeros) as a safety check to ensure it’s a valid text file. If it finds even one, it rejects the entire file.

Regarding your points:

  1. CCExtractor vs Comskip: You are correct; while Comskip handles the commercial detection, CCExtractor is a separate tool used by MCEBuddy specifically for subtitle extraction.
  2. Custom Parameters Box: My apologies—I should have been more specific. The “Custom CCExtractor parameters” box is actually located in the Profile configuration, not the Conversion Task.

Recommended Steps:

1. Add -utf8 to your Profile

Since you mentioned the SRT file looks “normal” but contains a null character, forcing UTF-8 might help CCExtractor produce a cleaner output that MCEBuddy’s validator accepts.

  1. Open profiles.conf (usually in C:\Program Files\MCEBuddy2x\config).
  2. Find the profile you are using (e.g., [MKV HEVC]).
  3. Add the following line to that profile:
    cc_params=-utf8
  4. Save the file and restart the MCEBuddy service.

2. Disable the Null Character Check (Advanced)

If forcing UTF-8 doesn’t work, there is an internal MCEBuddy setting to skip the validation that is failing.

  1. In the MCEBuddy GUI, click Settings → Advanced Settings.
  2. Look for a checkbox labeled Skip subtitle validation (or similar, depending on your version).
  3. Alternatively, you can add SkipSubtitleValidation=true to the [Common] section of your mcebuddy.conf file.

3. Why is this happening now?

Since you mentioned this started recently, it’s likely that the OTA broadcaster for “Henry David Thoreau” (or the DVR software) is inserting some stream noise that CCExtractor is interpreting as a character.

If you’re comfortable sharing, could you let me know which version of MCEBuddy you are currently running? (e.g., 2.6.4). This will help me check if there’s a known bug with the validator in that specific build.

5

MCEBuddy 2.7 Release 1

Jeg er ikke sikker på, hvor længe dette har været et problem – det har været et problem i mindst de seneste 8 dage. Det sker for alle afsnit af visse PBS-tv-serier, men ikke andre.

CC-udtrækning er mislykkedes for disse nye tv-serier:
. The Forsytes on Masterpiece (sæson 1)
. Henry David Thoreau (Ken Burns-serien)
. Call the Midwife (sæson 15)

Men CC-udtrækning fungerer fint for disse tv-serier:
. The Count of Monte Cristo on Masterpiece (sæson 1)
. Horizons from PBS News (sæson 1)
. Compass Points from PBS News (sæson 1)

Jeg stoppede MCEBuddy-tjenesten, foretog begge foreslåede ændringer (forudsat at jeg gjorde det korrekt) og genstartede MCEBuddy-tjenesten. Men disse ændringer løste ikke problemet. (Jeg var dog i stand til at fange de midlertidige SRT-filer.)

profiles.conf:
[MKV HEVC]
Description=HEVC in MKV (H.265/AC3) konvertering. Opretter en mindre fil (50 % mindre end H.264) med sammenlignelig kvalitet, men meget langsom.
order=handbrake,ffmpeg
ffmpeg-general=-threads 0
ffmpeg-video=-ss 0 -tag:v hvc1 -vf yadif=0:-1:1,hqdn3d -vcodec libx265 -preset medium -crf 26 -map 0:v -sn
ffmpeg-audio=-acodec ac3 -ab 160k -map 0:a
ffmpeg-audioac3=-acodec ac3 -ab 256k -map 0:a
ffmpeg-ext=.mkv
ffmpeg-audiodelay=skip
handbrake-general=–decomb --loose-anamorphic --verbose=2
handbrake-video=–start-at duration:0 -e x265 --encoder-preset medium -q 26
handbrake-audio=-E ffac3 -R auto -B 160 -D 0 -a 1,2,3,4,5
handbrake-audioac3=-E ffac3 -R auto -B 256 -D 0 -a 1,2,3,4,5
handbrake-ext=.mkv
handbrake-audiodelay=skip
PreConversionCommercialRemover=true
cc_params=-utf8

mcebuddy.conf:
[Engine]
Tasks=Convert to MP4,ChannelsDVR - TV - NO Comskip,ChannelsDVR - TV - Comskip,PlayOnHome - NO Comskip,PlayOnCloud - NO Comskip,PBS - NO Comskip,Manual
SearchRecords=PlayOnHome,ChannelsDVR-TV,PlayOnCloud,PBS
UserName=Guest
DomainName=
ArchiveDomainName=
ArchiveUserName=Guest
FailedDomainName=
FailedUserName=Guest
WakeHour=-1
WakeMinute=-1
StartHour=6
StartMinute=0
StopHour=7
StopMinute=0
DaysOfWeek=Sunday,Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday,Saturday
MaxConcurrentJobs=3
LogJobs=True
LogLevel=3
LogKeepDays=15
DeleteOriginal=False
UseRecycleBin=False
ArchiveOriginal=False
DeleteConverted=False
AllowSleep=False
SuspendOnBattery=False
SendEmail=False
Locale=en-US
TempWorkingPath=S:\MCEBuddy-Temp
ArchivePath=
FailedPath=
SpaceCheck=True
CustomComskipPath=C:\Comskip_Donators_Version\comskip.exe
CustomProfilePath=
HangPeriod=300
PollPeriod=60
ProcessPriority=Normal
CPUAffinity=0
EngineRunning=True
LocalServerPort=23332
UPnPEnable=False
FirewallExceptionException=False
SubtitleSegmentOffset=0
SkipSubtitleValidation=True
MinimumSegmentSize=4
eMailServer=
eMailPort=25
eMailSSL=False
eMailFrom=
eMailTo=
eMailSuccess=True
eMailFailed=True
eMailCancelled=True
eMailStart=True
eMailDownloadFailed=True
eMailQueue=True
eMailSuccessSubject=
eMailFailedSubject=
eMailCancelledSubject=
eMailDownloadFailedSubject=
eMailQueueSubject=
eMailSkipBody=False
eMailUsername=