How can I watch .avi with embedded subtitles?

Question

I have downloaded an avi with subtitles in multiple languages. I can watch the video online and choose the subtitle language I need.

However, I cannot see the subtitles with the Totem movie player nor with VLC.

Codec: MPEG-4 Video (XVID)

Answer 1

The video stream itself (and a big 'thank you' for making this available away from the commercial site CloudLoad!) contains no subtitle streams:

andrew@ilium~/test$ mediainfo Indagine-su-un-cittadino-al-di-sopra-di-ogni-sospetto.avi               
General
Complete name                            : Indagine-su-un-cittadino-al-di-sopra-di-ogni-sospetto.avi
Format                                   : AVI
Format/Info                              : Audio Video Interleave
File size                                : 692 MiB
Duration                                 : 1 h 50 min
Overall bit rate                         : 878 kb/s
Writing application                      : VirtualDubMod 1.5.10.1 (build 2366/release)
Writing library                          : VirtualDubMod build 2366/release

Video
ID                                       : 0
Format                                   : MPEG-4 Visual
Format profile                           : Advanced Simple@L5
Format settings, BVOP                    : 2
Format settings, QPel                    : No
Format settings, GMC                     : No warppoints
Format settings, Matrix                  : Default (H.263)
Muxing mode                              : Packed bitstream
Codec ID                                 : XVID
Codec ID/Hint                            : XviD
Duration                                 : 1 h 50 min
Bit rate                                 : 677 kb/s
Width                                    : 640 pixels
Height                                   : 336 pixels
Display aspect ratio                     : 1.905
Frame rate                               : 25.000 FPS
Color space                              : YUV
Chroma subsampling                       : 4:2:0
Bit depth                                : 8 bits
Scan type                                : Progressive
Compression mode                         : Lossy
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)                       : 0.126
Stream size                              : 533 MiB (77%)
Writing library                          : XviD 1.0.3 (UTC 2004-12-20)

Audio
ID                                       : 1
Format                                   : AC-3
Format/Info                              : Audio Coding 3
Mode extension                           : CM (complete main)
Format settings, Endianness              : Big
Codec ID                                 : 2000
Duration                                 : 1 h 50 min
Bit rate mode                            : Constant
Bit rate                                 : 192 kb/s
Channel(s)                               : 2 channels
Channel positions                        : Front: L R
Sampling rate                            : 48.0 kHz
Frame rate                               : 31.250 FPS (1536 spf)
Compression mode                         : Lossy
Stream size                              : 151 MiB (22%)
Alignment                                : Split accross interleaves
Interleave, duration                     : 40  ms (1.00 video frame)
Interleave, preload duration             : 500  ms


andrew@ilium~/test$ 

So the commercial service you have used must be either:

1. Loading a separate stream each time a different language is specified, this is unlikely.
2. Loading an external subtitle file suitable for each specified language, more likely.

The good news is that you can download your own srt files, I did so from within the SMPlayer GUI by running:

Subtitles --> Find subtitles at OpenSubtitles.org...

and had quite a choice of subtitle languages available to me:

Simply select one the srt files, they will be downloaded and then easily viewed if placed in the same directory as your film. Below is an example with English subtitles:

And then all should be well... Not my taste in movies BTW :)