A short while ago, I was musing about what to do with "alien" subtitles. I decided to do them permanently, because: a) there are very few b) they only work that way on a PC c) friends may have different standalones and don't speak klingon either...:D I think that different situations will require different decisions. You have to consider more than you've mentioned in your post. Perhaps helpfull to know is the answer to this: How do these Subtitles transfer to DVD when the happy day comes? In case you wonder, I am only sure about the burned in ones...