Sorry...the "Over-Worked and Under-Paid" excuse WONT WORK here either. The "Subtitles Workshop" Suggestion I gave AND limiting the amount of "versions uploaded" will fix that Over-Worked problem.
Sorry to say, but that seems like 2D thinking, not 4D thinking that is required. Your above scenario would only work if OpenSubs started from scratch. With 0 subs.
According to what's been discussed here, they are already coping with certain languages for newly uploaded subtitles and blockbusters, SmallBrother was referring to the "zillion" subtitles that have been uploaded prior and in the past 2 decades. Evidently, that's what you first referenced in your initial question.
Let's just assume they implement your idea, that still leaves the "zillion" subtitles uploaded in the past that will not be touched, fixed or deleted as that still needs, and I quote:
Carefully cleaning up just ONE title with 20 versions would take 1-2 hours. Doing it too quickly, would maybe lead to 20 forum topics.
A similar system to what you require already exists on Addic7ed. If you think that system will work for movies, you can always take like minded individuals as yourself and take advantage of that sites features and if it works in the long run, bring that data and group here and ask OS to implement it on the new opensubtitles.com website showing that it worked elsewhere.
From what I've heard from another admin I was talking to in the past, they are not going to implement new major ideas on the .org version of the site as this version of the site is going to be phased out.
You can submit new ideas to .com version here:
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=16844
I've personally, had to come back to Opensubs on several occasions and Re-Download a Subtitle from another user cause I got the wrong version...or the Retail version didnt fit the Extended Version I was watching.
Instead of using manual search, have you ever tried dragging and dropping your video to the search bar icon on the left ("
Drag And Drop video file here")?
Provided that movie has corresponding hashes submitted against it, the site will show and make suggestions to the right subtitle for your movie rip. Try it.
Plenty of hidden features on this site.