FeaturesVideo TranscodingSubtitles & Captions

Subtitles & Captions

Add, modify, and extract subtitles in SRT and VTT formats.

Overview

What It Is

Subtitle and caption management allows you to embed, extract, or transform subtitle tracks in video files and streaming manifests. Qencode handles multiple formats (SRT, VTT, WebVTT) and can burn captions directly into video or keep them as separate tracks. This matters now because accessibility is legally required in many jurisdictions, and platforms that don't support subtitles lose international audiences and violate compliance standards.

Coming Soon
Process

How It Works

  1. Prepare subtitle files

    Upload your SRT or VTT files, or let our Speech-to-Text generate them from audio.
  2. Choose embedding method

    Decide whether to burn captions into the video, embed as a separate track, or keep in manifest.
  3. Configure styling

    Set font, size, position, and background for burned captions if needed.
  4. Submit with transcoding

    Include subtitle parameters in your encoding job and receive video with captions applied.
Overview

Why Subtitles & Captions

Reduce costs

Lower bandwidth and storage expenses without compromising quality.

Save time

Automate complex processing that would take hours manually.

Scale effortlessly

Handle thousands of videos with the same API call.

Integrate in minutes

Simple robust API with comprehensive SDKs and documentation.

Use Cases

Who Uses Subtitles & Captions

VOD Platforms

Scenario

A streaming service operates in 15 countries with different subtitle compliance rules. Content needs multiple language tracks and regional compliance for specific caption positioning.

Manage all subtitle formats and compliance requirements in one API call, reducing localization turnaround from 2 weeks to 4 hours.

Broadcasters

Scenario

Live sports broadcast teams need to embed captions for hearing-impaired viewers and supply separate subtitle files to international distributors simultaneously.

Generate compliant captions and multi-format outputs in parallel, enabling worldwide distribution of the same live event within 30 minutes of broadcast end.

EdTech

Scenario

Online course platforms need subtitles for accessibility compliance and student engagement (students with hearing loss, non-native speakers, noisy environments).

Increase course completion rates by 25% and ensure WCAG 2.1 accessibility compliance across all course video content.

Tutorial

How to use Subtitles & Captions

Watch a quick walkthrough showing how to configure and use Subtitles & Captions through the Qencode dashboard and API.

Tutorial Video Coming Soon
For Developers

Technical Reference

API MethodPOST /v1/start_encode2 with subtitles configured inside the format object.
Key Parameterssource, format, subtitles.sources[].source, subtitles.sources[].language, optional subtitles.copy: 1; use subtitles_copy: 0 to remove existing subtitles.
Supported Input Formats.srt, .ass; embedded EIA-608 / EIA-708 captions can be copied from the source stream.
Supported Output FormatsVideo renditions created by the transcoding job, such as MP4 and adaptive streaming outputs where subtitles/captions are supported.
Limits & ConstraintsSubtitle file must be accessible by URL; each subtitle source requires both source and language; copy: 1 is used for EIA-608/EIA-708 captions and defaults to 0; existing subtitles are copied by default unless subtitles_copy: 0 is set.
View API Reference

Request Example

Produces Subtitles output JSON

{
  "query": {
    "source": "https://your-storage.com/source.mov",
    "encoder_version": "2",
    "format": [
      {
        "output": "mp4",
        "video_codec": "libx264",
        "resolution": 2160,
        "optimize_bitrate": 1,
        "subtitles": {
          "sources": [
            {
              "source" : "https://qencode.com/sub/video.ENG.srt",
              "language" : "eng"
            },
            {
              "source" : "https://qencode.com/sub/video.FRA.srt",
              "language" : "fra"
            }
          ]
        }
      }
    ]
  }
}

Copy this payload and use it with your API key to test Subtitles & Captions on your own video.

View Subtitles Tutorial
Pricing

What It Costs

Included with Transcoding

Subtitle and caption processing is available for all Qencode users. It is included with standard transcoding, with no additional cost per subtitle track.

We love creating powerful solutions that are aligned with the needs of your business.

Please send us a message if you have a question or Schedule a call for a demo to discuss your integration.

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