SRT / VTT — Subtitle File Formats

What is it?

SRT and VTT are the standard file formats subtitles travel in: small text files listing numbered entries, each with a start time, end time, and the words to display in that window. SRT is the older, universal one (plain timing and text); VTT is its web-era successor (the same idea, plus styling and positioning options, and the native format of web video players). When subtitles move between tools and platforms, they move as one of these files.

Practical example

Opened in any text editor, an SRT file is perfectly human-readable:

1
00:00:03,400 --> 00:00:06,100
Welcome back to the show.

2
00:00:06,200 --> 00:00:09,800
Tonight's guest needs no introduction.

A creator's workflow runs on these files: the transcription tool exports episode42.srt; the creator fixes two misheard names in a text editor; the file is uploaded to YouTube alongside the video — and YouTube renders the captions, toggleable, in sync. The same file uploads to Facebook, feeds a translation tool (which returns episode42_english.srt), and archives the show as searchable text.

Key things to know (non-technical)

• They're the interchange currency: every serious caption workflow — transcribe, edit, translate, upload — passes through SRT/VTT files; platform compatibility is near-universal.
• The format choice is rarely agonizing: SRT for maximum compatibility, VTT when web players or styling are involved; conversion between them is trivial.
• Their plain-text nature is the feature: editable by anyone, diffable, lightweight, immune to software lock-in.
• One subtitle file per language is the multi-language model — a video plus a folder of SRTs is a localized release.

In Tupic Live

SRT/VTT import and export is Tupic Live's caption interoperability: every auto-transcribed show exports a standard file (for the creator's own corrections, translators, or other platforms), and externally produced subtitle files import cleanly — the platform's captions never trapped inside it.