Subtitles in VLC

[littleblackcat]

Hi

I've got a load of mkv files which I can play with subtitles on my laptop (using VLC media player) but when I cast the same files to my TV using VLC, the subtitles disappear.  I can't find a way to get them on the TV, although sound and video are fine.  I know the subtitles are there in the mkv files as they can be displayed on the laptop.  Any suggestions?  Would another media player work better?

[djtetei · Accepted solution]

You need closed captions format for subtitles.

Text format subtitles, like srt, cannot be broadcasted, because they are not a video or an audio format.

To be able to display subtitles on TV, in your case, screen mirroring must be used.

[littleblackcat · Accepted solution]

Thanks for that.

Yes - using the chrome browser to cast the desktop VLC works with subtitles!  But why couldn't I google that answer?

[djtetei · Accepted solution]

You need closed captions format for subtitles.

Text format subtitles, like srt, cannot be broadcasted, because they are not a video or an audio format.

To be able to display subtitles on TV, in your case, screen mirroring must be used.

[littleblackcat · Accepted solution]

Thanks for that.

Yes - using the chrome browser to cast the desktop VLC works with subtitles!  But why couldn't I google that answer?

[djtetei · Accepted solution]

Not many people know the difference between text subtitles and closed caption subtitles.

Usually all DVD and Blu-ray releases are authored with closed captions subtitles (picture format).

[littleblackcat]

😊

[Jeran]

Hey there!

It looks like djtetei was able to answer littleblackcat's question, and it's been a few days, so I'm locking the thread. As always, feel free to make a new thread if you have any more questions or concerns.

Thank you for your help, djtetei!

Best regards,
Jeran