What's the difference between SRT and VTT?
SRT (SubRip) is the oldest and most widely supported subtitle format: numbered cues with comma-separated milliseconds (00:00:01,000). WebVTT (VTT) is its modern successor, required by the HTML5 <track> element. Key differences:
- VTT starts with a
WEBVTTheader line - VTT uses a dot for milliseconds (
00:00:01.000) instead of a comma - VTT cue numbers are optional; SRT's are mandatory (by convention)
- VTT supports CSS styling, positioning and voice tags
How to use the converted VTT file
Reference it in your HTML5 video:
<video controls>
<source src="movie.mp4" type="video/mp4">
<track src="subtitles.vtt" kind="subtitles" srclang="en" label="English" default>
</video>
Why convert in the browser?
- Privacy: your subtitles — and therefore hints about your video content — never leave your device
- Speed: no upload or download round-trip; conversion is instant even for large files
- No limits: file size is bounded only by your device's memory, not a server quota