File formats and audio
VTT
The web standard for subtitles, with support for styling, positioning and metadata.
VTT, in full WebVTT, is the subtitle format HTML5 video uses. A VTT file always starts with the line WEBVTT:
WEBVTT
00:00:02.400 --> 00:00:05.120
Right, we are under way. First item
is the budget for the autumn.
00:00:05.300 --> 00:00:08.750 line:90% align:center
<v Kari>Yes, I have them here.Note the full stop as the decimal separator, unlike SRT, which uses a comma.
What it can do that SRT cannot
- Speaker identification with
<v Name>, so the subtitles show who is speaking. - Positioning and alignment per block, such as
line:90% align:center. - Styling with CSS through
::cue. - Chapters and metadata in separate tracks.
- Comments with
NOTE, which are not displayed.
When to choose which
| Situation | Format |
|---|---|
| HTML5 video on your own site | VTT |
| YouTube, social media, general sharing | SRT is fine |
| Subtitles with speaker names | VTT |
| Video editing software | SRT, usually the most widely supported |
| Transcript from Teams | VTT, that is what Teams gives you |
Most tools export both, and converting between them is trivial.