Convert TXT Subtitles to SBV Format
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About TXT
A plain text (.txt) file is the simplest possible format, containing only raw text characters without any timing or styling information. When used in the context of subtitles, it typically represents a transcript of the audio. To be used as subtitles, this transcript would need to be processed by another tool to add the necessary timestamps to sync the text with the video.
About SBV
SBV (SubViewer) is a very simple, comma-separated subtitle format. It's most known for being one of the formats used by YouTube for caption uploads. The format consists of a start and end time on a single line, followed by the subtitle text. It's a very basic format without any styling capabilities, similar in simplicity to SRT.
TXT vs SBV
| Feature | TXT | SBV |
|---|---|---|
| Styling Support | false | false |
| Positioning Support | false | false |
| Animation Support | false | false |
| Learning Curve | beginner | beginner |
| Quality Rating | 1 | 3 |
| Patent Status | open standard | proprietary |
| Year Introduced | 1963 | 2009 |
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I turn a TXT transcript into an SRT file?
This process is called 'timing' or 'syncing'. It requires specialized software where you can load the video and the text file, and then go through the video, marking the start and end times for each line of dialogue. Many professional subtitle editors offer features to help with this process.
When is a plain TXT file useful?
A plain text file is very useful for creating a simple, readable transcript of a video for reference, for search engine optimization (SEO), or as the first step in a translation workflow before the text is timed.
Is SBV the same as SubViewer (.sub)?
They are very similar but have distinct formatting. The .sbv extension is specifically associated with YouTube's variant of the format. While they share the same core principle of 'start_time,end_time' followed by text, there can be minor incompatibilities between them. Our converter handles both.
Why would I use SBV?
The primary reason to use SBV is for uploading captions to YouTube, as it's one of their natively supported formats. It's a simple, no-frills format that is easy to create and edit in a plain text editor.
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