WebVTT

WebVTT, or Web Video Text Tracks, is the format for subtitles on the web. It is used with the HTML <track> element, or embedded into a webm container.

Structure

WebVTT is a simple, text-based format, based on SRT. All files start with the string WEBVTT, optionally, some text, then two new lines. That’s where the data we’re interested in starts.

Cue

A WebVTT file is basically a bunch of cues. They can have a line with an ID, then they have to have a line specifying from where to where the cue should be displayed like this: STARTTIME -> ENDTIME [optional settings go here], then all the text to be displayed goes after it. That text can have some HTML-like formatting in it. To learn about them, see the documentation.

Example

WEBVTT

00:01.000 --> 00:04.000
- Never drink liquid nitrogen.

00:05.000 --> 00:09.000
- It will perforate your stomach.
- You could die.