Approach to Internal/External Subtitles

[henryjohn]

I'm looking to optimize my entire library's approach to handling subtitles. I have a few main questions:

1.  I have 4K HDR files that will transcode instead of direct play when certain PGS subs are being displayed. Would extracting them and making them external prevent the entire video from transcoding capybara clicker
2.  Does Jellyfin prioritize external subtitle files (.srt) before any embedded ones in the media file? If so, is there any indication when viewing media which subtitle Jellyfin is reading?

3. Is there any preferred tool to run against my library to extract, place alongside, and subsequently remove the internal subtitles to be left with ONLY externals? I have a wide mix of formats, 1 tool would be awesome instead of a different one for every format. I know the official Subtitle Extract Plugin could work for this if there was an option to change the destination, and also remove embedded subs, but I think you can't do either of those.

Thanks for reading. Info is sparse regarding these hurdles.

This is definitely possible. Extracting PGS subtitles externally can help Jellyfin avoid transcoding 4K HDR videos, and Jellyfin usually prioritizes external subtitles if available. But to optimize the entire library, you will need a tool that helps extract and remove embedded subtitles. There are a few options like Extract PGS subtitles to avoid transcoding, Prioritize external subtitles,