How to keep metadata when exporting to SRT files? #701

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claunia · 2026-01-29T16:51:36Z

claunia commented

2026-01-29 16:51:36 +00:00

Originally created by @vega69-ux on GitHub (Apr 25, 2022).

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I have a mp4 file with many different languages. I believe they're TTML subtitles remuxed into a mp4 file. Is there a way for ccextrator to extract to srt files but be able to keep the metadata of the different languages in the srt files? In VLC, instead of saying "English" or "Spanish" it says "Track 1" or "Track 2". I would like to have the names of the different languages instead of "Track 1" or "Track 2". Is this possible?

Originally created by @vega69-ux on GitHub (Apr 25, 2022). Please prefix your issue with one of the following: [BUG], [PROPOSAL], [QUESTION]. To get the version of CCExtractor, you can use `--version`. If this issue is related to the flutter GUI, please make the issue on the GUI repo [here](https://github.com/CCExtractor/ccextractorfluttergui/issues/new) Please check all that apply and **remove the ones that do not**. In the necessary information section, if this is a regression (something that used to work does not work anymore), make sure to specify the last known working version. Only specify the minimum number of arguments needed to reproduce the issue. In the additional information section, describe your problem. Please make the affected input file available for us (no screenshots, those don't help!). Public links to Dropbox, Google Drive, etc, are all fine. If it is not possible to make it available publicly, send us a private invitation (both Dropbox and Google Drive allow that). In this case we will download the file and upload it to the private developer repository. Methods to send the private invitation to us can be found [here](https://ccextractor.org/public:general:support#email). Do **not** upload your file to any location that will require us to sign up or endure a wait list, slow downloads, etc. If your upload expires make sure you keep it active somehow (replace links if needed). Keep in mind that while we go over all tickets some may take a few days, and it's important we have the file available when we actually need it. Make sure to enable notifications in GitHub so you get notifications about your ticket. We may need to ask questions and we do everything inside GitHub's system. Once you have read all of the instructions **delete all the text from here to the top**. CCExtractor version: {replace with the version} # In raising this issue, I confirm the following: - [ ] I have read and understood the [contributors guide](https://github.com/CCExtractor/ccextractor/blob/master/.github/CONTRIBUTING.md). - [ ] I have checked that the bug-fix I am reporting can be replicated, or that the feature I am suggesting isn't already present. - [ ] I have checked that the issue I'm posting isn't already reported. - [ ] I have checked that the issue I'm porting isn't already solved and no duplicates exist in [closed issues](https://github.com/CCExtractor/ccextractor/issues?q=is%3Aissue+is%3Aclosed) and in [opened issues](https://github.com/CCExtractor/ccextractor/issues) - [ ] I have checked the pull requests tab for existing solutions/implementations to my issue/suggestion. - [ ] I have used the latest available version of CCExtractor to verify this issue exists. - [ ] I have ticked all the boxes in this section and to prove it I'm deleting the section completely to remove boilerplate text. # Necessary information - Is this a regression (i.e. did it work before)? {YES/NO} Not sure. - What platform did you use? {Window/Linux/Mac} Windows - What were the used arguments? `{replace with the arguments}` None # Video links * {Replace with a link to a video file} # Additional information {issue content here, replace this line with your issue content} I have a mp4 file with many different languages. I believe they're TTML subtitles remuxed into a mp4 file. Is there a way for ccextrator to extract to srt files but be able to keep the metadata of the different languages in the srt files? In VLC, instead of saying "English" or "Spanish" it says "Track 1" or "Track 2". I would like to have the names of the different languages instead of "Track 1" or "Track 2". Is this possible?

claunia added the GSOC-2023 label 2026-01-29 16:51:37 +00:00

claunia closed this issue

2026-01-29 16:51:37 +00:00

claunia commented

2026-01-29 16:51:38 +00:00

@cfsmp3 commented on GitHub (Dec 26, 2025):

SRT format doesn't support embedded language metadata - it's a plain text format with just timing and text.

Options for handling multi-language files:

Use --autoprogram to let CCExtractor automatically select programs
Extract each track separately using -pn <program_number> and name your output files accordingly (e.g., output_english.srt, output_spanish.srt)
Use --out=ttml if you need to preserve the original TTML metadata
Use --out=report first to see what tracks/languages are detected

The "Track 1"/"Track 2" issue in VLC is typically because the source file doesn't have proper language tags in its metadata - that's not something CCExtractor can fix during extraction.

If you need language-aware output with metadata, consider using TTML or WebVTT output formats instead of SRT.

Closing as this is a limitation of the SRT format itself, not a CCExtractor issue.

@cfsmp3 commented on GitHub (Dec 26, 2025): SRT format doesn't support embedded language metadata - it's a plain text format with just timing and text. **Options for handling multi-language files:** 1. **Use `--autoprogram`** to let CCExtractor automatically select programs 2. **Extract each track separately** using `-pn <program_number>` and name your output files accordingly (e.g., `output_english.srt`, `output_spanish.srt`) 3. **Use `--out=ttml`** if you need to preserve the original TTML metadata 4. **Use `--out=report`** first to see what tracks/languages are detected The "Track 1"/"Track 2" issue in VLC is typically because the source file doesn't have proper language tags in its metadata - that's not something CCExtractor can fix during extraction. If you need language-aware output with metadata, consider using TTML or WebVTT output formats instead of SRT. Closing as this is a limitation of the SRT format itself, not a CCExtractor issue.

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Reference: starred/ccextractor#701