SBV to SRT
Turn YouTube SBV captions into SRT, one file or a whole folder
Drop the .sbv files you downloaded from YouTube and get .srt files back (or WebVTT, ASS, MicroDVD or plain text). Timing is converted exactly, and a whole channel's worth of captions comes out as one zip.
- Whole folders to one zip, subfolders kept
- Files never leave your device
- Try 3 files free; $19 once for unlimited
Drop subtitle files or a folder hereChoose subtitle files
SRT, WebVTT, ASS/SSA, MicroDVD, YouTube .sbv and TTML/DFXP (.ttml .dfxp .xml); any number of files. On phones, select several files instead of a folder.
Options auto encoding, no offset, keep tags
Sample batch2 files
- harbour-tour.sbvReady
- tap-repair-part-2.sbvReady
1 00:00:00,560 --> 00:00:03,040 >> Welcome back to the channel. 2 00:00:03,040 --> 00:00:06,320 Today we are fixing a leaking tap in under ten minutes. 3 00:00:06,320 --> 00:00:08,880 [Music] 4
Converted in this tab. Nothing is uploaded.
The format
What an SBV file is and where it comes from
SBV is the caption format YouTube uses for its own downloads. In YouTube Studio, the Subtitles tab of a video lets you download a caption track as .sbv, .srt or .vtt, and YouTube accepts .sbv files when you upload captions. The format is plain text and very small: no header, no cue numbers, just a timing line followed by the words.
0:00:03.040,0:00:06.320 Today we are fixing a leaking tap in under ten minutes.
The timing line holds the start and the end, separated by a comma, with hours written as a single digit and milliseconds after a dot. Editors, desktop players and most other video platforms expect SRT instead, which is why an SBV download often has to be converted before it goes anywhere else.
Real output
A real SBV file and the SRT it produces
Both sides of this example come from the converter on this page, run on a short sample file written for the page.
Before: harbour-tour.sbv
0:00:00.560,0:00:03.040 >> Welcome back to the channel. 0:00:03.040,0:00:06.320 Today we are fixing a leaking tap in under ten minutes. 0:00:06.320,0:00:08.880 [Music] 0:00:09.100,0:00:12.480 You will need <i>one</i> spanner and a bowl.
After: harbour-tour.srt
1 00:00:00,560 --> 00:00:03,040 >> Welcome back to the channel. 2 00:00:03,040 --> 00:00:06,320 Today we are fixing a leaking tap in under ten minutes. 3 00:00:06,320 --> 00:00:08,880 [Music] 4 00:00:09,100 --> 00:00:12,480 You will need <i>one</i> spanner and a bowl.
Pitfalls
What trips up other SBV conversions
These are the details that make a quick find-and-replace or a generic converter produce a broken SRT.
| In the SBV file | What Captionry does |
|---|---|
| A dot before the milliseconds (0:00:03.040) | Written with the comma SRT requires (00:00:03,040), and hours padded to two digits |
| A comma between start and end | Read as the separator, not as part of a time; the SRT line becomes start --> end |
| No cue numbers | Cues are numbered from 1 in time order on the way out |
| ">>" at the start of a line (a change of speaker in YouTube captions) | Kept as written. The SRT cleaner option removes it |
| [Music] and similar sound tags | Kept as text. Switch on the cleaner to remove them |
| A timing line with a value that cannot be read | That cue is dropped and listed with its line number; the rest of the file converts |
| End before start, or text before the first timing line | Reported as a warning with line numbers instead of being dropped silently |
| A byte order mark, UTF-16 or a legacy encoding | Detected when the file is read; the output is always UTF-8 |
How to
How to convert SBV to SRT
Download your captions
In YouTube Studio, open a video, go to Subtitles, and download each track as .sbv. Keep them in a folder per channel or language if you have many.
Drop the files or the folder
Drop them on the converter above. Each file is checked and listed with its encoding and cue count; files that are not subtitles are skipped.
Pick the output
SRT is selected on this page. Choose WebVTT, ASS, MicroDVD or plain text if you need one of those instead, and set a time offset if the captions need shifting.
Save the zip
One file downloads as itself; several come as one zip with your folder structure kept.
In a batch
Built for a library of captions, not one file
Mixed folders
SBV can sit next to SRT, WebVTT, ASS and MicroDVD files in the same folder. Each file is recognised by its content.
Shift and clean while converting
Add a time offset, strip italic and bold tags, or clean out sound tags and speaker labels in the same pass.
Nothing is uploaded
The files are read and converted in this tab, so unlisted videos' captions stay on your machine.
FAQ
Questions
How do I get an .sbv file from YouTube?
In YouTube Studio, open the video, choose Subtitles, and use the options menu next to a caption track to download it. The download formats include .sbv, .srt and .vtt.
Can I convert many SBV files to SRT at once?
Yes. Drop a folder or a pile of files and save one zip. The free tier converts 3 files per batch; Unlimited ($19 once) removes the limit.
Can I convert SRT back to SBV?
No. SBV is an input format here: it can be converted to SRT, WebVTT, ASS, MicroDVD or plain text, but Captionry does not write SBV. YouTube accepts SRT and WebVTT uploads as well.
Are the SBV timestamps kept exactly?
Yes, to the millisecond. Only the notation changes, from H:MM:SS.mmm to HH:MM:SS,mmm.
What happens to the ">>" marks and [Music] tags?
They stay in the converted file unless you switch on the cleaner under Options, which removes sound tags, speaker labels and ">>" marks.
Are my files uploaded?
No. The converter works in your browser tab; the files you drop are never sent to us or anyone else.
Related
More from Captionry
Converting more than 3 files at a time?
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