Software⏱️ 3 min read📅 2026-06-11

How to Fix: Understanding FFMPEG Error Extracting Subtitles

FFmpeg error extracting subtitles from hdmv_pgs_subtitle format.

Quick Answer: Use the -map_subtitles option to specify the subtitle format and encoding, e.g. ffmpeg -i input.mkv -map_subtitles 0:s:3 -c:s srt output.srt

📋 Table of Contents

  1. 🛑 Root Causes of the Error
  2. 🚀 How to Resolve This Issue
  3. ✨ Wrapping Up

FFmpeg error 'Subtitle encoding currently only possible from text to text or bitmap to bitmap' occurs when trying to extract subtitles in a format that is not supported by FFmpeg. This issue affects users who want to edit subtitles before remuxing a video and are using the `hdmv_pgs_subtitle` subtitle format.

This error can be frustrating because it prevents users from achieving their desired outcome, which is extracting and editing subtitles. However, understanding the root cause of this issue allows us to provide a solution.

🛑 Root Causes of the Error

  • The main reason for this error is that FFmpeg does not natively support the `hdmv_pgs_subtitle` subtitle format. This format is specific to DVDs and Blu-rays, which makes it incompatible with most other video formats.
  • Another possible cause could be a mismatch between the subtitle encoding and the container's encoding. However, since we are dealing with a text-based subtitle file (srt), this alternative cause is less likely to be the issue.

🚀 How to Resolve This Issue

Using FFmpeg with the -vf subtitles filter

  1. Step 1: To extract subtitles in a supported format, you can use the `-vf` filter option with FFmpeg. This will allow you to specify a subtitle filter that can handle different formats.
  2. Step 2: Add the `subtitles` filter to your command using the syntax: `-i input.mp4 -vf subtitles=input.srt output.mp4`. Replace 'input.mp4' and 'output.mp4' with your actual file names.
  3. Step 3: This method will extract the subtitles in a format that FFmpeg can work with, allowing you to edit them before remuxing the video.

Converting the subtitle format using external tools

  1. Step 1: If the above method does not work for your specific case, you may need to convert the `hdmv_pgs_subtitle` subtitles to a supported format using an external tool.
  2. Step 2: You can use tools like Subtitle Editor or Subtitle Master to convert the subtitle format. These tools support various formats, including srt.

✨ Wrapping Up

To resolve the 'Subtitle encoding currently only possible from text to text or bitmap to bitmap' error when extracting subtitles in FFmpeg, you can try using the `-vf` filter option with a supported subtitle filter or convert your subtitle format using an external tool. By following these steps, you should be able to extract and edit subtitles successfully before remuxing your video.

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