Subtitles – DVB, teletext and external files

Subtitles must exist in the channel, recording or an additional file. The subtitle button does not generate a translation. First identify the source and the player drawing them.

Type	Source and typical properties
DVB subtitles	Graphics carried as a separate track in the DVB transport stream. The broadcaster’s graphics determine much of the appearance.
Teletext subtitles	Broadcaster text pages displayed over the picture. Different from opening a full teletext page.
Embedded text subtitles	A track inside a file such as MKV; may carry SRT, ASS/SSA or other text.
Embedded bitmap subtitles	DVD subpictures or Blu-ray PGS, for example; not freely reformatable text characters.
External subtitles	Separate file, such as `Film.srt` next to `Film.mkv`; must match the movie and its edition.
Burned-in subtitles	Part of the video pixels; Enigma2 cannot switch them off, move or replace them.

Select a track and understand the buttons

In live TV or a supported MoviePlayer, open Subtitle selection, usually with SUBTITLE. Only tracks reported by the service appear. Select a language/type and confirm; Off/None disables subtitles. Exact labels depend on the dialog.

For an active track, the subtitle quick menu may offer settings for that playback. Check Setup → Usage & GUI → Hotkeys for short and long SUBTITLE actions. The keymap distinguishes subtitle/subtitle_long and text/text_long; this does not imply an identical long-press function on every receiver. In MediaPlayer, TEXT opens subtitle selection. See button assignments and the long-press directory.

Automatic language

Open MENU → Setup → Audio → Auto Language Settings.

Automatic subtitle language preferences — Audio and subtitle languages have separate priorities. Saved channel selections can affect automatic selection. Open original image ↗

Option	Meaning
Subtitle language 1–4	Preferred language order. Uses an available matching track; “None” does not supply a language.
Allow / prefer hearing-impaired subtitles	Permits or prioritises tracks with sound and speaker descriptions.
Prefer graphical DVB subtitles	Prefers DVB graphics over other matching subtitle types.
Prefer saved channel subtitles	A remembered selection can take priority over a new automatic language decision.
Subtitles with matching audio/subtitle language	Controls whether subtitles should appear despite a matching audio language. Check this for foreign-language audio and occasional translations.

Keys belong to config.autolanguage.*, including subtitle_autoselect1 through subtitle_autoselect4. See the language reference for full keys and original help. A different player plugin can apply its own language rules.

Appearance and timing

Open MENU → Setup → Audio → Subtitle Settings. Some options require Expert settings mode.

Subtitle position, alignment, font size and timing — Position is measured from the bottom of the screen. Effects depend on subtitle type and renderer. Open original image ↗

Group	Purpose
Rewrap / horizontal alignment	Wrap lines and align left, centre or right where text rendering permits.
Vertical position / font size	Adjust readability and distance from the edge. Bitmap tracks cannot be re-typeset as arbitrary text.
Border width / transparency	Improve contrast against the picture.
Delay when timing lacks	Compensates for incomplete timing information, such as in problematic recordings; not the first fix for every out-of-sync track.
Teletext colour / original position	Retain broadcaster layout/colour or adjust where supported.

Graphical DVB subtitle options — DVB colour, position, transparency and timing have separate options. Changing text font size does not redesign arbitrary broadcaster graphics. Open original image ↗

DVB has separate colour, original position, delay when timing is bad and background transparency options. Start with the original appearance. Change only the subtitle group actually involved.

External subtitles – start with SRT

A simple example for built-in ServiceMP3:

/media/hdd/movie/Film.mkv
/media/hdd/movie/Film.srt

Use the same base name, the same folder and a readable file. The reviewed ServiceMP3 code looks for a matching .srt next to the media file. This does not guarantee the same mechanism for the native DVB TS service. A name such as Film.de.srt may require a different selection path depending on the player. ServiceApp has its own SRT discovery; SubsSupport has its own file chooser.

External subtitle delay, FPS and automatic activation — Native external-subtitle settings do not automatically control SubsSupport's separate renderer. Open original image ↗

Option	Use
Colour / switch fonts / dialog colourisation	Adjust text appearance, style changes and differentiation of speakers.
Delay – `config.subtitles.pango_subtitles_delay`	Correct a consistent time offset. Start with a small adjustment and check several points.
Frame rate – `config.subtitles.pango_subtitles_fps`	Adjust for different timing/frame rates. Cannot fix missing or differently edited scenes.
Hearing-impaired cleanup – `pango_subtitle_removehi`	Removes certain sound descriptions from text subtitles. Leave off when those descriptions are needed.
Automatically turn on – `pango_autoturnon`	Enables recognised external subtitles when a movie starts.

Same offset everywhere: check delay. Offset increases throughout the film: check frame rate or movie edition. Suddenly wrong after a scene: a different cut, adverts or missing scenes may make one global offset insufficient.

Which formats does Enigma2 support?

The reviewed native ServiceMP3 code contains handling for text, ASS/SSA, WebVTT and DVD, DVB and PGS bitmap subtitles. These are implemented paths, not a blanket playback guarantee for every file or HLS/DASH stream. Container reader, installed GStreamer plugins, external-file discovery and renderer must work together.

SRT is a straightforward starting point for external files. ASS/SSA may contain fonts, positions and effects that are not reproduced fully everywhere. A .sub can be MicroDVD text or binary VobSub data; the extension alone is insufficient. SubsSupport reads SRT and MicroDVD in its own parser, not automatically every native ServiceMP3 format.

If a track is missing, check whether it exists in the actual stream. A channel name, EPG or M3U list does not add subtitles. For duplicate text, disable one active renderer. For broken characters, check text encoding. A report with player, file/track format and a short diagnostic log is more useful than “subtitles do not work”.

Reference: all native subtitle options, ServiceMP3 code, Enigma2 subtitle controls.