napisy

Napisy, or subtitles, are textual representations of spoken dialogue and relevant audio information displayed on screen to assist viewers who do not hear or understand the original audio, or who prefer reading along. They can reproduce dialogue in a translation or transcribe the original speech, and may include speaker labels and sound effects for accessibility.

Subtitles come in several forms. Soft subtitles are stored as a separate text track that can be toggled on or off in a player; hard subtitles are embedded or burned into the video image and cannot be removed. In addition to subtitles, captions may describe non-dialogue sounds and may indicate the speaker. Subtitles can be provided as multiple language tracks and can be synchronized with timing.

Common formats and delivery methods include SRT, WebVTT, and ASS/SSA text-based formats, used by online videos and streaming services; DVB Sub and Blu-ray BD-subtitles are bitmap-based image tracks used in broadcast and physical media. Some platforms use TTML or XML-based formats for more complex styling.

Design considerations emphasize readability: typically two lines of text, each limited to about 30–40 characters per line, placed near the bottom of the screen, with high contrast and a legible font. Readability timing aims for natural reading speed, often around 1–2 seconds per line.

History and accessibility: napisy have evolved from intertitles in silent cinema to modern digital subtitles, improving accessibility for the deaf and hard of hearing and enabling cross-language access to media worldwide.