Subtitles with Handbrake?

[Kurgan839]

I've been converting some files using Handbrake to make them more compliant with Plex. Does anyone else do this and do you have trouble with subtitles not working with Plex? This seems more common with larger movie size files rather than smaller t.v. episode.

 

[jbrisbin]

I've been converting some files using Handbrake to make them more compliant with Plex. Does anyone else do this and do you have trouble with subtitles not working with Plex? This seems more common with larger movie size files rather than smaller t.v. episode.

The text based captions that come with both Netflix and Amazon don't work well, if at all, with most Plex clients.
You can extract them, convert them to a format the Plex likes and re-insert them, if you really need them. It is a painful, not easily automated process. I have only done that for some forced captions (foreign language in an otherwise English movie).
I don't have any good links to give for the process.

 

[Xander]

no issues at all with appletv as client

 

[Phil Herzfeld]

I also use Plex on the AppleTV and have had no issues. Have used both the *.mp4 + *.srt as well as handbrake combined MKV files.

 

[zero269]

I've been converting some files using Handbrake to make them more compliant with Plex. Does anyone else do this and do you have trouble with subtitles not working with Plex? This seems more common with larger movie size files rather than smaller t.v. episode.

Plex Compatibility
Personally, I have not had to convert anything to work with Plex. The files are mp4 which is highly compatible with Plex. I've played them in the Edge browser, iOS devices and mainly on my AppleTV 4K.

Handbrake
The only thing I use Handbrake for are for converting my DVD/BDs to MKV using a modified preset to get the best 480/1080 output before storing my discs in the attic.

Subtitles
I have seen on a few occasions where subtitles were not included with the movie/episode. This happens for a few reasons:

1. The box was not checked by default and I didn't notice it at the time
2. English was not available based on the region (such as using vpn; One example is Japan. I never see any English subtitles when grabbing Japan available titles such as Tomb Raider 2 for example.)

However, when this occurs, I simply let Plex grab the subtitles for me using one these two methods:

1. When managing the content using the browser, you can download them within the movie/episode details.
2. When playing the movie within AppleTV 4K, You can go to Subtitles and choose Add More... and then choose the top hit. They download within a couple of seconds and then you can enable it and continue watching.

The only drawback with this method, is that if you rebuild you library from scratch, these subtitles will be missing. But considering how easy it is to add them only when you need them is the best option I think. I'm certainly not going to scrub my entire library looking for missing subtitles.