USER_GUIDE.md

📖 User Guide - Sinhala Subtitle Hardcoder

Table of Contents

1. Quick Start
2. Detailed Instructions
3. Supported Formats
4. Troubleshooting
5. Tips & Best Practices
6. FAQ

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Quick Start

3 Simple Steps:

1. Add Video Links - Paste one or more video URLs (one per line)
2. Upload Subtitles - Upload your .srt file with Sinhala text
3. Click Process - Wait for processing and get PixelDrain links

That's it! 🎉

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Detailed Instructions

Step 1: Prepare Your Videos

You can use videos from:

• PixelDrain: Copy the URL like https://pixeldrain.com/u/abc123
• Direct Links: Any direct video URL like https://example.com/video.mp4

Multiple Videos:

https://pixeldrain.com/u/video1
https://pixeldrain.com/u/video2
https://example.com/video3.mp4

Step 2: Prepare Your Subtitle File

Your subtitle file should be in SRT format:

1
00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:04,000
හෙලෝ, මෙය සිංහල උපසිරැසි පරීක්ෂණයකි

2
00:00:05,000 --> 00:00:08,000
දෙවන උපසිරැසි පේළිය මෙන්න

Important:

• Must be .srt file
• Can be any encoding (UTF-8, UTF-16, etc.) - app will fix it
• Can have one subtitle for multiple videos
• Sinhala Unicode characters fully supported

Step 3: Upload and Process

1. Paste video URLs in the text box (one per line)
2. Click the file upload button and select your .srt file
3. Click "🚀 Process Videos"
4. Wait for completion (time varies by video size)
5. Copy your PixelDrain links!

Step 4: Download Your Videos

Click any PixelDrain link to:

• Download directly
• Share with others
• Stream online

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Supported Formats

Video Formats

• ✅ MP4 (H.264, H.265)
• ✅ MKV
• ✅ AVI
• ✅ MOV
• ✅ WebM
• ✅ Most common video formats

Subtitle Formats

• ✅ SRT (SubRip)
• ⚠️ Other formats: Convert to SRT first

Encoding

• ✅ UTF-8
• ✅ UTF-16 (LE/BE)
• ✅ ISO-8859-1
• ✅ Windows-1252
• ✅ Auto-detection and conversion

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Troubleshooting

Problem: "Download failed"

Possible causes:

• Invalid URL
• File removed from PixelDrain
• Network connection issues

Solutions:

• Verify URL is correct
• Try re-uploading video to PixelDrain
• Check internet connection

Problem: "Subtitle encoding fix failed"

Possible causes:

• Corrupted subtitle file
• Wrong file format

Solutions:

• Re-save subtitle as UTF-8
• Verify file is valid SRT format
• Use a text editor to check file content

Problem: "FFmpeg failed"

Possible causes:

• Corrupted video file
• Incompatible video codec
• Subtitle file has errors

Solutions:

• Try re-downloading the video
• Check subtitle file for errors
• Try with a different video first

Problem: "Upload to PixelDrain failed"

Possible causes:

• Network issues
• File too large
• PixelDrain service down

Solutions:

• Wait and retry
• Check file size (max ~10GB)
• Try uploading manually to verify PixelDrain works

Problem: Subtitles not visible in output

Possible causes:

• Subtitle timing issues
• Font not rendering

Solutions:

• Check subtitle timings match video length
• Verify Sinhala characters in subtitle file
• Preview output video to confirm

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Tips & Best Practices

✅ DO:

• Use stable internet connection
• Upload clean subtitle files (no corrupted characters)
• Test with one video first before batch processing
• Keep video URLs in a text file for easy pasting
• Use UTF-8 encoding when creating subtitles

❌ DON'T:

• Upload extremely large files (>5GB per video)
• Use password-protected video links
• Use subtitles with wrong timings
• Process too many videos at once (keep under 10)
• Use special characters in filenames

Performance Tips:

For Faster Processing:

• Use shorter videos when possible
• Ensure good internet speed
• Process fewer videos at a time
• Use direct links when possible

For Better Quality:

• Use high-quality source videos
• Ensure subtitles are properly timed
• Use clean SRT files without errors

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FAQ

Q: Can I use the same subtitle for multiple videos?

A: Yes! Just add multiple video URLs and upload one subtitle file. Perfect for multi-part series.

Q: How long does processing take?

A: Depends on video length and count. Typically:

• 5-minute video: ~2-3 minutes
• 20-minute video: ~8-10 minutes
• Multiple videos: Processed in parallel (up to 3 at once)

Q: What happens to my files?

A:

1. Videos are downloaded to temporary storage
2. Subtitles are hardcoded
3. Results uploaded to PixelDrain
4. All temporary files deleted automatically

Q: Is my data private?

A:

• Processing happens on Hugging Face servers
• Temporary files are deleted after processing
• PixelDrain uploads are as per their privacy policy
• Consider using private Space for sensitive content

Q: Can I customize subtitle appearance?

A: Currently, subtitles use:

• Font: Noto Sans Sinhala
• Size: 24px
• Color: White with black outline
• Position: Bottom of screen

For custom styling, you'll need to modify the code.

Q: Why PixelDrain?

A: PixelDrain offers:

• Free hosting
• No account required
• Direct download links
• Reliable service

Q: Can I use other upload services?

A: Currently only PixelDrain is supported. Contact developer for other options.

Q: Maximum file size?

A: Depends on Hugging Face Space storage and PixelDrain limits:

• Recommended: Under 2GB per video
• Maximum: ~10GB (may be slower)

Q: Can I process videos without subtitles?

A: No, subtitle file is required. This tool is specifically for hardcoding subtitles.

Q: What if my subtitle file has errors?

A: The app automatically:

• Fixes encoding issues
• Removes invalid characters
• Preserves Sinhala Unicode However, timing errors must be fixed manually.

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Need Help?

• 📧 Open an issue on GitHub
• 💬 Comment on Hugging Face Space
• 📖 Re-read this guide
• 🧪 Run test with example subtitle file

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Happy subtitle hardcoding! 🎬✨

Made for the Sinhala-speaking community with ❤️