# 📖 User Guide - Sinhala Subtitle Hardcoder

## Table of Contents
1. [Quick Start](#quick-start)
2. [Detailed Instructions](#detailed-instructions)
3. [Supported Formats](#supported-formats)
4. [Troubleshooting](#troubleshooting)
5. [Tips & Best Practices](#tips--best-practices)
6. [FAQ](#faq)

---

## 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! 🎉

---

## 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**:

```srt
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

---

## 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

---

## 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

---

## 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

---

## 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.

---

## Need Help?

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

---

**Happy subtitle hardcoding! 🎬✨**

*Made for the Sinhala-speaking community with ❤️*