Subtitles are misaligned when transcoding non-16:9 videos. #7369

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opened 2026-02-07 04:52:07 +03:00 by OVERLORD · 1 comment
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Originally created by @wanglizao666 on GitHub (Sep 29, 2025).

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In Figure 1 playing the video natively in INFUSE shows the subtitles correctly within the black bars.

In Figure 2, when playing via Jellyfin with transcoding enabled, the subtitles are misaligned and overlap the video image.

Most of my videos use PGS subtitles, and due to limited network bandwidth, I often need to transcode them during playback.
Additionally, many of these videos have cropped black bars, so their aspect ratios are not standard 16:9.

Request:
Is it possible to add black bars during transcoding to make non-16:9 videos conform to standard 16:9 resolutions (e.g., 1920×1080 or 3840×2160)?
This would allow subtitles to be burned into the black bars instead of overlapping the main video content.

Ideally, the transcoding backend could include an option:
“Add black bars for non-16:9 videos to achieve 16:9 output.”

This would greatly improve subtitle readability and preserve the intended display format.

My English is not good, the above content is from AI translation

Originally created by @wanglizao666 on GitHub (Sep 29, 2025). <img width="1440" height="900" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/59882e99-558b-4079-b95d-c62349245601" /> <img width="1440" height="900" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/e34a8341-94f7-4f77-b286-917ce6e965d9" /> In Figure 1 playing the video natively in INFUSE shows the subtitles correctly within the black bars. In Figure 2, when playing via Jellyfin with transcoding enabled, the subtitles are misaligned and overlap the video image. Most of my videos use PGS subtitles, and due to limited network bandwidth, I often need to transcode them during playback. Additionally, many of these videos have cropped black bars, so their aspect ratios are not standard 16:9. Request: Is it possible to add black bars during transcoding to make non-16:9 videos conform to standard 16:9 resolutions (e.g., 1920×1080 or 3840×2160)? This would allow subtitles to be burned into the black bars instead of overlapping the main video content. Ideally, the transcoding backend could include an option: “Add black bars for non-16:9 videos to achieve 16:9 output.” This would greatly improve subtitle readability and preserve the intended display format. My English is not good, the above content is from AI translation
OVERLORD added the stale label 2026-02-07 04:52:07 +03:00
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@jellyfin-bot commented on GitHub (Jan 27, 2026):

This issue has gone 120 days without an update and will be closed within 21 days if there is no new activity. To prevent this issue from being closed, please confirm the issue has not already been fixed by providing updated examples or logs.

If you have any questions you can use one of several ways to contact us.

@jellyfin-bot commented on GitHub (Jan 27, 2026): This issue has gone 120 days without an update and will be closed within 21 days if there is no new activity. To prevent this issue from being closed, please confirm the issue has not already been fixed by providing updated examples or logs. If you have any questions you can use one of several ways to [contact us](https://jellyfin.org/contact).
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Reference: starred/jellyfin#7369