60) What an SRT file looks like
61) SRT (SubRip) is plain text — any text editor opens it. Each cue has three parts: a number line, a timing line, and the text, separated by blank lines. The timing line reads `00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:03,500` — note the comma before the milliseconds, not a dot.
How to open it :: 64) How to open it
65) To read the content: right-click and open with any text editor. To use it with a video: rename the file to match the video filename (extension aside), put both in the same folder, and players like VLC, PotPlayer, or mpv load it automatically; you can also drag it onto the playing window.
66) Fixing rejections and garbled text
67) Garbled characters: the file is not UTF-8 — resave it as UTF-8 in your editor. Nothing shows: check that the timing line uses a comma (not a dot) and that cue numbers are not broken (most players tolerate gaps, some do not). The file is HTML or JSON: the download source was wrong; fetch it again.
68) What SRT can and cannot hold
69) SRT carries text and timing only: no styles (fonts, colors), no positioning (where on screen), no effects. Those need ASS — see SRT to ASS. For a side-by-side of all formats, see subtitle format comparison.