In addition to MKV and HEVC, Windows 10 to get SSA, ASS, and SRT subtitle format support

Microsoft has been working very hard with Windows 10, addressing user feedback as part of the Windows Insider Program and making various refinements and improvements to the operating system. Unlike Windows 8.1, Windows 10 will come with out-of-the-box support for additional new media formats.

As we already know, Windows 10 will get MKV support. MKV, for those that did not know, is a flexible and open standard video file format that has quickly become the preferred file extension for high definition video. Now those who are on Windows 10 can have MKV support without the need for an additional codec. On top of that, Windows 10 also gets support for High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC).

In a tweet by Microsoft’s Gabriel Aul, we have learned that Windows 10 will also receive support for Sub Station Alpha (SSA), Advanced Sub Station Alpha (ASS), and the SubRip file format (SRT). For those that didn’t know, SSA and ASS is a subtitle file format commonly used by fansubbers, allowing for advanced display features like positioning, karaoke, etc.

This subtitle format is frequently used in anime subs, either to overlay subtitles onto video while it’s being encoded, or to store subtitle data alongside video data in a Matroska (MKV) file. SRT is considered a more basic subtitle format, and will also be supported on Windows 10.

With native support for these file formats, encoders will no longer need to rely on third party software and codecs. Windows 10 is expected to be released this summer.

@PaulTheAnimeFan Yes we’ll have SSA, ASS, and SRT (UTF8 unformatted). Very exciting! — Gabriel Aul (@GabeAul) March 30, 2015

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