Free tool
SRT to SCC converter
Drop your subtitles here to convert SRT to SCC: each caption is written as CEA-608 pop-on closed captions, fitted to the 32-character line and timed to appear on its own first frame, in the Scenarist file format broadcasters and editing apps take.
- Free
- No sign-up
- Nothing is uploaded
Nothing is uploaded: your browser reads the file.
Producing captions from your own interviews? NoteOwl transcribes them on your Mac, unlimited, and saves SRT files with each speaker’s name, ready to convert here.
How it works
How do you convert SRT to SCC?
Open the SRT here and the SCC file is written beside it. Each caption is fitted to CEA-608’s rows, coded as hex words and scheduled so its words have been sent by the frame it should appear. Check the line under the result, then download the .scc.
- 1
Add the subtitles
An SRT, or a VTT, SBV or ASS file: drop it, choose it or paste it.
- 2
Choose the timecode
Drop-frame is ticked, the usual choice for 29.97 video. Untick it for non-drop-frame.
- 3
Download the SCC
The .scc keeps your file’s name. The line above the button lists anything that changed.
What does an SRT look like as SCC?
Three captions as SRT, and the SCC this page writes from them. Each caption becomes a line that loads it, a line that shows it on its first frame (942f) and, where a gap follows, a line that clears the screen (942c).
1 00:00:01,500 --> 00:00:04,000 <i>[upbeat music]</i> 2 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:07,800 Welcome back to the morning news. 3 00:00:08,200 --> 00:00:11,000 Rain clears by noon, with sun this afternoon.
Scenarist_SCC V1.0 00:00:00;28 94ae 94ae 9420 9420 94f4 94f4 97a1 97a1 91ae 91ae 5b75 7062 e561 f420 6d75 73e9 e35d 00:00:01;15 942f 942f 00:00:03;01 94ae 94ae 9420 9420 9452 9452 97a2 97a2 57e5 ece3 ef6d e520 6261 e36b 20f4 ef20 f468 e580 94f4 94f4 97a1 97a1 6def f26e e96e 6720 6ee5 f773 ae80 00:00:04;00 942c 942c 00:00:04;12 942f 942f 00:00:06;22 94ae 94ae 9420 9420 9452 9452 97a2 97a2 5261 e96e 20e3 ece5 61f2 7320 6279 206e efef 6e2c 94f2 94f2 f7e9 f468 2073 756e 20f4 68e9 7320 61e6 f4e5 f26e efef 6eae 00:00:07;24 942c 942c 00:00:08;06 942f 942f 00:00:11;00 942c 942c
What limits does CEA-608 put on captions?
A screen of 15 rows by 32 characters, a fixed set of characters, and a rate of two characters a frame. So the converter re-wraps longer lines to 32 characters, keeps a caption to 4 rows, and splits one that can’t fit into two halves.
- A line over 32 characters
- In the SCCRe-wrapped at a space to fit
- More text than 4 rows hold
- In the SCCTwo captions, each with half the time
- <i>italics</i>
- In the SCCItalics, when the lines fit as they are
- é, ñ, ü, ♪, “ ”
- In the SCCKept: CEA-608 has them
- „ … – (typographic punctuation)
- In the SCC" ... - (the nearest CEA-608 has)
- ř, emoji, other alphabets
- In the SCCThe nearest letter, or a space, and listed
- Position, colour, font
- In the SCCCentred at the bottom, white
| In the SRT | In the SCC |
|---|---|
| A line over 32 characters | Re-wrapped at a space to fit |
| More text than 4 rows hold | Two captions, each with half the time |
| <i>italics</i> | Italics, when the lines fit as they are |
| é, ñ, ü, ♪, “ ” | Kept: CEA-608 has them |
| „ … – (typographic punctuation) | " ... - (the nearest CEA-608 has) |
| ř, emoji, other alphabets | The nearest letter, or a space, and listed |
| Position, colour, font | Centred at the bottom, white |
Why might a caption show slightly late?
CEA-608 sends two characters a frame, so a full two-line caption takes around a second and a half to send. It goes out while the one before is on screen; when captions come too quickly for that, the next appears once its last word arrives, and the result says so.
Most subtitles never meet the limit. If many are late, shorten the longest captions or give them more time in the subtitle editor, then convert again.
Drop-frame or non-drop-frame timecode?
Drop-frame for most 29.97 video, which is why it’s ticked: its timecodes keep pace with the clock. Choose non-drop-frame only when a delivery spec asks for it. Both describe the same frames; the converter counts each correctly.
Where can you use an SCC file?
Wherever CEA-608 captions are asked for. Final Cut Pro imports .scc files with File > Import > Closed Captions and can embed CEA-608 captions in the movie it shares, which QuickTime Player then shows; YouTube calls .scc its preferred caption format; Premiere Pro imports SCC as well.
For files you already have as SCC, the SCC to SRT converter turns them back into readable SRT. Working in Final Cut Pro? Its page shows the import step by step: subtitles in Final Cut Pro.
Where do the SRT subtitles come from in the first place?
From a transcript of the recording. NoteOwl transcribes recordings you import on your Mac with on-device AI models, labels the speakers and saves an SRT file timed to the speech, which this page turns into SCC. Nothing is uploaded.
FAQ
Questions about converting SRT to SCC
Is SCC the same as CEA-608?
SCC is a file format that carries CEA-608 captions: the caption data TV has used on line 21, written as hex words with a timecode for each burst. Converting to SCC makes CEA-608 captions.
What frame rate does an SCC file use?
SCC timecodes run at 29.97 frames a second. Each hex word takes one frame, so the converter schedules every caption so that it appears on the right frame.
Can I convert VTT to SCC?
Yes. Drop a WebVTT file instead of an SRT. SBV and ASS files work too; their captions and times are read the same way before the SCC is written.
Are speaker names kept?
Yes, as text. A caption that starts with a name, such as “Maya: Thanks for coming”, keeps the name at the start of its line, within the 32-character limit.
Can it write roll-up captions?
No. It writes pop-on captions, where each caption appears whole on its first frame, the usual style for prerecorded video. Roll-up is the style of live captioning.
Is my subtitle file uploaded?
No. The converter runs in your browser: your subtitles are read, encoded and saved as an SCC file on your device, and nothing is sent anywhere.
Keep exploring
More subtitle converters
- Subtitle converterConvert subtitles between SRT, VTT, SBV and ASS, or to plain text, in your browser; SSA scripts and meeting transcripts work too
- SRT to VTT converterConvert SRT to VTT, VTT to SRT, or either to clean text with each speaker’s lines merged, in your browser; Zoom and Teams transcripts work
- STL to SRT converterConvert an EBU STL broadcast subtitle file (or a Spruce STL from DVD Studio Pro) to SRT, VTT or text in your browser, with times from the programme start
- VTT to SRT converterConvert a WebVTT file to SRT in your browser: times rewritten, cue settings and styling blocks dropped, voice tags kept as names
- SRT to TXT converterTurn an SRT subtitle file into plain text: numbers and timestamps removed, broken lines joined into paragraphs
Related
- SCC to SRT converterConvert a Scenarist SCC (CEA-608) caption file to SRT, VTT or text in your browser: pop-on, roll-up and paint-on captions read frame by frame
- Subtitles for Final Cut ProMake an SRT and import it into Final Cut Pro with File > Import > Closed Captions, then burn it in or export it
- Subtitle generatorTurn a recording into an SRT subtitle file with timecodes and speaker names, on your Mac
Subtitles from your recordings, made on your Mac
Free to download. Runs entirely on your Mac.
macOS 26 or later · Apple Silicon (M1 or newer) · 16 GB memory minimum, 24 GB recommended
About NoteOwl
NoteOwl is private AI meeting notes and memory for the Mac. It captures meetings without a bot joining the call, labels every speaker, writes summaries and action items, and builds a memory of every conversation that you can chat with — fully offline, because the speech recognition and the AI run on the Mac itself. Dictation into any app is free; Pro is a one-time purchase.
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