DVD Subtitles vs. Video Subtitles

Subtitles are often split into two categories: soft subtitles and hard subtitles. Soft subtitles can be turned on or off, and hard subtitles are "burnt" into the video information: you cannot turn them off.

Soft subtitles can be found on video files: Flash Video (flv), Windows Media Video (wmv), and QuickTime (mov) all have that feature, but as a general rule, corporate content distributed online (typically through a company's foreign language websites) has subtitled burnt into the video. This allows easier deployment and reduces player and compatibility issues. Where soft subtitles are commonly used, however, is on DVDs.

Hard subtitles are burnt on to the video - whether that is a video or a video tape. They cannot be turned on or off. Also, hard subtitles are not limited by the 4 color overlay of the DVD specification and can achieve smoother appearance than DVD subtitles, that typically appear pixilated.