Transcripts Library — Saved Captions & Subtitle Archive

The Video Controls Plus transcripts library stores every video transcript you have saved through the extension, organized by source video and date. Each transcript preserves the original timestamps so you can click any line to jump into the source video at that exact second, and supports export as TXT (plain), SRT (subtitle file with timing), or VTT (web caption format). The /transcripts page itself is public marketing surface; the personal library appears after sign-in. Most users save a transcript when they want a permanent searchable copy of a long lecture, podcast, or conference talk that they expect to reference later.

Use cases

Building a searchable archive of long-form content

Podcasts and interviews are linear by default — searching them later is painful. A saved transcript turns hours of audio into a Ctrl+F-able document. Reference future-you appreciates it.

Citing specific quotes in writing or research

A saved transcript with verified word-accuracy serves as a stable citation source. The timestamp link in each line lets readers verify by jumping to the exact moment.

Preparing translations or annotations

Translators and language learners work better with the text in front of them. The library stores the original transcript; you can export, translate, and re-import the result.

Sharing a transcript with someone who cannot watch the video

Some people read faster than they listen. Send the transcript export so they can decide whether the video is worth the time investment.

How it works

  1. Save a transcript while watching. On a supported site (currently YouTube), open the VCP overlay → Captions → Save. The transcript and its timestamps are written to local storage.
  2. Open /transcripts. The library lists all saved transcripts grouped by source video. Each entry shows duration, word count, and last-viewed date.
  3. Search across the library. The search box matches text across every saved transcript at once. Useful when you remember a phrase but not which video carried it.
  4. Export or re-watch. TXT for plain notes, SRT for subtitle files, VTT for web embedding. Each line in the library view is a clickable link back to the source video at that timestamp.

Examples

  • A library of 30 saved lecture transcripts. Total ~600,000 words; full-library search returns matches in under 200 ms via local indexing.
  • A user finds the moment a professor said "polynomial time". Search returns three matches across two lectures; click the timestamp to verify.

Frequently asked questions

Why does this only support YouTube right now?

YouTube exposes a public caption API the extension can call without scraping. Vimeo and Dailymotion captions follow different APIs that are not yet implemented.

Are auto-generated captions accurate enough to save?

For clear English speakers in studio audio, ~95%+ word-accurate. They are weaker on accents, names, technical jargon, and noisy audio. The library tags auto-caption sources separately so you know to verify before citing verbatim.

Can I save a transcript to a private video?

No. The public caption API does not return transcripts for private or unlisted videos.

What is the difference between TXT, SRT, and VTT?

TXT = plain text; SRT = standard subtitle format used by VLC, Premiere, etc.; VTT = web caption standard used by HTML5 <track> elements. Pick TXT for notes, SRT for video editing, VTT for web embedding.

Are transcripts shareable?

Manually — exports are plain files you can attach to email or paste into a doc. Built-in sharing links are a roadmap item.

How much storage does a transcript use?

A 90-minute lecture is ~50–100 KB of text. A library of 100 lectures fits comfortably in browser local storage.

Tips

  • Save transcripts immediately after watching a long lecture; the small effort now saves hours later when you need the text.
  • For a library you can search across, give each transcript a one-line tag so the search results are easier to scan.
  • Auto-captions for non-English content vary widely; verify a known phrase before trusting the rest.
  • Export as VTT and feed into a custom HTML5 player to build a private "captioned re-watch" experience for offline study.

Limitations

  • YouTube only for now; Vimeo and Dailymotion saving is a roadmap item.
  • Private and unlisted videos are inaccessible because the public API does not expose their captions.
  • Auto-caption accuracy is bounded by YouTube's ASR; the extension cannot improve it.
  • The /transcripts page itself is public marketing surface; the personal library appears after sign-in.

Last updated 2026-05-06 by Ahsan Mahmood, maintainer.