Media Player Setup Guides
Step-by-step instructions to ensure VLC, MX Player, MPV, and Smart TVs render Sinhala Unicode subtitles perfectly without squares or misplaced vowels.
VLC Media Player Subtitle Setup
The ultimate guide to configuring UTF-8 Unicode encoding and crisp Sinhala fonts on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Configuration Steps
Open VLC Preferences
Launch VLC, click on the top menu "Tools" > "Preferences" (or press shortcut Ctrl+P on Windows, Cmd+, on Mac).
💡 Tip: Make sure "Simple" preferences mode is selected at the bottom left.
Navigate to Subtitles / OSD Tab
Click the "Subtitles / OSD" tab in the top icon bar.
Configure Encoding to UTF-8
Under "Subtitle tracks", find the "Default encoding" dropdown and select "Universal (UTF-8)".
Universal (UTF-8)Select Sinhala Font Family
In the "Font" dropdown, choose "Noto Sans Sinhala", "Iskoola Pota", or "Bhashitha Complex".
💡 Tip: If Noto Sans Sinhala is not installed, you can download it free from Google Fonts.
Optimize Outline & Contrast
Set Font Size to "Normal", Text Default Color to "White" or "Yellow", and Outline Color to "Black" with "Thick" width.
💡 Tip: A thick black outline prevents subtitles from disappearing against bright movie backgrounds.
Save and Restart VLC
Click the "Save" button at the bottom right. Close and re-open VLC for the font changes to take effect.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
⚠️ Subtitles show squares (□□□) or question marks (???).
Solution: Your encoding is set to ANSI instead of UTF-8. Change VLC encoding to "Universal (UTF-8)".
⚠️ Vowel signs (Kombuwa, Ispilla) appear in the wrong position.
Solution: Your selected font does not have proper OpenType Sinhala ligatures. Switch the font to "Noto Sans Sinhala" or "Iskoola Pota".