Possible causes
- The required track was not selected.
- The output container or client does not support the track format.
- Forced-track metadata was not preserved.
Check in this order
- Inspect all source tracks before processing.
- Compare the output track list with the source.
- Test subtitle and audio selection on the target client.
Fix steps
- Recreate the short sample with the required tracks explicitly selected.
- Use a container or subtitle delivery method supported by the target client.
When to escalate
Escalate when the track exists in the output inspection but remains unavailable on two compatible players.
If it is still unresolved, collect
- source track list
- output track list
- client
- output profile
Known log signatures
subtitle missing | no subtitles | audio track missing | forced subtitle
Evidence
- HandBrake container formats — checked 2026-07-12, review due 2026-10-10
- Jellyfin codec support — checked 2026-07-12, review due 2026-10-10