SubSmith – Turn your own videos into language-learning material

I've been learning Japanese for a few years and kept running into a similar problem. I'd find a video I wanted to learn from, hear a useful sentence, and then realise that turning that sentence into something I could study later was both time consuming and draining at times.I would end up jumping between a video player, subtitles/transcription, a dictionary, screenshots, audio clips and Anki. So I built SubSmith to bring that workflow together.You can drop a video or audio file into it, generate a transcript locally and then use the transcript alongside the media to:* look up words and sentences * replay individual lines * edit the transcript * save useful sentences with their original context/audio * export them as Anki cardsThe important part for me is that it works with your own media. It isn't tied to a particular streaming service or library, so I can use the random anime episode, podcast, lecture, etc. that I'm actually interested in studying.It's an offline-first desktop app, and transcription happens locally rather than sending the media to a transcription API.I'm sharing it here because I'm now more interested in finding out where this workflow breaks down for other people rather than adding features randomly now that I have solid core/base.For example:* Would you actually save sentences from your own media? * Which part of this process feels like too much work? * Does having the audio/context attached make creating an Anki card more useful? * Would you prefer this to work inside your existing video player/browser? * Is installing a desktop app a significant barrier? * And does requiring an account before starting the free trial make you give up?The current version does require an account to start the trial, and I'm trying to work out whether that's meaningful friction for the people who would actually use this.It's free to try, and I'd particularly appreciate feedback from peop

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FL score

75

out of 100

Verdict

VALIDATE

high confidence

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A desktop app that turns your own videos into editable, context-rich language learning flashcards with offline transcription.

The pain

Language learners struggle to efficiently extract, save, and review useful sentences from videos they want to study, often juggling multiple tools and manual steps.

The gap

No existing tool combines offline transcription, contextual sentence replay, dictionary lookup, and Anki export for personal media in one seamless workflow.

Build angle

Focus on validating if users truly want to save sentences from their own media and if the offline, all-in-one workflow reduces friction enough to replace their current patchwork process.

Strengths

  • Offline-first approach respects privacy and avoids API costs
  • Supports any personal media, not tied to streaming platforms
  • Integrates transcription, dictionary lookup, and Anki export in one tool
  • Addresses a real pain point for serious language learners

Risks

  • Requiring desktop app installation and account creation may deter casual users
  • Niche market: only appeals to motivated language learners who use Anki and personal media
  • Potentially complex UX with multiple features could overwhelm users
  • Competition from browser extensions and streaming service tools that are more convenient

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