Video too big to transcribe? Three ways under 5 GB.
One file can be up to 5 GB, so a bigger video needs one of three fixes: extract the audio (about 58 MB an hour at 128 kbps), re-encode at 720p (about 1.1 GB an hour at 2.5 Mbps) or split it into two files. Extracting the audio is usually best, because the transcript keeps one timeline and a 3-hour recording transcribes in about 6 minutes.
The three fixes, compared
Each route gets you under the line. They keep different things.
Extract the audio
Keeps every word and the full timeline; drops the picture, which the transcript never used. ffmpeg -i big.mp4 -vn -c:a copy big.m4a is seconds of work. Ten hours at 128 kbps is about 576 MB, so no recording under the 10-hour line is too big as audio.
Lower the resolution
Keeps a watchable video and the timeline, at the cost of a long re-encode. ffmpeg -i big.mp4 -vf scale=-2:720 -c:v libx264 -crf 28 -c:a copy small.mp4, or HandBrake's 720p preset. At about 2.5 Mbps, an hour is about 1.1 GB, so roughly 4 hours fits.
Split into two files
Keeps full picture quality but gives two transcripts that each start at zero. ffmpeg -i big.mp4 -t 02:00:00 -c copy part1.mp4, then -ss 02:00:00 for part 2; stream copy cuts at keyframes, so allow a second or two of overlap.
Then upload once
Drop the result on the upload page. Files up to 2 GB start before the first pack; above that, they start once a pack is on the account. If the upload refuses the smaller file, convert it to MP3 first.
Where oversized videos go wrong
Most fixes for an oversized video throw away the wrong thing.
✗ Fighting the size
A 5 GB video is 200 times the OpenAI Whisper API's documented 25 MB upload limit, so tools built for clips need dozens of pieces.
- Compressing until the voices smear
- Cutting into twenty short clips
- Re-encoding for hours to save picture
- Each oversized piece on its own clock
- Paying for video minutes twice
- No summary of the whole event
✓ Keep the words, drop the weight
The audio of even 10 hours fits easily and comes back on one timeline.
- Audio only: about 58 MB an hour
- One upload, one transcript
- Roughly 2 minutes for each hour of sound
- A clock that matches the video
- $6 for 500 minutes
- Five export formats
Sample
An all-afternoon town meeting, video too big, audio uploaded.
This sample is illustrative, written for this page and not taken from any real town meeting. Timestamps line up with the original oversized video.
Export
One transcript. Five clean formats.
Every pack exports all five — no format is held back for a higher tier.
Plain text
De-ummed paragraphs. Ready to paste.
SRT captions
Timed to the speech. Every video editor reads this.
WebVTT
HTML5 player + YouTube uploads.
Show notes
Formatted with chapters and pull-quotes.
Machine-readable
Timestamped text for your own tools.
Pricing
Honest pricing, no surprises.
A pack from $6 (500 minutes) opens the full transcript. After that, no subscription and no auto-renew — every tier is a one-time minute pack, and credits never expire. Buy once, use the minutes whenever you need them.
Casual pack
$6/500 min
8 hours of audio — $0.72 an hour. One-time — credits never expire.
- 500 minutes of audio
- All export formats
- Unlimited AI chat per transcript
- Executive summary & key quote
Best value
$12/2,000 min
33 hours of audio — $0.36 an hour. Credits never expire.
- 2,000 minutes of audio
- Priority queue
- All export formats
- Unlimited AI chat per transcript
Bulk pack
$24/5,000 min
83 hours of audio — $0.29 an hour. Credits never expire.
- 5,000 minutes of audio
- Priority queue
- API access for batch pipelines
- All export formats
FAQ
Videos over 5 GB, answered.
Which fix should I pick?
Extract the audio if you only need the text: it is fastest, smallest and keeps one timeline. Lower the resolution if you also want a shareable video. Split only if you must keep full-quality video and it still will not fit.
How long does it take after shrinking?
About 2 minutes per hour of audio once uploaded, so a 3-hour meeting is ready in roughly 6 minutes. Extraction takes seconds; a re-encode can take as long as the video plays, or longer.
What does a 6-hour video cost to transcribe?
Six hours is 360 minutes: after the first 20 free minutes, the $6 pack (500 minutes) covers it and 140 minutes remain. A 9-hour recording, 540 minutes, needs the $12 pack of 2,000 minutes.
Is 5 GB the only limit?
There are two: 5 GB and 10 hours per file, whichever comes first. Before the first pack, uploads are up to 2 GB; a bigger file starts once a pack is on the account.
Do I lose anything from the transcript by extracting?
No. Only speech is transcribed, from the sound track, so the words and timestamps are the same. Music and crowd noise are not transcribed either way.
Languages, exports and privacy?
Speech in any of 99 languages is picked up automatically. The download formats are TXT, DOCX, SRT, VTT and JSON. Uploaded files are transcribed on our own servers and are never used for training.
Related
Related pages
Shrink it, then upload it. The first 20 minutes of the meeting are on the house.
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