diff --git a/src/components/player/SubtitleOverlay.tsx b/src/components/player/SubtitleOverlay.tsx
index 49422e1..2fbc49a 100644
--- a/src/components/player/SubtitleOverlay.tsx
+++ b/src/components/player/SubtitleOverlay.tsx
@@ -28,6 +28,8 @@ interface Cue {
 interface Props {
   playerRef: RefObject<MediaPlayerInstance | null>
   subtitleUrl: string | null
+  videoWidth?: number
+  videoHeight?: number
 }
 
 function parseTimeStamp(h: string | undefined, m: string, s: string, ms: string): number {
@@ -74,34 +76,11 @@ function parseVTT(raw: string): Cue[] {
   return cues
 }
 
-function getVideoFitOffsets(video: HTMLVideoElement): { top: number; bottom: number } {
-  const rect = video.getBoundingClientRect()
-  const vW = video.videoWidth || 1920
-  const vH = video.videoHeight || 1080
-  const videoAspect = vW / vH
-  const containerAspect = rect.width / rect.height
-
-  let displayHeight: number
-  if (containerAspect > videoAspect) {
-    displayHeight = rect.width / videoAspect
-  } else {
-    displayHeight = rect.height
-  }
-
-  const displayTop = rect.top + (rect.height - displayHeight) / 2
-  const displayBottom = displayTop + displayHeight
-  return {
-    top: displayTop,
-    bottom: window.innerHeight - displayBottom,
-  }
-}
-
-export default function SubtitleOverlay({ playerRef, subtitleUrl }: Props) {
+export default function SubtitleOverlay({ playerRef, subtitleUrl, videoWidth, videoHeight }: Props) {
   const { className, style } = useSubtitleStyles()
   const subtitlePosition = usePreferencesStore(s => s.subtitlePosition)
   const cuesRef = useRef<Cue[]>([])
   const [activeCues, setActiveCues] = useState<string[]>([])
-  const [offset, setOffset] = useState<number | null>(null)
 
   useEffect(() => {
     cuesRef.current = []
@@ -166,70 +145,48 @@ export default function SubtitleOverlay({ playerRef, subtitleUrl }: Props) {
     }
   }, [playerRef, subtitleUrl])
 
-  // Keep subtitles inside the actual video content area (not the black
-  // letterbox bars). In portrait mode object-fit:contain leaves huge black
-  // bars and our old fixed bottom-32 landed deep inside them where Chrome's
-  // video compositor layer clips short DOM overlays.
-  useEffect(() => {
-    const player = playerRef.current
-    const el = (player as any)?.el as HTMLElement | undefined
-    const video = el?.querySelector('video') as HTMLVideoElement | null
-    if (!video) return
-
-    function update() {
-      if (!video) return
-      const { top: fitTop, bottom: fitBottom } = getVideoFitOffsets(video)
-      if (subtitlePosition === 'bottom') {
-        setOffset(Math.max(128, fitBottom + 32))
-      } else {
-        setOffset(Math.max(96, fitTop + 32))
-      }
-    }
-
-    update()
-
-    const ro = new ResizeObserver(update)
-    ro.observe(video)
-    window.addEventListener('resize', update)
-
-    // Also update once metadata is known (videoWidth/videoHeight may be 0
-    // before loadedmetadata fires).
-    video.addEventListener('loadedmetadata', update)
-
-    return () => {
-      ro.disconnect()
-      window.removeEventListener('resize', update)
-      video.removeEventListener('loadedmetadata', update)
-    }
-  }, [playerRef, subtitlePosition])
-
   if (activeCues.length === 0) return null
 
-  const posStyle: React.CSSProperties =
-    offset != null
-      ? subtitlePosition === 'bottom'
-        ? { bottom: offset }
-        : { top: offset }
-      : {}
+  // Build a centred box with the video's intrinsic aspect ratio.  When the
+  // viewport and video aspects differ (portrait monitor playing 16:9,
+  // landscape playing 9:16, etc.) object-fit:contain letterboxes the video.
+  // A fixed bottom-32 / top-24 then lands inside the black bars and Chrome's
+  // compositor clips short overlays there.  By matching the video aspect in
+  // a flex-centred container we position the text relative to the *content*
+  // area instead of the viewport.
+  const vW = videoWidth || 1920
+  const vH = videoHeight || 1080
 
   return (
-    <div
-      className={`${className} z-[100]`}
-      style={{
-        ...style,
-        ...posStyle,
-        transform: 'translateZ(0)',
-        willChange: 'transform',
-        backfaceVisibility: 'hidden',
-      }}
-    >
-      {activeCues.map((cue, ci) => (
-        <div key={ci} className={ci > 0 ? 'mt-1.5' : ''}>
-          <span data-cue className="whitespace-pre-line">
-            {cue}
-          </span>
+    <div className="absolute inset-0 z-[100] flex items-center justify-center pointer-events-none">
+      <div
+        className="relative w-full"
+        style={{
+          aspectRatio: `${vW} / ${vH}`,
+          maxHeight: '100%',
+          transform: 'translateZ(0)',
+          willChange: 'transform',
+          backfaceVisibility: 'hidden',
+        }}
+      >
+        <div
+          className={className}
+          style={{
+            ...style,
+            ...(subtitlePosition === 'bottom'
+              ? { bottom: 32 }
+              : { top: 24 }),
+          }}
+        >
+          {activeCues.map((cue, ci) => (
+            <div key={ci} className={ci > 0 ? 'mt-1.5' : ''}>
+              <span data-cue className="whitespace-pre-line">
+                {cue}
+              </span>
+            </div>
+          ))}
         </div>
-      ))}
+      </div>
     </div>
   )
 }
diff --git a/src/pages/PlayerPage.tsx b/src/pages/PlayerPage.tsx
index 897c51e..d80edda 100644
--- a/src/pages/PlayerPage.tsx
+++ b/src/pages/PlayerPage.tsx
@@ -970,6 +970,9 @@ export default function PlayerPage() {
 
   /* Track lists from Jellyfin metadata */
   const audioTracks = item ? getAudioStreams(item) : []
+  const videoStream = ((item as any)?.MediaSources?.[0]?.MediaStreams || []).find((s: any) => s.Type === 'Video')
+  const videoWidth = videoStream?.Width || 1920
+  const videoHeight = videoStream?.Height || 1080
 
   /**
    * Pick an audio track. For direct-play sources whose underlying <video>
@@ -1183,6 +1186,8 @@ export default function PlayerPage() {
           <SubtitleOverlay
             playerRef={playerRef}
             subtitleUrl={getSubtitleUrl(serverUrl, id, mediaSourceId, subtitleIndex, token)}
+            videoWidth={videoWidth}
+            videoHeight={videoHeight}
           />
         )
       })()}