diff --git a/doc/APIchanges b/doc/APIchanges
index 65571329ab..91736fef5d 100644
--- a/doc/APIchanges
+++ b/doc/APIchanges
@@ -15,6 +15,9 @@ libavutil:     2012-10-22
 
 API changes, most recent first:
 
+2013-04-19 - xxxxxxx - lavc 55.4.100
+  Add AV_CODEC_PROP_TEXT_SUB property for text based subtitles codec.
+
 2013-04-18 - xxxxxxx - lavf 55.3.100
   The matroska demuxer can now output proper verbatim ASS packets. It will
   become the default starting lavf 56.0.100.
diff --git a/libavcodec/avcodec.h b/libavcodec/avcodec.h
index 0251b6cd13..6aebb4800d 100644
--- a/libavcodec/avcodec.h
+++ b/libavcodec/avcodec.h
@@ -541,8 +541,14 @@ typedef struct AVCodecDescriptor {
 #define AV_CODEC_PROP_LOSSLESS      (1 << 2)
 /**
  * Subtitle codec is bitmap based
+ * Decoded AVSubtitle data can be read from the AVSubtitleRect->pict field.
  */
 #define AV_CODEC_PROP_BITMAP_SUB    (1 << 16)
+/**
+ * Subtitle codec is text based.
+ * Decoded AVSubtitle data can be read from the AVSubtitleRect->ass field.
+ */
+#define AV_CODEC_PROP_TEXT_SUB      (1 << 17)
 
 /**
  * @ingroup lavc_decoding
diff --git a/libavcodec/codec_desc.c b/libavcodec/codec_desc.c
index c8a5d113d4..c973025daa 100644
--- a/libavcodec/codec_desc.c
+++ b/libavcodec/codec_desc.c
@@ -2394,6 +2394,7 @@ static const AVCodecDescriptor codec_descriptors[] = {
         .type      = AVMEDIA_TYPE_SUBTITLE,
         .name      = "text",
         .long_name = NULL_IF_CONFIG_SMALL("raw UTF-8 text"),
+        .props     = AV_CODEC_PROP_TEXT_SUB,
     },
     {
         .id        = AV_CODEC_ID_XSUB,
@@ -2407,18 +2408,21 @@ static const AVCodecDescriptor codec_descriptors[] = {
         .type      = AVMEDIA_TYPE_SUBTITLE,
         .name      = "ass",
         .long_name = NULL_IF_CONFIG_SMALL("ASS (Advanced SSA) subtitle"),
+        .props     = AV_CODEC_PROP_TEXT_SUB,
     },
     {
         .id        = AV_CODEC_ID_SSA,
         .type      = AVMEDIA_TYPE_SUBTITLE,
         .name      = "ssa",
         .long_name = NULL_IF_CONFIG_SMALL("SSA (SubStation Alpha) subtitle"),
+        .props     = AV_CODEC_PROP_TEXT_SUB,
     },
     {
         .id        = AV_CODEC_ID_MOV_TEXT,
         .type      = AVMEDIA_TYPE_SUBTITLE,
         .name      = "mov_text",
         .long_name = NULL_IF_CONFIG_SMALL("MOV text"),
+        .props     = AV_CODEC_PROP_TEXT_SUB,
     },
     {
         .id        = AV_CODEC_ID_HDMV_PGS_SUBTITLE,
@@ -2438,24 +2442,28 @@ static const AVCodecDescriptor codec_descriptors[] = {
         .type      = AVMEDIA_TYPE_SUBTITLE,
         .name      = "srt",
         .long_name = NULL_IF_CONFIG_SMALL("SubRip subtitle with embedded timing"),
+        .props     = AV_CODEC_PROP_TEXT_SUB,
     },
     {
         .id        = AV_CODEC_ID_SUBRIP,
         .type      = AVMEDIA_TYPE_SUBTITLE,
         .name      = "subrip",
         .long_name = NULL_IF_CONFIG_SMALL("SubRip subtitle"),
+        .props     = AV_CODEC_PROP_TEXT_SUB,
     },
     {
         .id        = AV_CODEC_ID_MICRODVD,
         .type      = AVMEDIA_TYPE_SUBTITLE,
         .name      = "microdvd",
         .long_name = NULL_IF_CONFIG_SMALL("MicroDVD subtitle"),
+        .props     = AV_CODEC_PROP_TEXT_SUB,
     },
     {
         .id        = AV_CODEC_ID_MPL2,
         .type      = AVMEDIA_TYPE_SUBTITLE,
         .name      = "mpl2",
         .long_name = NULL_IF_CONFIG_SMALL("MPL2 subtitle"),
+        .props     = AV_CODEC_PROP_TEXT_SUB,
     },
     {
         .id        = AV_CODEC_ID_EIA_608,
@@ -2468,48 +2476,56 @@ static const AVCodecDescriptor codec_descriptors[] = {
         .type      = AVMEDIA_TYPE_SUBTITLE,
         .name      = "jacosub",
         .long_name = NULL_IF_CONFIG_SMALL("JACOsub subtitle"),
+        .props     = AV_CODEC_PROP_TEXT_SUB,
     },
     {
         .id        = AV_CODEC_ID_PJS,
         .type      = AVMEDIA_TYPE_SUBTITLE,
         .name      = "pjs",
         .long_name = NULL_IF_CONFIG_SMALL("PJS (Phoenix Japanimation Society) subtitle"),
+        .props     = AV_CODEC_PROP_TEXT_SUB,
     },
     {
         .id        = AV_CODEC_ID_SAMI,
         .type      = AVMEDIA_TYPE_SUBTITLE,
         .name      = "sami",
         .long_name = NULL_IF_CONFIG_SMALL("SAMI subtitle"),
+        .props     = AV_CODEC_PROP_TEXT_SUB,
     },
     {
         .id        = AV_CODEC_ID_REALTEXT,
         .type      = AVMEDIA_TYPE_SUBTITLE,
         .name      = "realtext",
         .long_name = NULL_IF_CONFIG_SMALL("RealText subtitle"),
+        .props     = AV_CODEC_PROP_TEXT_SUB,
     },
     {
         .id        = AV_CODEC_ID_SUBVIEWER1,
         .type      = AVMEDIA_TYPE_SUBTITLE,
         .name      = "subviewer1",
         .long_name = NULL_IF_CONFIG_SMALL("SubViewer v1 subtitle"),
+        .props     = AV_CODEC_PROP_TEXT_SUB,
     },
     {
         .id        = AV_CODEC_ID_SUBVIEWER,
         .type      = AVMEDIA_TYPE_SUBTITLE,
         .name      = "subviewer",
         .long_name = NULL_IF_CONFIG_SMALL("SubViewer subtitle"),
+        .props     = AV_CODEC_PROP_TEXT_SUB,
     },
     {
         .id        = AV_CODEC_ID_VPLAYER,
         .type      = AVMEDIA_TYPE_SUBTITLE,
         .name      = "vplayer",
         .long_name = NULL_IF_CONFIG_SMALL("VPlayer subtitle"),
+        .props     = AV_CODEC_PROP_TEXT_SUB,
     },
     {
         .id        = AV_CODEC_ID_WEBVTT,
         .type      = AVMEDIA_TYPE_SUBTITLE,
         .name      = "webvtt",
         .long_name = NULL_IF_CONFIG_SMALL("WebVTT subtitle"),
+        .props     = AV_CODEC_PROP_TEXT_SUB,
     },
     {
         .id        = AV_CODEC_ID_BINTEXT,
diff --git a/libavcodec/version.h b/libavcodec/version.h
index 1e24d839c5..12c9a838e6 100644
--- a/libavcodec/version.h
+++ b/libavcodec/version.h
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@
 #include "libavutil/avutil.h"
 
 #define LIBAVCODEC_VERSION_MAJOR 55
-#define LIBAVCODEC_VERSION_MINOR  3
+#define LIBAVCODEC_VERSION_MINOR  4
 #define LIBAVCODEC_VERSION_MICRO 100
 
 #define LIBAVCODEC_VERSION_INT  AV_VERSION_INT(LIBAVCODEC_VERSION_MAJOR, \
diff --git a/libavfilter/vf_subtitles.c b/libavfilter/vf_subtitles.c
index aaa8942615..10f07a48a5 100644
--- a/libavfilter/vf_subtitles.c
+++ b/libavfilter/vf_subtitles.c
@@ -302,7 +302,7 @@ static av_cold int init_subtitles(AVFilterContext *ctx)
         return AVERROR(EINVAL);
     }
     dec_desc = avcodec_descriptor_get(dec_ctx->codec_id);
-    if (dec_desc && (dec_desc->props & AV_CODEC_PROP_BITMAP_SUB)) {
+    if (dec_desc && !(dec_desc->props & AV_CODEC_PROP_TEXT_SUB)) {
         av_log(ctx, AV_LOG_ERROR,
                "Only text based subtitles are currently supported\n");
         return AVERROR_PATCHWELCOME;