Using VLC as subtitle projector

[Silks]

Hi all,
I'm planning to use VLC in a way which might be new, I don't know if it's been attempted before: to screen timed subtitles simultaneously with a film projection. In my case, the VLC machine would only be screening the subtitles, while a completely separate system would project the movie onto a movie screen. This already seems quite workable, with just a few little kinks I'd like to work out with your kind help.
This is the workflow I came up with so far:
Step 1: Create the subtitles in SRT format, making sure the timecode is correct for the film.
Step 2: Using the great subtitle utility Submerge, create a .mov version of the film with a QuickTime subtitle track.
Step 3: Play this .mov on VLC, with the subtitles running synchronously in a separate little window, not overlaid over the video.
Step 4: While the movie plays, drag the subtitles window to the secondary display (projector) and let them run, concurrently with the film as it screens in the theater. Fine tune as necessary during playback to maintain sync.
I remembered the useful behavior described in step 3 from previous versions of VLC. I tried it in the current release (2.0.6) and the video just played without subtitles, so I downloaded VLC 0.9.9a and there it worked like a charm, just as I remembered.
Here are my questions for you good folks:
1. Do I have to use such an old version, or is there a way to achieve this in a more current release?
2. Adjusting subtitle delay during playback doesn't seem to work. When I Press J and H during playback, a little OSD pops up and says "Subtitle delay XXX ms", but... the subs still play in perfect sync with the video. Why is this? Maybe those keys only control external SRT subs and not a QuickTime subtitle track? I'm not married to the idea of the QuickTime subtitle track, I could go the SRT route if I could get it to work.
3. This might be a newbie question, but... How do I specify that the subs should play at the top of the screen in full screen mode?
Thank you so much in advance.

[Silks]

BTW, I hope this is the right forum for this post! It's not really troubleshooting... More like creatively getting the most out of VLC :^)

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

The fact that this worked in the past is not normal nor expected.
But if I am not mistaken, you might have more chance with VLC 2.1.0 from our nightly builds.

[Silks]

Thank you, Jean-Baptiste! The nightly build does indeed seem to work great. The subs appear in a separate window.
However, pressing J and H produces the OSD title "No active subtitle".
So... is it possible to see SRT subs that way, in a little window? Presumably, that'll allow me to us J & H for fine tuning during playback.
Cheers

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

No, it is not possible, because those are not really subtitles...

[Silks]

Not really subtitles? Not even SRT? How so?

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

srt will not display a video frame for you without a video track.

[Silks]

Okay, I suppose I could just set a "Very short jump length" of half a second, and adjust playback that way.
So that only leaves question 3 of 3... the one about displaying the subs at the top of the frame. Could you help me out with that one?
Cheers!

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

Depends on the sample.