Closed Captioning

Closed captioning is text printed on a media product that adds a visual presentation of the dialog, environmental sounds and other auditory information. Typically closed captioning is used to provide access to deaf/hard of hearing people. However, research has shown that this technology also benefits those who use English as a second language or everyone when acoustics or audio quality is poor. The captioning remains hidden (or closed) until the “CC” button is pressed on the remote control or activated via the menu. For web-based media, activating the captioning depends on the media player used.

Media used in the classroom must be captioned as an accommodation for students whose disabilities interfere significantly with auditory input.

Recommendations:

• Inquire about captioning when purchasing DVDs and other media products. Media production companies will respond to requests from consumers.


• If you have recorded something from your television, probability is high that the program itself was captioned and the signal is embedded in your video. You do not need to see the captioning to record it. Sometimes the only way to determine if a video is captioned is to actually view the video on a television with the captioning option selected. DSS can check your videos for captioning.


• UND ‘smart’ classrooms have podiums equipped with a decoder to turn on the captions for use with the ceiling projector. Instructions with color coded buttons are located in the podium stand or contact CILT at 777-2129 for assistance.

How to apply closed captions to various media

Web-based videos

For short web-based videos

1. On-line captioning software: You can caption short videos (i.e., YouTube) with free internet captioning software. One such tool is www.overstream.net.Videos can be captioned and placed on Blackboard for student use.


2. Free captioning on Google: http://www.youtube.com/t/captions_about This service offers a voice recognition option. You can upload your video per the instructions without a transcript and the software will caption the video by electronically “listening” to the audio portions of your video. This is not recommended. Most of the time it produces an unusable text.
   However, if you send an accurate transcript, Google will produce, free of charge, a quality video with accurate captioning. Free captioning is offered on videos up to 10 minutes in length. Once you send your video file and text file to Google your captioned video will be returned within 15 minutes


3. Commercial captioning: For videos longer than 10 minutes, DSS can recommend vendors that produce captioning in the same manner as described above (with accurate transcript and video file). There is a fee for captioning if a commercial vendor is used. There are many commercial captioning options available. DSS has used AutomaticSync with excellent results. http://www.automaticsync.com/captionsync/


4. DSS can advise/assist with your large or small captioning projects. Please call for assistance.

To access captioning on web-based video:

YouTube: to access captioning on a YouTube video that is already captioned:
Click on the captioning button (CC) on the bottom/right corner of the video.

When viewing videos with a media player, (QuickTime, Flash, Windows Media Player, etc.): Each media player is activated differently. Go to:http://www.washington.edu/accessit/articles?1251 for instructions.

Non-Web-Based Videos (DVD/VHS)

To access captions/subtitles on non web-based Video (VHS/DVD):

Use the onscreen menu to activate captioning.

If captioning does not show up immediately, do not give up! Sometimes it takes a few seconds for everything to ‘kick in’.

Captioning will NOT show up during fast forwarding or rewinding. The video must be running at regular speed to reveal the captioning.

DVDs sometimes have subtitles instead of captioning. Subtitles, however, contain no environmental information (e.g. phone rings, dog barks), so present a less accessible picture than captioning. Another option sometimes found on DVDs is ‘subtitling for the deaf’. This is the same as captioning and offers full accessibility.