Closed Captioning In Web Video?

Trolas 06-17-2007

Like many geeks, I enjoy watching TV, movies, and streamed video. However, in company with 2%-3% of the population, I suffer from a problem known as Central Auditory Processing Disorder, which essentially means that I have difficulty separating the sounds of human voices from various background noises. When watching TV and when watching movies at home, this isn't a problem, as I can simply turn on the closed captioning. (I find radio to be simply an annoyance.) How much effort would it take the major purveyors of Internet video (the broadcasting majors, etc.) to include an option for CCTV? I doubt the bandwidth required would be more than 1% of that required for the video already being presented. As a social libertarian, I would never ask for government regulation of such an enterprise; I ask only that the major studios be aware of the difficulties that those of us with auditory disorders face. If it's rough for me, how much more difficult can it be for someone who can't hear at all?

Raven

OK I'm not the most knowledgable but even I know this is the easiest thing to do especially for videos online. You could take it 1 step futher and even instant translate the audio too.

Hsoolien

Component video and HDMI don't support closed captioning either, so if you say had a cable box that was connected to your TV you'd lose broadcast CC unless the box itself is capable of reading it

Dream

I didn't know that, but I'm not that knowledgable about hdmi stuff, I know maybe the most extreme of basics if even that.

Hsoolien

There has been alot of argument in the HDMI community about how to implement CC.

for brodcast video/S-Video/composite video (RCA) there are undisplayed lines in the signal (this is so the beam has time to get back to the top of the TV) This is where they encode the CC. However with HDTV cnnectors like DVI, Component and HDMI all lines of hte signal get displayed, so there is no where to hide the CC encoding. Now DVI and component are basically dead, so it's unlikely soultions will ever pop up there, but i'de guess a couple of revisments to the HDMI 'standard' (in quotes because there is a lot about HDMI that should be standard and isn't, causes issues with some SONY TV's and PS3's connected with HDMI, and SONY is the main backer of the standard) will see CC encoding somewhere.

Dream

But this is for internet video. It would be alot easier to do but who's going to take the time to do CC's for videos like on youtube and myspace. Especially youtube where theres 100 new videos every second.

Ice

Very few are going to take the time to even do this. You think about how many computer illiterate people out there who don't know the simple things, having caption for videos just isn't going to be worth it. Youtube user not going to take that extra time to do that. You looking at something that is maybe 1% of people would do. Unless its automatic might as well forget it.

Hsoolien

The people that make the video?

Nina

I think she refering to webcams, cell phone cams, and things like that. Even with commercial companies I can't see many companies doing this. Especially since alot of tv channels put things on the site that not able to be broadcast on air. Basically you looking at alot of work with not much of anything to gain.

Hsoolien

Well I'm sure thee hearing impaired will force their hand as they did with CC on TV (I remember TV without CC)

snakeyez85

you might see this in an instructional or how to video... i mean.. closed caption isn't appropriate... Can you imagine CC Porn? Hsoo... I didn't know about the HDMI lacking CC capabilities... thanks.. it makes no difference to me, but take into account places like airports and noisy bars where CC is really needed.

Hsoolien

There are times where CC isn't needed obviously, but the hearing impaired have some severe clout, they forced studios to include it in all their movies, I imagine they'll force video providers ont he net to as well (besides which most fot he really popular movie formats support CC of some sort)

Hell the visually impaired got movies and TV shows to have voice overs explaining the action.

Raven

CC is sometime pretty good. I know Sin has it on just for the hell of it. But just incase you mis something or didn't hear it so well for any reason it will put it on the screen. And there's times I don't care how good your surround system is, CC will catch things no one would hear. But on the internet maybe for major labels/channels but something like youtube I don't see it happening and thats the main video center.

Ice

Also remember subtitles and captions can have typoes in them. From the anime I seen over at Sinny's they can really screw up the meaning to alot of things. And Captions on tv usually have alot of errors, Sometimes its just a single letter in a sentence or they just skip over things. Its gets screwy at times.

Hsoolien

I find uisually if the CC ont he TV is fucked it's because it's a live broadcast or somethings screwy withthe signal

As for anime, they are usually suibtitled by fanboys, the kind that for some reaosn just dont' care about spelling


My ex has it on all the time. Not really sure why, never asked her.