InBroadcast - January 2023 - 38

38
www.inbroadcast.com | Vol: 13 - Issue 1 | January 2023
InMedia
Closed Captioning Update
Contributing Editor David Kirk has a look
at the latest developments for closed
captioning...
C
losed captioning as a broadcast
technology
recently
accuracy using
celebrated
its half centenary. It was first applied
in 1972 by the American Broadcast
Company to support hearing-impaired
television audiences. Real-time
captioning of live broadcasts followed
in 1982, powered by reporters trained
to transcribe at speeds up to and
exceeding 225 words per minute.
Advances in speech recognition
over the subsequent
technology
decades
have allowed
live
captioning to be partly or even fully
automated, typically using a trained
're-speaker' who paraphrases
the
running commentary for input to the
automated text generation system.
Like OCR technology, this works well
most of the time but is ideal territory
for AI programmers until they too are
replaced by AI-based processors.
Meanwhile, the transition from
software-based
based services
products
continues
the divide between manufacturers
and customers. This update looks
at new developments in the closed
captioning category since the subject
was last covered by InBroadcast in
January 2022.
Ai-Media describes its iCap Alta
any
encoder as
video
the
of
answer
for
broadcaster looking to leverage
the benefits
captioning in IP
environments. Running on
API-powered software, it provides a
resilient workflow for live multilingual
captions
across
compressed
and
uncompressed IP video. iCap Alta
is designed to help broadcasters
transition from hardware-driven
SDI to software-controlled
IP
video workflow. It is configured for
processing either MPEG Transport
Streams, SMPTE 2110 or CDI
uncompressed IP video. SRT protocol
is supported to enhance performance
when streaming over unpredictable
networks like the public
iCap Alta seamlessly
internet.
integrates
with Ai-Media's Lexi automatic live
captioning solution, which offers
high accuracy and reliability
at a
compelling price point. Ai-Media's
Lexi is claimed to achieve up to 98%
its
Topic
feature which recognises
Models
unique
phrases and vocabulary, as well as
observing context. Lexi can be used
on a SaaS basis to perform fully
automated
captioning. Ai-Media's
hybrid Smart Lexi solution combines
automation with human curation.
Lexi and Smart Lexi are also available
across pre-recorded or VOD content
with an API workflow. Combined
with iCap Translate, they can provide
multilingual captions in a variety of
languages
AppTek has
cooperated
automatic
captioning tool
with
Washington DC based Gallaudet
University
to develop GoVoBo, an
created
by and for deaf and hard of hearing
users. The GoVoBo application offers
the ability to use any online meeting
service without the need to configure
caption services
individually
to webto
blur
each meeting. GoVoBo automatically
transcribes spoken content in real
time, using AI-enabled
speech
recognition technology. At the end of
each session, users have an editable
and exportable transcript
so
they
can
focus on
the meeting attendees
and
interaction,
notes.
than looking away
take
" Gallaudet
has deep ties to the user
community and a deep
understanding of
the
scientific research behind
conversational
comments
AppTek
Mudar Yaghi.
Digital Nirvana's
Metadata IQ
AI, "
CEO
rather
to
Ai-Media, captioning solutions
for every need
Digital
Nirvana's Metadata-IQ
is
a web-hosted application for Avid
users that automates the process of
metadata generation for production,
preproduction and
It
offers
on-premises
live content.
transcoding
and intelligent conversion of audio
files into text transcripts. Users no
longer need to create a low-res proxy
or manually import
files into Avid
MediaCentral. Automated generation
and ingest
of
for
relevant metadata
as locators helps editors identify
relevant content accurately. Some 30
languages are supported.
ENCO's
generates
live
enCaption automatically
video.
captioning for
Content creators can provide realtime
captioning
to
hard-ofENCO's
enCaption
hearing viewers any time, without
any advance notice and without the
cost of live captioners or signers, or
any spoken word, even radio and
podcasts.
When content
creators
add
automated real-time live captioning,
they broaden their audience to the
deaf or hard-of-hearing
viewers,
and to people viewing from noisy
environments where the audio can't
be heard, without
any
advance
notice and without the cost of live
captioners or signers.
The latest generation of enCaption
also offers an offline file based
mode for automatically captioning
pre-recorded content. Audio or video
files can be ingested into the system
and immediately output in multiple
captioning file formats or forwarded
for optional human review. Linking
enCaption to an electronic newsroom
system allows it
access
current
and
script information to build a local
dictionary. Custom packaging can be
configured to recognise a station's
specific
set
of
uniquely
spelled
names, jargon or other special words.
Separate packages can be configured
for different programmes. Automated
captioning can also be added to
NDI workflows. Once connected,
enCaption will automatically output
an NDI signal with captions keyed
directly on top of the video stream.
All of our products are backed with
24/7 live emergency support and a
comprehensive online support portal
and knowledge base.
" Our technical
support
broadcast
team
boasts over 200 years of combined
engineering experience in a wide
range of
professions
including program directors,
engineers, IT managers, and even
to automatically
historical
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