Closed Captioning Software?

[Danny Hays]

I’ve done several CC videos for Universal Orlando and just use text generator. I learned a lesson I’ll pass on to you and use Microsoft Word or a word program that has spell and grammer check, then copy and paste. There are some voice regognition apps that can convert audio to text, even MS word if you take the time to do the lessons that train the app to convert your voice. Hope this helps, Danny Hays

[Chas Smith]

Thanks for the info, but I’m not sure I completely understand. How do I “encode” the text so that when the video is played at a TV station, they “decode” the CC?

Feel free to e-mail direct: agendavideo@msn.com

Thanks,

Chas

[Danny Hays]

Vegas supports adding CC to Streaming Windows Media Video and from a script. I believe thats for Web use and the TV station won’t use it. I do use hardware based video overlay devices that can chase smpte or midi time code but I don’t know what the TV station will use. Danny

[Erik Davis]

Charles,

CCaption has a software only solution that creates 32bit mov files with captioning encoded. After enabling the alpha channel you can import them into Vegas and render the captioning movs right in with the rest of your timeline. The way the text gets into the mov files is by properly formatting a Word txt file according to the CCaption instructions. There are commands for time code entry, pause, end etc.

I bought the software about 8 years ago when it was about 1/6 of the cost that it is today. https://www.cpcweb.com/

This is still the cheapest in-house solution I know of.

Erik

[Chuck Mccollim]

I use MacCaption (the Macintosh version of CaptionMaker) from http://www.cpcweb.com on a daily basis. It is very good software for captioning, and the folks from CPC are fantastic! The software uses a USB dongle key and you can move this key from machine to machine (Windows and Macintosh too!) This allows you to have the software installed on several machines/platforms. When you need to use it–you just make sure you have the USB dongle on that machine to run it. You pay one time for their software, and then you have access to the updates whenever you want them.
I choose to use the Macintosh version of the software because the Macintosh version of the software was designed for a graphical user interface. The Windows version (I think anyway) looks too much like DOS. (I also have access to both platforms.)

Give them a call and tell them what you want to do, and I am sure they can help you. They are very good folks to work with.

Chuck

[Chas Smith]

Thanks to all who have responded. Some great suggestions!

Chaz

[Brad Thompson]

I am so glad I found this site. I am in the same situation you are. I am an editor and my company edits many Christian Television Programs you see on CTN, Daystar, TCT, Etc. WE also do Local TV Broadcasts. Most of our Networks take MPEG 2 files and upload them into their servers. I too can encode into Betacam, DCV pro and mini DV however, everything is going tapeless. The problem is, there is no standards yet! I spent 2 hours talking to engineers yesterday only to find out none of them know how to render a mpeg 2 file from a non-liner editor that in CC encoded. The process they use to ingest the video into their system imports the video and CC into 2 separate then runs them both and re-encodes the signal live on out feed just before the transmitter. So, that is how I found this site. If anyone knows how to encode CC on a non linear editor on video line 21 during the render process, I would love to know how. I am told that there is a way but the engineers at some of the worlds largest networks has no idea how.

Thanks so much.

Brad Thompson