In the history of our planet, littering is a relatively new problem. It was around the 1950s when manufacturers began producing a higher volume of litter-creating material, such as disposable products and packaging made with plastic. Much like the boom of manufacturers creating more disposable packaging, new video content is being pushed out to streaming platforms in incredible volumes every day.

Along with all this new video content, there are noticeable similarities between littering and a prevalent problem in our industry: inaccessible media – specifically poor captioning quality. Instead of it being food wrappers, water bottles, plastic bags, or cigarette butts, it’s misspellings, lack of punctuation, missing words, or the wrong reading rate (words-per-minute on the screen) that affects readability.

The motives behind littering and choosing poor-quality captioning are similar and it generally boils down to one of the following reasons: laziness or carelessness, lenient law enforcement, and/or presence of litter already in the area. Both are very selfish acts, allowing one person to take the easy route by just discarding their trash wherever they please, or in the case of captioning, choosing the quickest & cheapest option available to fulfill a request without any regard to the quality. When it comes to organizations enforcing the guidelines and standards, if their efforts are relaxed, it will encourage a lot of people to not follow them. And the presence of other content creators getting away with inaccessible media will, no doubt, encourage others to take the same route.

In The Big Hack’s survey of over 3,000 disabled viewers, four in five disabled people experience accessibility issues with video-on-demand services. “66% of users feel either frustrated, let down, excluded or upset by inaccessible entertainment.” In fact, “20% of disabled people have canceled a streaming service subscription because of accessibility issues.” It’s clear: inaccessible media is polluting video content libraries.

Viewers that do not utilize closed captions may not always think about how poor-quality captions affect the users that do, just like the consequences of littering on the community and animals that all share the Earth’s ecosystem are often overlooked. Education and awareness are important tools in reducing the problem. If we allow it to become commonplace, much like litter, bad captioning will wash away into the “ocean” of online video content and become permanent pollution our video “eco-system.”

So, what can we do about it before it’s too late? Much like with littering, we can start with community cleanups. Let the content creators know that you value captioning and would enjoy their content more if captions were present and accurately represent the program to all viewers. Find their websites and social media pages and contact them – make them aware. And if it’s on broadcast television, let the FCC know.

Clean communities have a better chance of attracting new business, residents, and tourists – the same will go for the online video community. Quality captioning is your choice and, for the sake of the video community, please evaluate the quality of work done by the captioning vendors that you’re considering and don’t always just go for the cheapest and quickest option. Help keep the video community clean.

Since the brand-new launch of Aberdeen’s Multilanguage subtitling and translation department in 2008, we have worked on many exciting projects, but the God of Wonders project has been one of our most adventurous feats yet! God of Wonders is a documentary by Eternal Productions that explores the wonders of creation, conscience, and the glory of God. Jim Tetlow, the executive producer of God of Wonders put his faith in Aberdeen’s AberLingo multilanguage and subtitling department not only to help translate and subtitle his documentary but to also do the entire authoring project!

Aberdeen has taken on basic, simple DVD authoring projects for years, but this was the first large project with this many languages that we have undertaken. Our main DVD author, Austin Bringard (who uses DVD Studio Pro) took on the challenge and assembled moving menus and authored 22 subtitled languages and 8 audio languages.

This new multi-language version includes these selectable languages:

Voice Dubbed: English, Arabic, Farsi, French, Hindi, Mandarin, Punjabi, and Spanish.

Subtitled: English, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Danish, Dutch, German, Gujarati, Hebrew, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Spanish, Swahili, Tagalog, Thai, Turkish, Vietnamese.

You can preview God of Wonders here: http://www.godofwondersvideo.org/chapters.htm

If you found this article, you are probably a DVD authorer at your wit's end trying to figure out why the subtitle file will not import into your authoring system. We have a little tip that might just do the trick.

As you can imagine, as a closed-captioning and subtitling company, we work hand-in-hand with DVD authoring houses and individual DVD authoring people. When we deliver our clients subtitle files for DVD Studio Pro (typically a .stl directory file with .tif images or a stand-alone .stl file), there are sometimes discrepancies with time code making DVD Studio Pro reject the .stl file. Then our client calls us for help and we usually walk through the issue, and often we actually test out the files with their video in our authoring system to see where the problem is originating. After going through this troubleshooting process with our clients time and time again, we have found a solution that pretty much does the trick every time.

Are you ready for it?

1. Open your project in DVD Studio Pro without the video. In other words, remove your video from the project.
2. Import the subtitle file (.stl for example)
3. Import your video

Now you have something you can work with.

If this trick doesn't work, call Aberdeen Captioning at 800-688-6621 and we'll be able to give you a hand troubleshooting your issue.

Do you ever wonder how international businesses keep their branches in different countries on the same page with the same goals, visions, and company outlook?  Well, there are many ways this is done, but one simple way is the use of corporate training videos ... subtitled in multiple languages.  This is a manageable and cost-effective way for companies across the globe to communicate selling techniques, company updates, new product releases, safety training, and company outlook and vision just to name a few.

Most multi-national corporations either have their own production department or outsource to post-production houses specializing in the creation of corporate training videos.  Usually, each post-production house specializes in a sector, for example, retail or construction.

Commonly, these post-productions companies will outsource to a subtitling company to create the translated subtitles for their corporate training videos.  Subtitling companies specialize in subtitling multiple languages, even exotic and not-so-common languages, which is often too much of a hassle for the post-production house to handle.

The complicated part about translating corporate training videos is, for one, the industry-specific jargon.  The translator will usually be provided with a company-specific lexicon for the given language.  For example, a product might have the name, "Super-duper AirTight Duffel" but in Japanese, there is no product name.  The multinational corporation will need to decide whether they want to keep product names in English or if they want the translator to create equivalent names in their respective language.  It is common for large multinational corporations to have teams of translators in multiple countries who, among other things, dedicate themselves to these types of issues.  In this case, the subtitling company will use the clients' translations to do the subtitling.

Creating DVD or Blu-ray Disc subtitles is not as simple as putting a translation into software and spitting out files.  It takes adaptation for subtitles, timing, and placement of the subtitles, as well as special subtitling software capable of exporting files for DVD or Blu-ray Disc, like specially formatted .stl files, .son files, .xml files, .txt files, .srt files to name a few.  These file types are often accompanied by .tif images.  These files are later ingested into the client's or post-production house's DVD or Blu-ray Disc authoring system and added to the DVD or Blu-ray Disc menu.

One thing I have learned from subtitling thousands of corporate training videos is that when we are handling the translation, to always, without fail, get the translation and the subtitles proofed by the client.  What we tell the company's international branches via translated subtitles is very crucial to the company's bottom line abroad, and making a mistake with one sentence or even one word could compromise the progress of the overall training.  Successful translation and subtitling of corporate training videos come down to having all the available lexicons from the client, a translator who specializes in the sector (retail, construction, hospitality, et cetera), a proofer who also specializes in the given sector, and a final client proof of the subtitles.

All in all, international companies have found the importance of creating videos for training employees abroad, and with these videos, the easiest and most cost-effective way to adapt the video for multiple countries at one time is by the addition of multi-language subtitles.

Since Blu-ray has largely become accepted as the new HD disc format standard, there have been many inquiries about closed captioning and subtitling for Blu-ray Discs (BD).

To set the record straight, Blu-ray does not support traditional closed captioning. This is for a practical reason: subtitles on Blu-ray can be easily turned on and off through the disc's menu, just like with standard DVDs. Consequently, BD does not support Line 21, the traditional format for analog closed captions, because it adheres to modern High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) specifications. These specs were designed to replace older digital and analog standards.

Converting SD Captions to HD Subtitles

If you're looking to transfer a DVD or any other standard-definition video to Blu-ray Disc, you might be concerned about the need to recreate subtitles. Fortunately, your closed captioning company can convert your existing caption files into Blu-ray-compatible subtitles for your authoring system. This might require some reformatting depending on the original captioning method used.

Enhanced Features of Blu-ray Subtitles

Blu-ray subtitles offer several advanced features compared to standard SD subtitles. Unlike SD subtitles, which are limited to a single font type, size, and color, Blu-ray allows for much greater flexibility. With Blu-ray, it’s possible to create multiple layers of subtitles, incorporating up to six different colors, fonts, and sizes. This means you can vary the appearance of subtitles for on-screen signs or dialogue, enhancing speaker identification and enriching the viewer’s experience. It’s even possible to make sound effects stand out from dialogue, turning basic subtitles into a visually engaging component of your media.

File Types for Blu-ray Subtitling

The file type for Blu-ray subtitles is an XML-based textual format accompanied by images (JPEG) of each subtitle. This is similar to the system used in DVD authoring, where the XML file serves as a directory, dictating the placement and timing of each subtitle image on the screen.

I usually don’t write about specific projects we work on, but the “Hearing Everett” project was particularly moving. One of the most unique aspects of the film for me, working for a closed-captioning company, is that the film illustrates a family helping the deaf in Mexico. Throughout the closed captioning and the subtitling of the project we worked through five different phases: transcription, caption editing, translation, subtitle editing, and quality assurance. Each person involved in creating the “words” for the film was extremely moved to say the least. While I was reviewing the subtitling, I caught myself reaching for the tissue box to wipe the tears from my cheeks pretty much throughout the entire review process.  See what our Spanish translator, Enrico, had to say about his experience with the film:

Without a doubt, it is a remarkable, touching documentary.

I was blessed with the opportunity to translate this powerful testimony and I am certain it will greatly impact the people that get to see it the way it impacted us (I shared it with my wife) while working on it.

It made us realize once again the power and grace of our Omnipotent Lord. We truly believe God gave the old Everett and his family the grace and strength to keep on going after so many setbacks. He just took up the cross and followed while others (as me) just stand by and see in awe.

Best regards,

Enrico

Aberdeen was blessed to work on this project because James-Kirk Johnson, the Executive Producer of the film and Director of Operations for Strong Tower Ministries, contacted us after discovering our company through mutual contacts. Before we got involved in the project I visited one of James’ projects in Tijuana, Mexico, The Purple Palace, and was moved by the orphanage they had built and by the hearts of the children. Working on this project and seeing other things their ministry is doing helped me realize how much I can do to contribute, and the many opportunities there are right in my own backyard. Find out how you can help by visiting: strongtowerministries.info or hearingeverett.com

This past week, I felt how important time code was when authoring captions and subtitles to DVD and Blu-ray Disc authoring systems. Consistency is the name of the game. As a producer, editor, DVD authoring person, et cetera, you must be sure that the video your captioning company receives from the onset of the project, has the final time code.

Ask yourself some questions: Is the first frame of the video the same timecode on all video versions? Does the first spoken word start at the same time code? Does the last frame of the video end at the same time code? Am I authoring in drop, non-drop, FILM, et cetera? Pick one and stick with it for the entire project. The standard time code for authoring systems is drop (29.97 fps) and I recommend that you use this from the onset of the process. Your editing system may have a different default time code than your authoring system, so make sure they are the same.  Have any edits been made from the initial video you gave your captioning company? Minor edits will affect the captioning or subtitling in a major way.

You may be wondering what the big deal is and why it isn’t simple for the captioning company to adjust. It’s just simply trying to coordinate changes, especially if we don’t know what is differences are between files. Sometimes it is an easy re-ripple of time code or a conversion from drop to non-drop time code. Sometimes, the final videos are so different that the time spent re-sending new captioning and subtitle files can be as laborious as actually creating them in the first place. The time it takes for the authoring person to re-render and check new files over and over again is time taken away from the final delivery of the authored DVD or Blu-ray Disc. The bottom line is this—send your captioning company the real deal the first time around.

Oftentimes, when I give my clients caption files for their DVD Authoring Systems they encounter problems and call me with questions on how to insert the caption file. In today's blog, I am going to specifically talk about .scc files being used in Apple's DVD Studio Pro.

Steps for importing an .scc file into DVD Studio Pro: 

• Select Outline tab > Tracks folder > Track1 > Select Other tab (in Inspection window) > Select Choose > locate .scc file > Select Okay.

Either field 1 or field 2 will be populated, but most likely not both.

• DVD Studio Pro > Preferences > Encoding > MPEG-2 SD > Select desired timecode in the start TC field > Check or uncheck the Drop frame box accordingly.

You must let your captioning company know if your project is in Drop, Non-Drop, FILM, PAL, et cetera.  Most captioning companies' default time code is Drop frame.

• Highlight the actual video content/track on the timeline > Right-click the timecode directly to the right of the yellow play head and purple chapter marker > Select Zero-Based Timecode or Asset-Based Timecode.

I strongly recommended that all timecode options (there are many) be changed to zero-based so that the captioning company can create a file that corresponds to these settings. The captioning company will probably need to have the exact timecode of the first word spoken on the video so they can match their caption file to your project.

To view captions from your computer using a DVD player:

• Open DVD Player > Preferences > Features > Closed Captions > On

I recommend that you burn a closed-captioned DVD and play it out of a DVD player, viewing it on a TV. Viewing the captions from your computer will sometimes not display captions accurately, if at all.