One of the number-one questions I get from prospective clients or even friends is the question: What is the difference between roll-up captioning, pop-on captioning, and subtitling? Also, people often think that captioning is the same thing as subtitling, which it isn't. To take this question even further, I will explain in what cases each one is ideally used.*
Captioning VS. Subtitling
Captioning was created so deaf or hard-of-hearing viewers could read along to TV shows. A technology needed to be created that was accessible to the deaf viewer, but not obligatory for hearing viewers. So today, closed captioning is decoded by a decoder chip in the television and it must be activated to view. Captions are white letters with a black background. The font looks similar to Courier New.
Subtitling, on the other hand, was originally created so viewers of programming in a language other than their own could read along in their own language. Unlike captions, subtitles cannot be turned on or off through a TV decoder chip. They are burned on the video. If you are watching subtitles on a DVD or Blu-ray Disc, they can be turned on or off through the menu. Subtitles can be different fonts or colors and usually do not have a black or transparent background.
Roll-up Captioning
What is it?
Roll-up captions scroll up the screen line by line usually two to three lines at a time. It is the most basic form of captioning, as it usually does not include extensive sound effect description nor speaker identification.
When is it used?
Roll-up captioning is mainly used for ALL live programming and for post-production broadcast programming that only has one speaker (not very common).
For an example of roll-up captioning, view the video on this page: roll-up video
Pop-On Captioning
What is it?
Pop-on captions pop on and off the screen one caption at a time. They typically look like a square box and each caption usually consists of two to three lines. Pop-on captions should include sound effect descriptions as well as movement for speaker identification.
When is it used?
Pop-on captions should be used for pre-recorded broadcast programming with multiple speakers.
For an example of pop-on captioning view the video on this page: pop-on video
Subtitling
What is it?
Subtitles pop on and off the screen just like pop-on captions but they typically do not have a black background and can be any font and color.
When is it used?
Subtitles should always be used for DVD and Blu-ray Discs as they can be turned on and off through the menu. They should also be used for broadcasts in countries where the programming is of a language other than the country's primary language.
For an example of subtitles view the video on this page: subtitling video
*Please note that this article's aim is to be a general explanation for the person that has no prior knowledge of the topic. It does not go into depth on the technical differences between captioning and subtitling. I specifically talk about captions for broadcasting and not other purposes like online video, et cetera. When I speak about captioning, I am referring to Line 21 (analog) captioning, not captioning for HD.
So, you've contracted with a closed-captioning company (or closed-captioner service provider) and now you must put your full confidence in them to caption your program accurately. With the plethora of closed captioning companies out there, this is not always an easy thing to do. Keep in mind that a large percentage of viewers will watch your program with captions, therefore turning the captions into a representation of your programming.
To confide in your captioning company, you first need to understand how captioning works. Captioning has its own standard just like journalism or publishing does. Be sure you understand exactly what service you will be getting. If your program will be captioned in roll-up style, many of the captioning "rules" do not apply as it is a simplified version of pop-on captioning. If the captioning company has a standard, be sure to ask what it is.
When you watch captions, you might wonder why certain punctuation is being used that is normally not used in other writing.
Here are some examples:
- Double dashes are used for breaks in speech.
- Ellipses are used for directing viewers to the screen and for long pauses in speech to add to the effect.
You may often wonder why poor grammar is being captioned. Usually, captioning companies do not correct grammar in speech. The hard of hearing and deaf community should read the exact same thing as the hearing people hear. In other words, they get relayed the same message. For example, in a movie where the main character speaks with broken English, should not be changed as it is part of the actor's character. Correcting grammar can change the meaning to the closed-caption viewer.
If you are still uneasy about giving over your captions to a captioning company, know that you can always have the option of proofing the closed caption transcript before the final recording. Your closed-captioning company should give the captions three quality checks, but even so, a book for publishing gets many more reviews for publishing and still winds up with errors. Be careful when proofing the transcript that you do not make preference changes, as the captioning company may end up charging you for extra time spent.
Your closed-captioning company should be experts in their field, so remember that you are working with them to make captioning judgment calls and decisions for your programs.
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.
Roll-up captions
Roll-up is a style where the text rolls onto the screen from the bottom or top one line at a time, rolling up to make room for a new line. Normally, a maximum of 3 lines are shown on the screen before the first line is taken off of the screen. This is the least time-consuming post-production process but still allows for good viewing. Roll-up captions are always used in live captioning and are typically used for one speaker programs such as teaching or preaching.
Pop-on captions
The text actually pops on the screen in blocks of 1 to 3 lines and is placed on the screen to not cover up any on-screen text or vital video. The time codes from your master are used to place these captions perfectly in sync with each frame. Pop-up captions are the preferred viewing style of the hearing impaired and are typically used for programs with multiples speakers or characters that are on the screen at any given time.
More on our Captioning Services...
