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• Overview
• Web Captioning
• DVD/Videotape Captioning
• Broadcast Captioning
• Video Search
• Google Video
• Podcast Captioning

For More Information

Broadcast Captioning with CaptionSync™

Captioning broadcast video used to entail sending out tapes, getting back VHS proofs, waiting weeks for results, and spending hundreds of dollars per show.  No longer with AST's CaptionSync automated captioning service.  Our automated web-based captioning service allows users to quickly and easily submit their media and obtain caption results.  If you are able to provide a transcript of your content, you will get caption results in about 5 minutes.  Don't have a transcript?  Simply check a box, and AST will have it transcribed for you.  We produce high quality transcripts using human transcribers – not speech recognition.

Customer Quote

Benefits

In the age of media convergence, CaptionSync helps deliver captions for broadcast, streaming, vodcasts, and video search at one time without additional costs.

• Speed: CaptionSync typically returns the caption results in about 5 minutes if you provide the transcript.  Transcription adds a delay of about 2-3 business days -- rush 24 hour turnaround is also available.
• Cost: CaptionSync is fraction of the cost of conventional captioning.  As a web-based service, there is no software to buy or install and no support contracts – you just pay for what use.  And with volume-based pricing, the more you use the cheaper it gets.
• Convenience: The secure website is available 7/24; just log on to the caption server, submit your material from any web-browser, and receive the results minutes later.
• Scalability: Have hundreds of media files?  In addition to our secure website, media files can also be sent using our drag-and-drop upload application (for Windows and Mac), or tightly integrated directly into your workflow.
• Search and index: CaptionSync delivers search results, including timed transcript output for Pictron, VideoBank, and Google Video at no additional cost.

Output Flexibility

CaptionSync offers you the flexibility to pick and choose which outputs you need. Choose as many as you need at no additional cost:

• MPEG Captions: Captioning MPEG video is a breeze -- simply submit the audio portion electronically to our system and get back a standard line-21 SCC file ready to be added to your asset using products such as Manzanita, SCC tools, or Rhozet.
• DVD Subtitles: CaptionSync can also deliver back subtitle files (in addition to the SCC caption files) ready to be pulled into DVD authoring packages like DVD Studio Pro, DVDit Pro, Encore, or DVD Lab Pro.
• Digital NLE Captions: Captioning traditional tapestock such as Beta SP, digi-Beta, or mini-DV, used to be a process that used expensive hardware until now.  Submit your media electronically and we will generate standard caption files in a variety of formats for you.  Once you preview and accept the caption results, you will receive back a line-21 MOV or AVI file with captions which you pull back into your NLE such as Avid, Final Cut Pro, or Premiere.  Contact us for more details!
• Webcast and Podcast Captions: Captioning for players such as iTunes, Flash, QuickTime, RealMedia, or Windows Media Player is very easy.  Make your online material accessible and searchable since CaptionSync output includes any or all of these caption outputs at no additional cost.

The CaptionSync Automated Captioning Process

We need only the audio portion of your content, so for video material in formats such as MPEG2 or AVI, just save out the audio track as a .MP3 and you are on your way.  Alternatively, AST also accepts media files including:.MP4,.WMV, .WMA, .MOV, .FLV, .RM, .RA, .WAV, .MP3, .M4A, or .M4B. from which we extract the audio automatically.  If you are providing a transcript file, no fancy formatting is required -- just a simple .TXT file is all that is needed.

For captioning broadcast video in a legacy environment, you will receive from AST a caption file which needs to be encoded back onto the master tape.  This can be accomplished by either a software of hardware encoder.  In a completely digital environment, captions can be injected in the MPEG asset, without the need for the line-21 encoders.   Alternatively AST can return Digital NLE captions which you import into your NLE and merged with the video to produce captioned video without a generation loss or encoding.

This process can be completed via our secure CaptionSync website via any web-browser, via our AST-Link drag-and-drop upload application (for Windows and Mac), or it can tightly integrated directly into your workflow using industry standard XML/SFTP integration -- so it happens without thinking about it.

Advanced Features

Using a standard set of markup commands, producers can optionally "mark-up" the text transcript in order to control the exact format, location and content of the captions. This feature allows producers to dictate the font, color, and positioning of any caption, insert music symbols, as well as provide content to appear in the captions that is not found in the audio track.

Get Started Today!

Contact AST for pricing details and to set up a login ID on the caption server, and get captioning today!