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| Frequently
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1. What are closed captions? |
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Closed captions are a written transcription of the audio
portion of television programs and other video materials,
such as training tapes, corporate communication, etc.
Anything that is produced on video or transmitted by satellite
and other broadcast means can be closed captioned.
Closed captions are encoded, or imbedded, into Line
21 of the broadcast signal, so that they are visible
only when decoded by caption-capable television sets.
Open captions are visible to all viewers and are "opened
up" during the encoding process.
Closed captioning was developed in the 1970's to allow
deaf and hard of hearing viewers to understand television
programming. Since that time, many other uses of captioning
have been discovered, including its use to teach English
as a second language. Millions of Americans benefit
from closed captioning daily.
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2. How are closed captions accessed? |
By federal law, all television sets 13 inches or larger
must be built with decoding circuitry. Each television
set includes instructions for turning the captions on.
In addition, captioning can be transmitted live during
television broadcasts over satellite and other technologies.
Videotapes, which have been captioned previously, can
be seen with captions on television sets.
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3. How is captioning produced? |
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Pre-recorded programs are captioned in a process commonly
referred to as "off-line captioning." A copy
of the videotape is provided to the captioning agency,
where experienced captioners transcribe the program's
audio, including important sound effects crucial to the
understanding of the program. Captions are placed to indicate
who is speaking, and timed to sync with the audio. Captions
created in this fashion can be checked for 100% accuracy
before they are delivered for encoding.
During the encoding process, the original program
is duplicated while captions are inserted into Line
21 of the vertical-broadcasting interval. Any copies
made from the captioned master will automatically transfer
to future copies and will also carry over satellite
transmissions.
Live programs, or those which have virtually no time
left for captioning between post production and broadcast,
are captioned "realtime" by captioners whose
background is in court reporting. These captioners have
been retrained to caption live, using stenographic equipment
and customized dictionaries, which contain proper names
and terminology specific to the program being captioned.
Live captioning is about 98% accurate when it is
performed by experienced, skilled captioners. Live captions
are transmitted by the captioner to the encoder at the
broadcast site, where they are inserted into the broadcast,
generally 1-2 seconds behind the audio. The live program
can be recorded with these captions for rebroadcast
or repurposing.
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More than 30 million American have a hearing loss significant
enough to affect their ability to understand a program's
audio. For this audience, captioning is the only solution
that makes a program fully accessible and enjoyable. Especially
in today's world, where daily news affects everyone profoundly
and immediately, captioning is a right and a necessity
for those who need it. In the workplace, hard of hearing
employees have a right to the same training material,
corporate communications, etc.
Certain broadcasters and programmers are legally mandated
to provide captioning. For more information on federal
regulations related to captioning, see FCC website http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/dro/caption.html
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5. Who pays for captioning? |
For the most part, program producers, broadcasters, advertisers
and corporations pay for the cost of captioning their
programs and communications. Some federal grants exist
for specific types of programs, but this funding is limited.
We are seeing more captioning sponsored by advertisers
as an addition to their normal media purchase.
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6. What is Video Description? |
CCS also offers Video Description services, through which
blind and visually-impaired audiences can enjoy television
programs. With this service, a description of the action,
costumes, characters, etc. is added to the program through
narration that is placed between the program's audio and
dialogue. New federal legislation mandates the addition
of video description as of April 2002, for certain broadcasters.
For more information about the service, rates, and the
federal mandate, contact one of
our CCS offices.
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7. Who is Closed Captioning Services, Inc.?
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Closed Captioning Services, Inc. is a broadcast-qualified,
full-service captioning operation with offices in Los
Angeles, CA and Grand Rapids, Michigan. CCS was
established in 1989 and offers live captioning, offline
captioning, Spanish
captioning, Internet captioning, subtitling, video description and captioned teleconferencing.
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Realtime captioning is the live, simultaneous captioning
(open or closed) of your program, videoconference or meeting.
Our captioning professionals write to the highest broadcast
industry specification and can be available via telephone
and audio connection to wherever your program or event
is taking place. The captions will either roll up from
the bottom of the screen or down from the top of the screen,
in a 2 or 3-line block of text, as you prefer. Realtime
captioning is available in English, Spanish to Spanish
and English to Spanish (with translator).
Offline captioning is used for your pre-recorded video
programs to insure a 100% accurate, spell-checked version
of the captions is provided for the audience. We work
with every client's timeframe to meet delivery and
broadcast schedules.
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9. Why Closed Captioning Services? |
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CCS is managed by the most experienced captioning professionals
in the industry and employs the most talented caption
writers and customer service representatives. We utilize
the most up-to-date technology and bring 18 years of experience
to each and every job. Add our friendly and flexible service
and your program will be captioned without a hitch.
CCS is committed to providing the highest-quality
service at the most affordable rates. To this end, we
explore with each client all the options that influence
price - method of captioning (live vs. offline), turnaround
requirements, technical requirements (multiple feeds)
etc.
Call us today to discuss your particular needs; our
knowledgeable staff will design a rate package that
is competitive and tailored to your programming.
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