As the pervasive deployment of multi-platform broadcasting progresses across the world, new mandates are being put in place to regulate the use of captions on content streamed over the web. In the USA, the FCC Communication and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA) mandates now require that captions for IP delivered content – for example those consumed on smart phones and tablets – be of the same quality as those broadcast for traditional channels. Moreover, any content captioned on a traditional platform must carry captions. The main challenge of multi-platform captioning is that there can be small variations in content, format and duration of the video for each use case, and thus the caption files must be repurposed to fit. With Swift Create V8, Softel offers over 20 major new functions directly addressing this challenge.
They include extensive direct media support allowing for captioning without having to first convert the media, “rapid review” mode, side-by-side caption file compare, and support for an even wider selection of captioning and subtitling file formats through the latest generation of the Swift Smart File Handling Engine. Swift Create V8 also provides EDL support, enabling the automated re-versioning of captions after video editing as well as “SmartText™” import, an enhanced text import tool that intelligently splits files into viewer-friendly captions, and “ProfanityGuard™”, a flexible tool that allows users to define dictionaries of questionable words and automatically provides substitutes. All these new functions lead to reduced caption repurposing costs, a critical factor for broadcasters who are considering the captioning of large quantities of archived content for IP delivery.
“We are very pleased to announce our highest performing caption and subtitle workstation yet – a workstation that benefits many man-decades of investment and aligns neatly with the latest trends in the global media market”, said Sam Pemberton, President, Softel. “Its “best-in-class” features will help broadcasters, content producers and distributors simplify their workflow and accelerate their ability to deliver valuable archived content over IP to boost their revenue.”
More information on Softel products is available at www.softelgroup.com and via email at info@softelgroup.com or by telephone at +1 203 354 4602 in the United States or +44 118 984 2151 in the United Kingdom.
