SMPTE Makes Closed-Captioning Standard Freely Available for Online Video

The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) announced that it will make its standard for closed-captioning of online video content (known as SMPTE Timed Text and by the designation SMPTE 2052) available free of charge. The announcement comes as the FCC prepares to move on adopting rules to give those with disabilities access to Internet video content with closed captioning.

The SMPTE closed-captioning standard provides a common set of instructions for authoring and distributing captions or subtitles for broadband video content. This design means that TV content providers need only use one method for providing captions rather than custom approaches for different Web browsers or media players, including new digital content and previously captioned analog programs. The standard, which leaves room for innovation, is media-device and media-player agnostic, allowing manufacturers to develop products without worrying about interoperability issues.

Documents to download:

• SMPTE-TT and Format Translation – Roadmap for the 2052 Document Suite
  
• Timed Text Format (SMPTE-TT)
  
• FAQ: SMPTE 2052 for Closed-Captioning of Online Video Content

Source: Broadcast Engineering