Adding Closed Captioning to a DV video file.

[dewaynespaw]

We recently shot a music video and it is being submitted for play on GAC (Great American Country) The only thing is, they require closed captioning in the video file. Adding Closed Captioning to a DVD will not work, it has to be embedded in the video file itself. Is this something I can do myself, or will I have to get this done where they do the transfer? The video will be transfered to Digital Beta format from the master DV file. I have read here on VideoHelp and understand that Closed Captioning is actually embedded in the video file itself. Can anyone point me to an inexpensive or even free program that will do this? Thank you.

DeWayne

PS In a couple of days, you will be able to check out the video at my myspace site:
www.myspace.com/dewaynespaw

[JohnnyMalaria]

There are two ways the captions can be encoded:

1. As a separate stream from the DV - i.e., a separate track in a traditional multimedia format such as AVI
2. Purely within the DV data that would end up being sent back via FireWire to a DV device

The DV specification does support closed captioning but not many DV devices support it. I have successfully recorded closed captions from broadcast television to DV using a Sony DSR-11. The same device successfully generates the Line 21 signals required by receiving televisions etc.

Unfortunately, encoding software for closed captions tends to be expensive.

I would ask GAC for exact specifications regarding what they need. When you say "master DV file", does that really mean a DV tape or a raw DV file on CD/DVD, or AVI, MOV etc?

[dewaynespaw]

The second option is what I am needing.

2. Purely within the DV data that would end up being sent back via FireWire to a DV device

The master will either be a Mini DV tape or the DV AVI file burned to a data disc, whichever the transfer company wants, but I have to submit the video to GAC on Digital Beta. Of course they also need a DVD to review the video for acceptance.

There are a couple of places here in Nashville, MPL and The Film Workers Club that will transfer the video from mini DV tape to Digital Beta. They can also do color correction to make sure all the colors are legal. I am sure they can do CC too, but of course, at a price. If it is something I can do myself, then I will save myself the dollars, but if not I will have to get them to do it for me. I was just checking. Thanks for your help.

[Cornucopia]

Sort of roundabout, but using McPoodle's CC tools, http://www.geocities.com/mcpoodle43/SCC_TOOLS, one could insert a CC Line21 file into the user data packets of an MPEG video stream, author and burn to DVD (with authoring software that supports CC/Line21) and then play in DVDplayer/recorder that has firewire, which will show up on a DVrecorder (and other decks that support Firewire/DV as well)--in the correct DV stream spot. It DOES work, as I have successfully done this.

JohnnyMalaria, I would think there ought to be a way to insert something (assuming it's formatted correctly) directly into the AUX USER DATA fields of a DV stream, right? Now, it just has to be written!...(JK, I know you're awfully busy these days)

Scott

[dewaynespaw]

The only problem with that is I will be loosing quality when I author to a DVD. The master is in DV AVI format and has been from the beginning. When it is converted to MPEG2, and authored to a DVD, I will be stepping down in quality. If this video is to be accepted, it will have to be in the best possible quality. Besides the version that will be aired will be on Digital Beta so I can't afford to loose anything in transfer.
Thanks again guys.

DeWayne

[handyguy]

Im pretty sure CC how to is already on the site. Try using SCC_TOOLS.ZIP.

No need for that expensive software/HW stuff.....

I think its a lot easier to do on a Mac however.

[Cornucopia]

...I think its a lot easier to do on a Mac however.

How so?


Scott

[JohnnyMalaria]

JohnnyMalaria, I would think there ought to be a way to insert something (assuming it's formatted correctly) directly into the AUX USER DATA fields of a DV stream, right? Now, it just has to be written!...(JK, I know you're awfully busy these days)

Scott

Yes - the DV specification supports closed caption data within the auxiliary data streams. The critical thing is that the DV device used to play the master also supports the DV closed caption capability in order that the necessary Line 21 signals are generated.

I had toyed with adding CC support to our software but there wasn't any demand for it.

dewaynespaw - it does seem that you either need to embedded the CC per the DV specification OR insert the CC during generation of the Digital Beta. I suspect at this time that your best approach would be to pay for the CC service. The cost should be a lot less for a music video than, say, a 1-hour documentary!

John.

[Nelson37]

You would not have to actually author to DVD, you could embed the CC in a hi-bitrate, I-frame only MPG, which should convert back to DV-AVI with minimal quality loss.

There are VERY few tools that deal with CC at all, and outside of display, McPoodle has just about all of them.

Most deal with extracting CC, few with creating, embedding, muxing, authoring support damn near non-existent.

You could at least create the CC stream yourself and have the pros embed it when they transfer to Beta, assuming they can do this.

[handyguy]

"How so? "

I think there are free programs that let you do it on macs.

[SLK001]

If they're going to make the transfer to Digital Beta themselves, why can't you submit a high bitrate DVD that has the closed captions in the "proper place" (GOP header)? When they make the transfer, any DVD player will create the proper NTSC video stream with the embedded line 21 data.

Most of the people here do not create media for broadcast. And I don't know of any consumer application that can create a video stream that is capable of being broadcasted (other than a DVD compiler).

[tgbrowning]

I ran into CCing problems with DVDs recorded from broadcast TV (both analog and digital). I have a recorder that dutifully records the CCing from the input stream but when I try to edit the DVD files via a rather simple multi-edit program (ULead), I lose the CCing entirely. I've looking around for about a week trying to find out if there's an editing program that will keep the CC info embedded in the video files.

Any suggestions?

(Also, is there anything out there that might take CC info and shift it to subtitles?)

Browning>>>

[usually_quiet]

I ran into CCing problems with DVDs recorded from broadcast TV (both analog and digital). I have a recorder that dutifully records the CCing from the input stream but when I try to edit the DVD files via a rather simple multi-edit program (ULead), I lose the CCing entirely. I've looking around for about a week trying to find out if there's an editing program that will keep the CC info embedded in the video files.

Any suggestions?

I have used Video ReDo, both of Womble's video editors, and Cuttermaran (freeware). They all retain the CC portion of the video signal.

Are you sure it is really gone? Maybe you have already done this, but try playing DVD's containing your edited video on a set-top player with your TV's CC option activated. Also, make sure your DVD player does not have progressive output turned on.

There are some other things that may be preventing you from accessing CC as well. When I first began authoring DVD's I tested the playback on my PC, and I thought I had lost CC. My software players would not allow me to turn on CC for my edited video. When I tried playing the authored discs using my Panny DVD Recorder with my TV's CC option activated, they showed up. It turned out that there are two flags connected to each DVD title that need to be turned on during authoring (or at least before burning) to allow CC to be accesible via the software DVD players I used. Also, if you don't author at all, and simply play the video files, then most (if not all) software players won't allow you to turn on CC.