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  2. Buyers Guide
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Showing 1 - 25 of 33 products

Happy Scribe

Happy Scribe transcription software uses an artificial intelligence (AI) model to extract the speech from any file and convert it to text. Happy Scibe's AI is the core of their Automatic Transcription Software, and it can transcribe files with 85% accuracy...Read more about Happy Scribe

Txtplay

Txtplay.ai offers high-quality automatic transcripts for subtitles and plain text. Ideal for interviews, customer service, meetings, and video subtitles. Our subtitles meet Netflix standards for timing and appearance, ensuring an excellent viewing experien...Read more about Txtplay

Vizard
Vizard

Vizard is a video generator and editor powered by artificial intelligence. This tool is suitable for marketers, creators, agencies, and freelancers looking to repurpose video content in an efficient manner. One of the main features of Vizard is its AI cli...Read more about Vizard

Sonix
Sonix

Sonix is a web-based solution that allows businesses to transcribe audio and video files. The fully automated software is able to transcribe 30 minutes of audio or video in approximately 3-4 minutes, for industries that require quick and stress-free transc...Read more about Sonix

Covideo
Covideo

With Covideo, users can record, send, and track videos easily. It includes deep analytics that provides real-time results and instant insights. It helps staff members turn leads into conversions, condense their sales cycles, and close more deals. When user...Read more about Covideo

Transkriptor
Transkriptor

Transkriptor is an artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled online transcription solution that converts audio and video content within meetings, interviews, lectures, podcasts, and other files into text. Transkriptor allows users to transcribe audio and vide...Read more about Transkriptor

EoleCC
EoleCC

EoleCC is a subtitling platform that helps businesses create subtitles in multiple languages using artificial intelligence (AI) technology. Users can upload video or audio, access transcription and translation capabilities by AI and share videos & subtitle...Read more about EoleCC

5.0

(5 reviews)

YouTube
YouTube

YouTube is a web-based video platform that enables individuals, bloggers and enterprises to discover, host and share audio and videos on a centralized hub. Video creators can create a YouTube channel to upload content, subscribe to other channels, create p...Read more about YouTube

Vatis Tech
Vatis Tech

Vatis Tech is an on-premise and cloud-based speech recognition software, it's API provides advanced speech-to-text technology that automatically converts audio or video files into text with accuracy, using proprietary deep-learning speech recognition algor...Read more about Vatis Tech

5.0

(4 reviews)

Kensho Scribe
Kensho Scribe

Kensho Scribe is a transcription management solution that helps businesses convert speech-to-text for calls, voicemails, interviews, depositions, closed captioning, podcasts, and more. It allows medical, financial, scientific as well as legal organizations...Read more about Kensho Scribe

5.0

(1 reviews)

Videolinq
Videolinq

Videolinq is a leader in adding closed captioning over video, offering an affordable and efficient way to create automated captions, translations, and transcripts. Use any video source, and add automated closed captioning in 60+ languages. Live stream vide...Read more about Videolinq

GoSpeech
GoSpeech

GoSpeech is a speech recognition software that converts speech into text. It is designed for journalists, business professionals, government agencies, and social media managers. GoSpeech offers speech to text transcription by allowing users to upload aud...Read more about GoSpeech

4.5

(2 reviews)

Adobe Presenter
Adobe Presenter

Adobe Closed Captioning enables Adobe Connect users to embed captions in team meetings and online events. It allows participants to display or hide captions in videos and place them at the top or bottom of the screen as per requirements. Features of Adobe...Read more about Adobe Presenter

4.6

(5 reviews)

Matesub
Matesub

Matesub is an AI-based closed captioning solution designed to generate subtitles from a unified interface. The platform offers various features including auto-spotting, auto-translation, and auto-transcription. Additionally, it helps streamline workflows v...Read more about Matesub

4.3

(3 reviews)

Verbit
Verbit

Verbit is a closed captioning solution, which helps legal professionals and businesses in media, education and other industries leverage artificial intelligence (AI) technology to generate audio and text transcripts for hearings, learning or training conte...Read more about Verbit

4.3

(3 reviews)

3Play Media
3Play Media

3Play Media enables businesses in eCommerce, entertainment, government, education and other sectors to streamline transcription, speech recognition and closed captioning operations. It allows professionals to enhance audience engagement, manage search engi...Read more about 3Play Media

4.0

(2 reviews)

Rev
Rev

Rev is a speech-to-text platform designed to help businesses access transcripts and captions, improve workflows and streamline team collaboration activities using artificial intelligence (AI) technology. Using Rev, organizations can capture ideas, memos,...Read more about Rev

FlexClip
FlexClip

FlexClip is an user-friendly online video editing platform for creators of all levels. With its drag-and-drop interface, a wide range of customizable templates, extensive media library, and powerful editing features, FlexClip allows both beginners and prof...Read more about FlexClip

CaptionHub
CaptionHub

CaptionHub is a close captioning software designed to help businesses automate speech recognition to generate captions in multiple languages. The solution enables administrators to import audios and videos, create hardcoded subtitles and publish media file...Read more about CaptionHub

Maestra
Maestra

Maestra is a speech to text solution that helps businesses across marketing, education and publishing industries streamline closed caption, speech recognition and transcription operations. It enables users to convert audio files into text, configure workfl...Read more about Maestra

3.3

(3 reviews)

Otter
Otter

Otter is a note-taking software designed to help businesses record, transcribe and share voice notes in real-time. The platform enables administrators to invite participants, edit notes, manage vocabulary and automatically generate live captions. Attendee...Read more about Otter

Amberscript
Amberscript

Amberscript is an automatic script and subtitle generation service. Using artificial intelligence to analyze audio and video files in over 30 languages, Amberscript provides a quick and affordable solution for transforming audio/visual files into text and ...Read more about Amberscript

CaptioningStar
CaptioningStar

CaptioningStar is a closed captioning solution that helps businesses across media, entertainment, government and education sectors insert captions in videos. The platform allows organizations to manage transcripts, engage with the audience and embed timed-...Read more about CaptioningStar

No reviews yet

Closed Caption Creator
Closed Caption Creator

Closed Caption Creator helps businesses automatically generate subtitles, and captions using A. Users can translate subtitles via integration with ModernMT, DeepL, and Google Translate. Closed Caption Creator includes automatic checks, QC tools, real-tim...Read more about Closed Caption Creator

No reviews yet

Livecast Media
Livecast Media

Livecast Media allows video production teams to manage live streams, multilingual translations and other operations across online events via a unified portal. Organizations can handle role-based permissions, send multiple invites, implement custom workflow...Read more about Livecast Media

No reviews yet

12

Buyers Guide

This detailed guide will help you find and buy the right closed captioning software for you and your business.

Last Updated on March 16, 2023

As the video content creation space continues to grow, it’s important to adopt the best practices, tips, and trends. If you are looking to add value to your videos by adding subtitles or transcription text, closed captioning software is here to help. It provides a visual aid to people who are deaf or have a weak hearing ability. A closed captioning software usually provides both real-time subtitles for live events and pre-recorded captioning for pre-recorded shows, videos, movies, games, etc.

The solution is used by creative, marketing, and production teams in an organization whose goal is to ensure maximum comprehension and high video engagement. Marketing strategies across major industries often involve video content, which should be both inclusive and accessible to the audience. Accurate captioning is an inclusive step which can serve the people who are hard of hearing or deaf.

There are many options available on the market which makes it difficult in deciding which software to purchase. In this buyers guide, we’ve provided all the information you need to make the right purchase decision for your closed captioning solution.

Here’s what we'll cover:

What is closed captioning software?

A closed captioning solution provides users with the tools for converting text-to-speech. It has various applications across industries. It can be used by organizations for capturing meeting notes, ideas, or memos from recordings which can be shared in a text format using email or evernote. It allows businesses in entertainment, education, and government sectors to streamline speech recognition, transcription, and closed captioning processes.

The closed captioning software assists professionals by transforming picture and video content in multiple languages. Users can add a specific set of details to the transcript such as names and numbers of speakers, manner of speech, and language being used. This software solution often provides integration capabilities with third party platforms such as Vimeo, Facebook, Canvas, Google Drive and more to store and manage files.

Caption-editor-in-Rev-Software

Caption editor in Rev Software (Source)

Common features of closed captioning software

Most closed captioning systems have the following features in common:

Speech recognition

Identifies words being spoken by a speaker and stores them for future reference. Trains your system to interpret and transcribe voice messages.

Subtitles/closed captions

Enables users to automate processes for creating and displaying text for videos and other interpretative information for each scene.

Text overlay

Displays the text created to match video content being spoken by the speaker.

Audio/video file upload

Helps you determine the location to save your audio or video transcription files in the system.

Content personalization

Creates a personalized experience for every visitor based on their location, ads they have clicked, keywords they searched for, and more.

Machine translation

Translates multiple types of language through AI technology.

Multi-language

Provides tools that can recognize and support multiple languages/dialects.

Speech-to-text analysis

Enables users to analyze, correct, and monitor speech for transcriptions or recordings.

Time stamps

Allows you to mark sentences, keywords, or phrases with specific time codes to synchronize the word with content.

What type of buyer are you?

Most buyers of closed captioning platform belong to either of the following categories:

  • For businesses in the education and e-learning industry: Buyers in this category tend to seek software that is easy to use and navigate. They look for solutions that provide accuracy while being cost-effective. Their priority is that the solution should comply with ADA and all those laws that provide digital accessibility or inclusion to the deaf and hard-of-hearing people.

  • For businesses in media/entertainment: These buyers look for software that can quickly process videos and have quicker turnaround times, as their needs are dynamic and evolving in nature. They often need tools that offer multiple file format support as they require the video caption to be compatible with multiple applications. They look for integration capabilities so that they can save time to publish/contribute captions to the video content.

  • For businesses in event production: These buyers manage content that could either be pre-recorded or live. They look for a solution that can simplify the workflow through automations. They need a solution for making Zoom meetings, virtual conferences, and other online events successful by providing everyone with access to the audio/video content in the form of supporting text. Buyers in this category look for live transcription capabilities in the software.

  • For businesses in corporates/enterprise: These buyers look for software that can cater to their demand for multiple clients. Such buyers usually consider a platform which offers various caption formats, provide integration and open API capabilities, and maintain an ADA-compliant transcription process. These buyers cater to large audiences and users which could be their clients, employees, or end-users.

Benefits of closed captioning software

  • Improved indexing for search engine optimization: Google spiders, also known as Google bots, are constantly indexing pages from Google. But they cannot see or hear a video, which leads to web content going unnoticed because of improper indexing issues. Adding caption text to your videos solves this problem and provides your video content with a better ranking and more searchability. Which in turn, helps drive more traffic and engagement to your business.

  • Captioning the videos is often a legal requirement: There are laws in the United States, including Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) which requires universities and colleges to include closed captions in their videos, such as online courses, recorded lectures, or any other video content being used for teaching purposes. This provides equal opportunity to those who have hearing loss and need captions to participate in class at the same level as their peers.

  • Wider reach to non-native speakers: It can become a challenge for someone to understand what the other person is saying because of the speaker’s dialect or accent. There could be a scenario where the viewer has an understanding of the language but is still struggling to follow the words spoken in the video. Video captioning widens the content reach to viewers across different languages.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when purchasing a closed captioning software:

  • Accurate closed captions: As per the industry standards, a closed captioning service provider is required to produce 99% accurate results. Spelling, grammar, and punctuation are all part of accuracy calculations. This means that per 1000 words, there is leniency of 1% error, or 10 words. Check how a vendor measures its accuracy. For example, asking your vendor questions such as: What percentage accuracy does your platform offer? Is the accuracy the same for every caption file? Inaccurate captions could lead to miscomprehension of the message.

  • Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP): The standard defines a set of guidelines as best practices. DCMP philosophy states that the captions should be accurate, consistent, clear, readable, and equal. Whether the software is processing the automatic captioning for a video file or for a live stream, following this standard set of rules ensures that the meaning and intent of the message should remain intact.

  • 3Play standardization: Legal standards for captioning processes can be vague, 3play standard defines the captions to have good readability, timely caption placement, and should have proper speaker labels. For example, readability of a caption includes parameters like characters per line, timely synchronization, which is 3 to 7 seconds of display of text on screen. Proper speaker labels such as name of the speaker involved should be used, or generic labels such as “student”, “teacher”, and “speaker” should be used.

  • Support for various caption file formats: There are numerous closed caption formats available today. And every format has its unique purpose and usability. You may want to have a specific set of file support for your business. Checking this information beforehand could be handy as your business grows. For example, “SubRip Subtitle” file or commonly known as “.srt” is accepted by many media players and applications such as Facebook, YouTube, Kature, and more. Another file type ““Web Video Text Tracks,” or a .vtt file is used for cloud-based videos and accommodates rendering options, audio description, and text formatting and positioning. Another file format “.cap” is widely used for storing the characters in various languages to be used across countries.

Market trends to understand

  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) will impact the digital product teams: According to Gartner, the generative AI revolution will benefit organizations in digital production (full content available to Gartner clients). AI will help the video editor and video creator determine on-screen designs, content types, and help in generating captions in less time and with more accuracy. Companies are shifting their focus from manual to automation of processes. Such caption generating solutions will improve their turnaround times.

Note: The applications mentioned in this article are examples to show a feature in context and are not intended as endorsements or recommendations. They have been obtained from sources believed to be reliable at the time of publication.