HTML is the markup language used to render almost every page on the web. HTML5 is the latest version, and it’s replete with incredibly useful features, including a universal video standard that lets developers add video to a web page without using any third party plugins, like Flash. The new standard also makes it much easier to publish accessible video through closed captioning.

This blog article provides an overview of how HTML5 will improve and standardize accessible video through captioning. Although HTML5 is still evolving, most browsers have already adopted the basic video features. The hope is that we will also be able to converge on a single web captioning format. Although we’re not quite there yet, this article examines the two caption formats being considered.

Why is video captioning so difficult in HTML?

In the current version of HTML, there is no standard for showing a video on a web page. Almost all videos are shown through plugins, like Flash, QuickTime, Silverlight, and RealPlayer. The problem with this approach is that there is no standardization across different browsers and devices. And although web publishers try to build redundancies and fallback provisions to maximize compatibility, it’s practically impossible to publish video that works universally. As a consequence, publishing closed captions has been difficult and unreliable because both the caption format and encoding method depend on the video publishing technology used.

How does HTML5 simplify web video and accessibility?

HTML5 is a major step forward for standardizing video across web browsers and devices, and thus simplifying closed captioning. The idea is that web video will be based on an open, universal standard that works everywhere. HTML5 natively supports video without the need for third party plugins. A video can be added to a web page using the video element, which makes it almost as simple as adding an image. The track element can then be used to display closed captions, subtitles, text video descriptions, chapter markers, or other time-aligned metadata.

The HTML code below shows how these elements work:

<video  width="320" height="240">
  <source type="video/mp4" src="my_video_file.mp4" >
  <track src="captions_file.vtt" label="English captions" kind="captions" srclang="en-us" default >
</video>

The attributes of the track element work like this:

Will HTML5 include a standard caption format?

Currently there are two competing caption formats being considered. In part, this is because there are two groups collaborating on HTML5: The Web Hypertext Application Technology Working Group (WHATWG) and the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).

WHATWG has developed and proposed the WebVTT (Web Video Text Tracks) caption format, which is a new, user friendly text format that consists of line numbers, timelines, and text with formatting options. WebVTT is similar to the widely established SRT format, but accommodates text formatting, positioning, and rendering options (pop-up, roll-on, paint-on).

W3C has proposed using TTML (timed text markup language), which is a widely established XML format supported in Adobe Flash and Microsoft Silverlight and used by sites like Netflix and Hulu.

To see how the two caption formats work, Microsoft built a HTML5 captioning prototype that demonstrates both formats in HTML5.

3Play Media has been participating in the development of captioning standards through the Web Media Text Tracks Community Group, which was created to advance this area of HTML5 and improve web captioning solutions.

Although the current HTML5 spec supports both caption formats, it appears that the WebVTT format is gaining ground on TTML. The hope is that we will converge on a single caption format, which would greatly simplify the process of publishing accessible video.

WebVTT caption format

The WebVTT caption format is a text file with a .vtt extension. The file begins with a header “WEBVTT FILE” followed by cues and their corresponding text. There are several parameters that allow you to control the line position, text position, and alignment. You can also add styling to the text within the cue itself. The example below demonstrates a bold <b> element. Read this blog for detailed information about WebVTT formatting.

Also, for a comprehensive look at the WebVTT caption format, watch the presentation by Silvia Pfeiffer and see her presentation slides.

WEBVTT
1
00:00:13.000 --> 00:00:016.100
<b>ARNE DUNCAN:</b> I'll start and
then turn it over to you.
2
00:00:16.100 --> 00:00:20.100
It's so critically important
that parents be actively engaged      

TTML caption format

<tt xmlns="http://www.w3.org/ns/ttml" xml:lang="en">
  <body>
   <div>
     <p begin="00:00:13.00" end="00:00:16.10">
       ARNE DUNCAN: I'll start and then turn it over to you.
     </p>
     <p begin="00:00:16.10" end="00:00:20.10">
       It's so critically important that parents be actively engaged
     </p>
   </div>
  </body>
 </tt>

When will the HTML5 video captioning features be ready for web-wide use?

The W3C and WHATWG have developed specifications for how video and captions should work in browsers. Although these standards are still being refined, it’s now up to the browser developers (Microsoft, Google, Mozilla, and Apple) to adopt these standards and build in the functionality. That will take some time. Although there appears to be a lot of consensus around video standardization, there are still some open issues hampering universal adoption. The reality is that browser developers have their own technical, legal, and business agendas .

Although the new <video> element is already supported by most browsers, there has been no consensus on a single video format (MP4, WebM, and Ogg are being considered). Also, most of the advanced video features are not yet ready for use. Unfortunately this includes the <track> element, which is required to publish captions and subtitles.

On May 25, 2011 the W3C announced “Last Call”, which was an invitation for communities inside and outside of W3C to provide feedback on whether the HTML5 technical requirements have been satisfied. The recommended release was set for 2014 and the hope is that it will gain web-wide adoption over the subsequent few years.

Overview

3Play Media has a complete captioning integration with Echo360. You can submit closed captioning requests from within Echo360 for individual classes or an entire course. The media files get automatically transferred to 3Play Media for processing and the closed captions get posted back to your Echo360 account after they have been processed. You can monitor the status of your captioning requests from within Echo360 or your 3Play Media account. You can also obtain plain transcripts or caption files in a different format through your 3Play Media account.

Step 1 – Create a 3Play Media Account

1. Sign up for a 3Play Media account. If you have any questions, email us at sales@3playmedia.com or call (617) 764-5189.

2. Once your 3Play Media account has been activated, log in at http://account.3playmedia.com and set up your payment information at Account > Invoices.

3. Navigate to Upload > Import from Linked Accounts and select the Echo360 tab.

4. Locate your API Key and API Secret Key. You will need these in the next step.

5. Click the link to download the Echo360 Plugin.

Step 2 – Configure Your Echo360 Account

1. Unzip the Echo360 Plugin that you downloaded in the previous step and place it in the local directory /data/echo360/server/plugins/publishers/

2. Restart the server.

3. Log in to your Echo360 account.

4. Navigate to Configuration > Publishers and select Add New Publisher.

5. Fill in the fields in the Publisher Details section:

6. In the Publisher Configuraiton section, paste the 3Play Media API Key and Secret Key from your 3Play Media account (see Step 1). Click Test Settings to validate the entries. If you encounter an error, check to make sure that you copied the exact character strings without any extra spaces.

7. Click the Save button. You should see the confirmation screen below.

Step 3 –Initiate a Closed Caption Request

1. Navigate to the Echoes tab and click on the title of an echo that needs to be captioned.

2. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the Edit button.

3. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the Add Publisher button.

4. Select 3Play Media and click the Save button.

5. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and make sure that 3Play Media is listed in the Configured Presentation Publishers section. Click the Save button.

6. Your media file will automatically be sent to 3Play Media for processing. The caption file will automatically post back to your Echo360 account after it has been completed. Standard turnaround is 4 business days. 1-business-day rush service and 2-business-day expedited service is also available.

Until recently, churches and religious broadcasters have been exempt from closed captioning requirements that would normally apply to TV shows, recorded sermons and church services, educational videos, and other video or audio programming. Religious organizations were sheltered by a blanket FCC exemption granted in 2006 after the Anglers for Christ Ministries successfully argued that closed captioning was an undue economic hardship.

On October 20, 2011 the FCC’s Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau overturned that decision, requiring religious organizations to comply with the same accessibility laws as other media publishers. Churches can still individually apply for an exemption if they can prove that they can’t afford closed captioning.

The Bureau’s rescindment was instigated by a coalition of advocacy groups for the deaf and hard of hearing. The coalition argued that the order “improperly and unilaterally established a new class of exempt programming.”

While advocates for the deaf are pleased that more programming will become accessible, some religious broadcasters are concerned that this move could shut down some programming because of the additional costs involved with captioning.

Overview

This blog article provides step by step instructions on how to create a Flash video file with closed captions or subtitles using Adobe Flash Professional CS5.5. For additional information, see Adobe’s resources on captioning video in Adobe Flash CS5.5. Also, see Adobe’s resources for captioning in Flash CS4 and Flash CS3.

Step 1 – Submit Your Video File for Captioning

1. Log into your 3Play Media account.

2. Select Upload and specify the turnaround requirements.

3. You will receive an email alert when the captions file is ready for use.

Step 2 – Download Your Captions File

1. From your 3Play Media account, navigate to My Files. Click the download link beside the appropriate file and select DFXP.

2. Unzip the file after it downloads and copy it to the same location as your video file.

Step 3 – Add Closed Captions or Subtitles Using Adobe Flash Professional CS5.5

1. Open a new document and choose the ActionScript 3.0 document choice in the Start panel.

2. Import your video by selecting File > Import > Import Video. If your video is not already in a Flash FLV or F4V format, you will need to convert it using Adobe Media Encoder or another file converter.

3. Select a skin that supports captions (you can change the skin at a later time by selecting the FLVPlayback component on the stage and editing the skin property).

4. Wait for the video import to complete.

5. If necessary, resize the player by selecting Modify > Transform so that it fits in the white workspace.

6. Select Windows > Components and double-click the FLVPlaybackCaptioning component.

7. Select the FLVPlaybackCaptioning component and in the Component Parameters section, set showCaptions to true and enter the name and location of the caption file in the source field (if you placed it in the same directory as the media file, then just enter the filename).

For additional information, see Adobe’s resources to customize the FLVPlaybackCaptioning component.

8. To test the captions, select Control > Test Movie > Test.

9. To publish the captioned video, select File > Publish.

How to Adjust the Position of the Caption Area

You can customize the size and position of the caption area by creating a text box that links to the FVLPlaybackCaptioning component.

1. Select Windows > Components > User Interface and double-click on TextArea to add it to the stage.

2. Size and position the text box, making sure that there is sufficient height to display 2 lines of text.

3. In the properties, change the name to “CaptionArea”.

4. Select the FLVPlaybackCaption component and change the captionTargetName field to “CaptionArea”. Also uncheck the autoLayout field.

5. Test your changes by selecting Control > Test Movie > Test.

ESPN recently gave a sneak peak into their Program Compliance team that oversees closed captioning for ESPN programming across their many affiliates.  They even talk through the process of how the content reaches a remote stenographer and how the captions are then sent back to ESPN and embedded into their broadcast feed. Sports content is actually some of the most difficult to caption in general because games are fast-paced, there is specialized vocabulary, and the rosters are full of unique player names.  Add the live component and you can quickly see that this is quite an operation.

ESPN points out that there are many benefits to closed captioning in addition to serving the hearing impaired. Captions also allow viewers at gyms, bars, airports, and offices to follow along without the sound. Non-native English speakers also benefit from captions because it is easier to read the text than to follow what is being spoken.  Web captions are even more powerful than television captions since search and SEO are additional benefits for web-based content.

Take a look at how ESPN manages hundreds of daily events in need of captioning:

This blog article shows you how to quickly add closed captions or subtitles to your blip.tv videos. The basic process is to submit your video file to 3Play Media for captioning, then upload a SRT file to your blip.tv account. You can also create a blip.tv accessible player with a CC button that can be embedded on other sites.

Step 1 – Submit Your Video File for Captioning

1. Log into your 3Play Media account.

2. If you have access to the source video file then select Upload, specify the turnaround requirement, and click Start Uploading.

3. If you don’t have the video file handy, you can transfer the file directly from blip.tv to 3Play Media. Log into your blip.tv account, select the episode to be captioned, and copy the media source link. Then on the 3Play Media upload page select Upload Links, paste the link, select the turnaround requirement, and click Upload Links.

4. You will receive an email alert when the captions file is ready for use.

Step 2 – Download Your Captions File

1. From your 3Play Media account, navigate to My Files. Click the download link beside the appropriate file and select SRT.

2. Unzip the file after it downloads.

Step 3 – Upload Your Captions File to Blip.tv

1. Select the episode to be captioned and click Edit > Add Captions > Choose File. Select the SRT file that you downloaded in Step 2.

2. Click Save all changes.

3. Your closed captions will automatically show up on the blip.tv website. Viewers can toggle the captions on/off by pressing the CC button on the player. However, If you plan to embed a blip.tv player on another website, please follow the instructions below.

How To Set Up Closed Captions on an Embedded Blip.tv Player

1. From your blip.tv dashboard, select Players > Add custom player.

2. Enter a name for the new player, like “Accessible Player”.

3. Under Advanced settings, enter parameter “captions_on” and set the value to “true”. Click the plus button to add it.

4. Click Save Settings.

5. When you embed your episode on your site, make sure to select the accessible player you just created. Instructions for how to embed an episode can be found here.

This blog article provides step by step instructions on all the different ways to add closed captions or subtitles to a Windows Media Video (WMV) file. The simplest way is to associate the media file with the captions file, which may require a pointer file (ASX). The most robust way is to embed the captions by encoding the media file using the free software Microsoft Expression Encoder. The latter option also allows you to output the media to rich, interactive Silverlight templates.

Step 1 – Submit Your Windows Media (WMV) File for Captioning

1. Log into your 3Play Media account.

2. Select Upload and specify the turnaround requirements.

3. You will receive an email alert when the captions file is ready for use.

Step 2 – Download Your Captions File

1. From your 3Play Media account, navigate to My Files. Click the download link beside the appropriate file and select SRT. For certain applications you will need to download the SMI caption format, which is also supported by Microsoft Expression Encoder (see Step 3).

2. Unzip the file after it downloads.

Step 3 – Embed Closed Captions or Subtitles by Encoding the Video

This step shows you how to embed the captions file that you downloaded in Step 2 into your Windows Media file. This is the most robust way to add captions, although it is a bit more complicated. It is also possible to add captions to a WMV file without encoding. To do this, proceed to the instructions after Step 3.

1. Download and install the free Microsoft Expression Encoder. At the time of writing, the most recent version is Version 4 with Service Pack 1. You can find additional support for Expression Encoder here.

2. If you just need to add captions to your Windows Media video then start a new Transcoding Project. Alternately, if you want to encode a video that is compatible with Silverlight and can be embedded in a rich, interactive Silverlight template, then start a Silverlight Project.

3. Select File > Import to load your Windows Media file.

4. From the Script Commands panel click Import and select the SRT or SMI captions file that you downloaded in Step 2. If you can’t see the Script Commands panel, select Window > Metadata and click the arrow in the top left corner of the Script Commands panel to expand the options.

5. Each caption frame shows up as a row in the Script Commands panel and as a circle in the captions timeline. You can edit the text in the captions, adjust the timing, or insert/delete caption frames.

6. Before you begin encoding, select the Window dropdown menu and make sure that Metadata, Encode, and Output are all checked.

7. From the Encode panel select the output format, and video/audio codecs. You can find more information about encoding output formats here.

8. From the Output panel select a destination folder where your encoded outputs will be saved.

9. Select File > Encode to begin encoding. This process will embed the captions into the video.

How To Add Closed Captions or Subtitles Without Encoding (when the media and captions files are in the same directory)

1. You can add closed captions to your Windows Media Video (WMV) without encoding. The simplest way is to download a SMI captions file (see Step 2) and place it in the same directory as the media file. Make sure that the names match exactly and that the extension of the captions file is “.smi”.

Tip: To make sure that the extension is correct, open the Windows directory that contains the two files and select Tools > Folder Options > View. Then uncheck the box “hide extensions for known file types”.

2. Captions should now show up when you play the video. Note that you may need to adjust the player settings to display captions (see the section “Windows Media Player Settings”).

How To Add Closed Captions or Subtitles Without Encoding (when the media and captions files are in different directories)

1. If the media file and captions file are located in different directories or have different names, you need to create a pointer file that references both the media file and captions file.

2. Paste the code below into a text editor. Edit the name and location of the media file and captions file. Save it as an ASX file (e.g. “My-Video.asx”) and make sure that Windows does not rename it (e.g. “My-Video.asx.txt”). The ASX file will look and function just like a media file. It will associate with the Windows Media icon and playing it will launch the media file and captions file.

<asx version="3.0">
<entry>
<ref href="c:\media\My-Video.wmv?SAMI=c:\captions\My-Video.smi"/>
</entry>
</asx>

Windows Media Player Settings

1. In order for captions to show up on Windows Media Player, navigate to Tools > Options > Security and check the box “Show local captions when present”.

2. You also need to right-click over the video window and enable Lyrics, captions, and subtitles.

The new Camtasia Studio 7.1 allows you to add captions or subtitles to a video to make it fully accessible and ADA compliant. Camtasia Studio also lets you add search functionality during the production process. This lets viewers search through the spoken content and jump to a specific part of the video. You can learn more about adding captions to your Camtasia videos by visiting the Camtasia support site.

Step 1 – Export Your Camtasia Video

1. Open your video in Camtasia Studio.

2. Select File > Produce and Share. Then select Custom Production Settings and on the next screen select MP4/FLV/SWF – Flash Outputs (default). Click Next.

3. On the Flash Templates screen, select No Controls under Template Appearance and 320×240 for the Size Fit In. Click Next.

4. On the Video Options screen, leave all the default options and click Next.

5. On the Produce Video screen, enter a file name and specify where to save it. Then uncheck the box “Organize produced files into sub-folders”. Click Finish.

6. After your MP4 video has been created, play it to make sure that everything looks and sounds correct.

Step 2 – Submit Your Camtasia Video for Captioning

1. Log into your 3Play Media account.

2. Select Upload and specify the turnaround requirements.

3. You will receive an email alert when the captions file is ready for use.

Step 3 – Download Your Captions File

1. From your 3Play Media account, navigate to My Files. Click the download link beside the appropriate file and select SRT. Alternately, you can download the SMI caption format, which is also supported by Camtasia.

2. Unzip the file after it downloads.

Step 4 – Add Captions To Your Camtasia Video

1. Open your video in Camtasia Studio.

2. Select Tools > Captions.

3. Under Advanced, select Import Captions and select the SRT captions file that you downloaded in Step 3.

4. Save the video and select File > Produce and Share. Select Custom Production Settings and MP4/FLV/SWF – Flash Outputs(default) on the next screen. Click Next.

5. On the Flash Controllers screen, check the box ”Closed Captions” if you want the captions to be available in the produced video. This will place a CC button in the controls area. Also, note that in order to be able to toggle the captions on/off, it is better to set the caption to “On Video” rather than “Under Video”.

How to Adjust the Placement and Style of Your Captions

1. Under Global Settings, there is a formatting toolbar that lets you control font size and style, as well as paragraphing and background color.

2. The placement of captions can be overlaid “On Video” or underneath “Under Video”. If you plan to produce “closed” captions, which means that your users will have the ability to toggle captions on/off, the caption placement should be set to “On Video”.

How to Make Your Camtasia Video Searchable

1. After you have added captions, select File > Produce and Share. Select Custom Production Settings and MP4/FLV/SWF – Flash Outputs (default) on the next screen. Click Next.

2. On the Flash Controllers screen, select Overlay Controls and check the box ”Searchability”. Click Next to proceed through the subsequent screens and click Finish to begin rendering your video.

3. Once your video has been produced, you can open it any web browser. Users can access the search bar by hovering over the video. Searching for a word returns a list of results containing that word. You can click on any of the results to jump to that part of the video.

This blog article is a step-by-step guide on how to use the QuickTime Pro software to add closed captions or subtitles to video to make it compatible with Apple iOS devices and software. Closed captions are supported by iPhone (3G, 3GS, and 4), iPod (Classic, Nano, and Touch), and iPad (1 and 2). Closed captioning is also supported by the QuickTime player, iTunes, and Apple TV.

Note that this procedure can only be done on a Mac. The PC version of QuickTime Pro does not currently provide support for the SCC caption format, which is required for iOS compatibility.

Step 1 – Download Your Closed Captions File

1. Log into your 3Play Media account at http://account.3playmedia.com.

2. Navigate to My Files. Click the download link beside the appropriate file and select SCC for iOS.

3. Unzip the file after it downloads.

Step 2 – Set Up QuickTime Pro (Mac) To Support SCC Captions

1. In order to perform the subsequent actions you will need to purchase and install QuickTime Pro for Mac for about $30. Note that this can only be done on a Mac because the PC version of QuickTime Pro does not currently support SCC captions.

2. Close all QuickTime windows.

3. Download the ClosedCaptionImporter plugin for Mac. From the download page click the Download Sample Code button.

4. Copy the ClosedCaptionImporter.component file to your hard drive in /Library/QuickTime.

Step 3 –Prepare Your Video for iOS Compatibility

1. Open the video file in QuickTime Pro (Mac).

2. Adjust the size of the video to conform to the device that you are targeting. Navigate to Window > Show Move Properties > Video Track > Visual Settings to change the pixel dimensions. The table below shows the pixel dimensions of Apple devices that support closed captions. Although these are the optimal dimensions for each device, your video doesn’t have to match exactly because all devices are able to scale the video as necessary.

Screen Pixel Dimensions of Apple Devices

3. Export the video as an M4V file. Select File > Export and select Movie to iPod.

4. Close all QuickTime windows.

Step 4 – Add Closed Captions with QuickTime Pro (Mac)

1. Using QuickTime Pro (Mac), open the M4V file that you created in the previous step.

2. Using QuickTime Pro (Mac), open the SCC for iOS captions file that you downloaded from your 3Play Media account. This will open a separate QuickTime window that shows just your captions without the video. Copy the captions to the clipboard by clicking Edit > Select All and then Edit > Copy.

3. Go back to the QuickTime window with the video and make sure that the play head is at the beginning. Add the captions by clicking Edit > Add to Movie.

4. Make sure that captions are enabled in your QuickTime player by selecting View > Show Closed Captioning.

5. Play the video and make sure that the captions are showing up correctly.

6. Save the video. Select File > Save As and select Save as a self-contained movie.

Apple Device and Software Settings

You will need to enable closed captions and subtitles in order to view them on your iOS devices and software.

iPhone and iPod Touch

Navigate to Settings > iPod and turn ON Closed Captioning.

iPad and iPad2

Navigate to Settings > Video and turn ON Closed Captioning.

iPod Nano and iPod Classic

Navigate to Videos > Settings and select Captions.

QuickTime Player

Select Edit > Preference > Play Preferences and check the boxes “Show closed captioning when available” and “Show subtitles when available”. Then select View > Show Closed Captioning.

iTunes

Select Edit > Preferences and check the box “Show closed captioning when available”. Then select Controls > Audio & Subtitles > Show Closed Captioning.

Apple TV

Select Settings > Audio & Video > Closed Captioning.

This blog article is a step-by-step guide on how to add closed captions or subtitles to video using the QuickTime Pro software, which can be purchased for PC or Mac for about $30. After a caption file is downloaded from your 3Play Media account, it can be added to a video, and the position of the captions can be adjusted to be above or below the video or overlaid. You can use QuickTime text descriptors to specify the exact styling of the captions and their background. Also, we explain how to add a CC toggle button that lets users turn the captions on or off.

Step 1 – Download Your Closed Captions File

1. Log into your 3Play Media account at http://account.3playmedia.com.

2. Navigate to My Files. Click the download link beside the appropriate file and select QT.

3. Unzip the file after it downloads.

Step 2 – Use QuickTime Pro to Add Closed Captions

1. Open the video file in QuickTime Pro. (If you don’t have QuickTime Pro you can purchase it from Apple for $29.95.)

2. Using QuickTime Pro, open the captions file that you downloaded from your account. This will open a separate QuickTime window that shows just your captions without the video. Copy the captions to the clipboard by clicking Edit > Select All and then Edit > Copy.

3. Go back to the QuickTime window with the video and make sure that the play head is at the beginning. Add the captions by clicking Edit > Add to Movie.

4. Close the QuickTime window with the captions.

Step 3 – Adjust the Position and Style of the Closed Captions

1. The default position of the captions is above the video. To move the captions below the video, navigate to Window > Show Move Properties > Text Track > Visual Settings and change the vertical offset.

2. You’ll need to know the pixel dimensions of your video. You can get this information by selecting Video Track > Visual Settings.

3. To position the captions underneath the video, make the vertical offset equal to the height of your video. For example, if your video pixel dimensions are 640×480, you should change the offset to be 0 x 480.

4. Close the Movie Properties window.

5. Select the QuickTime window with the video and select File > Save As and select Save as a self-contained movie.

How to overlay the captions on the video and adjust text style

1. Find the caption file that you downloaded from your 3Play Media account, and open it with a text editing program.

2. Make the background transparent by adding {keyedText: on}.

3. To improve visibility of the text, you can add a drop shadow using these text descriptors:

{dropShadow: on }{dropShadowOffset: 1, 1}. In this example, the drop shadow will be positioned 1 pixel to the right and 1 pixel down.

4. You can adjust other style settings using the text descriptors shown in the table below. Or you can see the complete list of QuickTime text descriptors.

5. Save the caption file and add to the video as described in Step 2 above.

6. Adjust the vertical offset of the text track so that the captions appear where you want them. For example, if your video pixel dimensions are 640×480, you might want to make the offset 0 x 440.

QuickTime Text Descriptors

How to Add a CC Toggle Button to the QuickTime player

1. In order to add a CC button that lets your users turn the captions on or off you will need to download the free QuickTime sprite. The file that you need to save is called toggle_caption.mov

2. Open the toggle_caption.mov file in QuickTime Pro. This will open a separate QuickTime window that shows the CC button. Click Edit > Select All and then Edit > Copy.

3. Go back to the QuickTime window with the video and make sure that the play head is at the beginning. Click Edit > Add to Selection and Scale. You can now close the QuickTime window with the CC button.

4. Navigate to Window > Show Movie Properties and rename the text track to “caption”. To do this, select the text track and then click once on the text itself.

5. Select toggle_caption > Visual Settings and position the CC button by adjusting the horizontal and vertical offset. Close the Movie Properties window.

6. Select the QuickTime window with the video and select File > Save As and select Save as a self-contained movie.

QuickTime Player Settings

You need to change the QuickTime player settings in order to view closed captions or subtitles. Navigate to Edit > Preference > Play Preferences and check the boxes “Show closed captioning when available” and “Show subtitles when available”.