Videolinq is a leader in providing closed captioning for live streams and recorded files. We help broadcasters simplify the way they create and add closed captioning to content. Adding closed captioning to a video can be done manually or by using our GenAI automated system. Read this article about the difference between human to automated captioning. The five use cases listed below represent the most common workflows our customers use. If your project does not fit in any of these examples, contact us for further assistance.
Live: Automated Captioning
We offer captions or subtitles GenAI automated closed captioning for live streams. This is a fee-based service adding AI-generated closed captioning to a live stream with the ability to improve accuracy by using a real-time editor to correct mistakes before the captions are inserted into the live stream. When the broadcast ends, download the caption in SRT or VTT format, or save the transcripts.
Live: Human Captioning
We are integrated with leading closed-captioning tools helping 3rd party stenograph operators connect to Videolinq and publish closed captioning manually when using 1CapApp, Streamtext, EEG Falcon/iCap, or Telestream. This is a courtesy-free service. Customers are responsible for bringing their own service providers and paying them directly for the service.
If you need Videolinq to provide you with a stenograph operator contact us in advance.
Live: Captions in the Video
Customers with hardware encoders who hire closed captioning operators to insert captions to the video can pass the video with captions over an SDI cable to their media encoder. They point the encoder to their Videolinq channel and deliver live video with closed captioning. Videolinq will distribute this signal to the customer's destination or player of choice. This is a courtesy-free service.
VOD: Automated Captions
Use our native or translated automated closed captioning service to generate SRT or VTT captions files. Upload recorded media in the MP4 format. Select the language spoken in the video from 60+ options, start the service, and wait till it is done. When the caption file is created, open the captions editor to correct spelling mistakes. Export the caption in SRT or VTT format for uploading to social media and 3rd party video platforms. You can also export the ready-to-use transcripts in PDF format.
VOD: Ready Captions
You have already the captions files. Upload recorded media in MP4 format together with a caption file provided by a closed captioning service. The caption file must be in the VTT format and named the same as the media file. For example:
myfile.mp4 (this is the recorded clip)
myfile.vtt (this is the caption file)
Use the recorded media + caption file to create a player for video-on-demand or as a video source for a channel. Simulate a live broadcast and publish the live stream to destinations, to a player, or to Studio.
Supported Languages
There are three methods to distribute live streams with closed captioning, each catering to different use cases:
Closed Captions Embedded in Video: Captions are added to the video as closed captions, allowing viewers to enable or disable them during playback. The video can be published to various destinations using RTMP or SRT formats and also includes an HLS path for playback through a universal player. This method supports the CEA-608 standard, ensuring compatibility with platforms and devices that rely on this format. We support over 60 languages for VOD workflows and over 30 languages as source languages for live workflows.
Open Captions Embedded in Video: Captions are permanently embedded (burned-in) into the video, making them always visible. This method distributes the video with captions displayed on-screen, but viewers cannot toggle the captions on or off. This format is ideal for platforms or situations where consistent visibility of captions is required.
HLS-Based Captions: Captions are added to the video but transmitted exclusively through an HLS stream. This method supports captions only within the HLS playback path and does not allow publishing captions to other destinations as part of an RTMP or SRT stream. This method supports the CEA-708 standard, providing enhanced captioning capabilities for modern streaming workflows. We support over 60 languages for both VOD and live workflows using this method.
Videolinq supports all three options through its intuitive dashboard. Users can select the workflow that best suits their needs, providing flexibility for a wide range of live streaming scenarios.
If you are new to these workflows or have a question about your specific needs, please talk to us. We are here to help!