Jul 13, 2010
Nov 22, 2009
Official Google Blog: Automatic captions in YouTube NYT
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Google to Caption YouTube Videos
By MIGUEL HELFT
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — In the first major step toward making millions of
videos on YouTube accessible to deaf and hearing-impaired people, Google
unveiled new technologies on Thursday that will automatically bring text
captions to many videos on the site.
While the technology can only insert captions on English language speech,
Google is giving users the choice to use its automatic translation system to
read the captions in 51 languages. That could broaden the appeal of YouTube
videos to millions of other people who do not speak English but could use
the captioning technology to read subtitles in their native language.
The speech recognition technology that Google uses to turn speech into text
is not new; Google currently uses it to transcribe voice mail messages for
users of its Google Voice service. But Ken Harrenstien, a deaf engineer who
helped develop the automatic captioning system, said the technology had
never been applied on such a large scale.
“This is some thing that I have dreamt of for many years,” Mr. Harrenstien
said speaking through an interpreter. “To see it happen, is amazing.”
YouTube already has several hundred thousand videos that have closed
captions, which typically come from broadcast networks that include them in
their programs. Some other online video sites like Hulu and AOL also have
some professionally created videos with closed captioning.
But Mr. Harrenstien said the vast majority of clips on YouTube do not have
captions and the new Google technology will generate them automatically.
YouTube is initially applying the captioning technology only to a few
channels, most of them specializing in educational content. They include
channels from universities like Stanford, Yale, Duke, Columbia and the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as well as from P.B.S., National
Geographic and Google’s own corporate videos. The company plans to gradually
expand the number of channels that work with the automatic captioning
technology.
“Because the tools are not perfect, we want to make sure that we get
feedback from the video owners and the viewers before we roll it out for the
whole world,” Mr. Harrenstien said. “Sometimes the auto-captions are good.
Sometimes they are not great, but they are better than nothing if you are
hearing impaired or don’t know the language.”
Google also introduced a related service that gives anyone who uploads a
video to YouTube the option to also upload a text file of the words spoken
in the video. Google will turn the text file into captions, automatically
matching the spoken words with the files.
The technology, which Google calls “auto-timing,” will make it easy for
anyone to add captions to their videos. It will be available to YouTube
users worldwide, and Google said it would be particularly useful for
videographers who shoot from a script, since they already have a file of the
text spoken in the video.
In addition to helping people who are deaf or do not speak English, the
captions will make it easier for anyone to search text inside videos and
find specific snippets within a video.
Google announced the new features on Thursday at an event in Washington. The
company said they would be available by the end of the week.
Sep 10, 2009
Captel 800i new caption telephone
New IP-based Captioned Telephone CapTel800i
from www.captel.com
The new CapTel800i® telephone – helps people with hearing loss use the phone. Designed specifically for use with high-speed Internet service, the CapTel 800i gives people the advantage of written text captions to help understand what their phone callers say.
Unlike previous CapTel models which rely on only an analog telephone line, the new CapTel 800i connects to both a telephone line and an Ethernet / IP connection. The telephone line carries the voice portion of the call, in the same way as any other typical telephone conversation. At the same time, the Ethernet / IP connection automatically links the CapTel 800i over the Internet to the CapTel Captioning Service. Operators at the Captioning Service use voice-recognition technology to transcribe everything the caller says into text, which is instantly transmitted to the CapTel 800i over the Internet connection. The captions appear on the phone’s display screen, giving users the ability to hear what they can of the phone conversation and read what they need to in the display screen.
This seamless, behind-the-scenes connection to the Internet automatically gives CapTel 800i users captions on any call – incoming or outgoing. Captions can be turned on or off at any time during the call, so they are available to help clarify things whenever the user has difficulty hearing what a caller says.
Requirements
The new CapTel 800i requires both telephone service and high-speed or broadband Internet access. The telephone connection can be any telephone service, including standard analog line, VOIP connection, DSL, or cable modem telephone service (an analog port is required for use with a digital PBX). The Ethernet connection can be any basic broadband Internet service (it does not work with dial-up connections). People who do not already have Internet access should consider the CapTel 200, an alternative that relies on standard analog telephone lines instead of an Internet connection.
I started to work with Sprint Captel to educate and support new Captel8ooi users in NJ.
For more info contact me at
etti.inbal@sprint.com
Aug 11, 2009
Telecommunication Access: Empowering Your Customers / Conference October 28, 2009
Jun 19, 2009
New FCC Regulations About Long Distance Charges
Jun 10, 2009
video captioning online
You can also search Google for "captioning", "subtitling", and "video transcription" software and services.
Poetry reading with Caption
I am excited with good examples of accessibility using caption. I hope that this example will inspire others who produce and publish videos online and offline.
I was referred to this wonderful website from PBS (see below).
These video clips of poets reading their own works are fascinating, and a wonderful introduction to this art form. You'll notice that several of the selections were filmed at the Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival - that had been held bi-annually here in New Jersey, but because of the economy was canceled this year. (They had, in years past, provided CART captioning in their main venue.)
Here's your very own poetry festival - with captions. Just click the CC icon on the video - and Enjoy!
Poetry Everywhere | PBS
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/poetryeverywhere/
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/poetryeverywhere/rich.html
