Accessible Electronic Content > Guidelines > Video Content

   Video Content

Transcription Solutions | Implementing Transcriptions | Recommendations | Resources

If you have questions about these guidelines or the accessibility of any video content, contact ITS Web Services.

Making video accessible takes several steps. According to the W3C's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG), there must be a text equivalent for all non-text content (Guideline 1.1), and there must be synchronized media equivalents for time-dependent presentations (Guideline 1.2). To clarify, there must be captions for audio and audio descriptions for the video. According to the W3C:

• Captions are text equivalents of auditory information from speech, sound effects, and ambient sounds that are synchronized with the multimedia presentation.
  
• Audio descriptions are equivalents of visual information from actions, body language, graphics, and scene changes that are voiced (either by a human or a speech synthesizer) and synchronized with the multimedia presentation.

Points to keep in mind:

• All course-related video and multimedia productions that contain speech or other necessary audio information should be open or closed captioned. Open captioning is permanent. It cannot be turned on and off. Closed captioning can be turned on and off. An additional link for the media without captions or audio descriptions must be provided.
  
  
• In order to create captions, a transcription of the audio is needed.
  
  
• All course-related video and multimedia productions that contain visual information necessary for comprehension should include audio descriptions.
  
  
• A text equivalent of the additional recorded audio description is also required, which can be integrated with the original audio transcript.
  
  
• Providing these text equivalents as a link is necessary in order to easily convert the information to Braille or speech (as with a screen reader), or display in a larger font or different colors.
  
  
• Audio or video files used in web pages should launch external players. Screen readers may not recognize embedded players.

Transcription Solutions

There are several different options for transcribing. Which ever one you choose, remember that a content specialist should still proofread the transcription once completed.

1. Outsourcing
2. In House Transcribing:
   Transcribing with Voice Recognition Software
   Start /Stop Transcription Pedal System (This is a foot pedal transcription system. It works with PCs and makes it possible to play/pause, fast forward, and rewind in a codec player with a foot pedal so your hands are free to type.)

Implementing Transcriptions

There are several options for implementing transcriptions. Outsourcing is always available for creating captions and audio descriptions for video, although it can be rather costly. MAGpie, created by the WGBH, is a freeware captioning/audio description tool. It is the only available captioning program for video on the web right now. MAGpie outputs the necessary files to play in RealPlayer (SMIL, .rt), QuickTime (SMIL, .txt), or Windows Player (SAMI). More on MAGpie will be discussed below.

1. Using transcriptions as an additional link:
   Having a link to the transcript allows the user to read the content at his or her own pace. It also makes it easy to convert to Braille or display in a larger font or different colors. An integrated transcript of both the audio and the audio descriptions must also be made available.
   
   
2. Captioning/Audio Description Services
   
   
3. Captioning with MAGpie 1.0
   
   
4. Captioning with MAGpie 2.0
   
   
5. Adding audio descriptions

Recommendations

The transcription solutions that best suit you will depend on your budget and the amount of time you can devote to the project. The captioning/audio description solution will also depend on your resources.

Samples: Outsourcing

Recommendations: Transcribing with voice recognition software

Voice recognition software enables people to transcribe by simply using their voice. Building a large vocal library requires training the software. More than one person can train the software, but each person will have to train and build his or her own vocal library.

Required Hardware, Software, and/or Other Tools:
These programs require a lot of memory for the vocal library built by the speaker.

Dragon Naturally Speaking Profesional
Windows 98,2000, NT, XP, ME: 500 MHz, 128 MB

Pro ViaVoice
Windows 2000, ME: 300 MHz, 96 MB
Windows XP: patch CD (the sales representative can tell you what this is)

Advanced ViaVoice
Windows 98: 300 MHz 64 MB
Windows XP: 300 MHz 192 MB, patch CD
Windows ME: 600 MHz 64 MB

Required Skills:

Precise speaking voice with clear enunciation. Good listening skills are also needed if you are transcribing someone else's audio.

Required Time Needed for Development:

These programs take time to train in order for them to become familiar with your voice. Mistakes, as in interpreting what you say incorrectly, become fewer and fewer the more you train. Training could take up to 3 months to achieve 99% accuracy.

Degree Compliance Can Be Part of Initial Production:

This process could be a part of the initial production, but will be time-consuming in the beginning. The editing process may take longer in the initial stages of training the software.

Special Problems & Issues:

1. When using voice recognition software, everything has to be spoken. For example, periods, quotes, and commas have to be said.
2. Inconsistencies in the transcription will require editing. For example, saying "divided by" may be written using the / symbol or the program may write out "divided by." When it comes across a word which is not recognized in its vocabulary that is spoken frequently, the program will show a pop up box guiding you through steps to add that word to its vocabulary and your voice profile. Editing in this manner, as you go along, increases the speed and accuracy through the rest of the transcription and for transcriptions to follow.

Recommendations: Start-Stop Transcription System

This is a foot pedal transcription system. It works with PCs and makes it possible to play/pause, fast forward, and rewind in a codec player with a foot pedal. This will cut down considerably on transcription time if you decide to do it "in house."

Required Hardware, Software, and/or Other Tools:

1. Start-Stop UNIVERSAL Transcription System
2. Start-Stop PEDAL POWER for RealPlayer
3. Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000, NT 4.0 and XP compatible

Required Skills:

Typing, listening, and familiarity of vocabulary used in the presentation.

Required Time Needed for Development:

Depends on how long the audio tracks are and how many words the speaker speaks per minute along with your typing speed. See test.

Degree Compliance Can Be Part of Initial Production:

This does not have to be a part of the initial production. If the audio files are available, that is all that is required to transcribe.

Special Problems & Issues:

The pedal system can decrease transcription time by about 60% as shown in the example below.

Examples:

Test using Start/Stop Transcription System

Recommended Resources:

Official Start-Stop Site: You can purchase the software here.
http://www.startstop.com/

Recommendations: Captioning with MAGpie 1.0

MAGpie is a freeware captioning tool for video intended for the web. It outputs the necessary files to play in RealPlayer (SMIL, .rt), QuickTime (SMIL, .txt), or Windows Player (SAMI).

Required Hardware, Software, and/or Other Tools:

1. MAGpie program
2. Windows95/98, 2000, ME, XP, or NT, or Macintosh system
3. Microsoft Internet Explorer 4 or higher (http://www.microsoft.com)
4. Windows Media Player (http://www.microsoft.com)
5. RealPlayer G2 or higher (http://www.real.com)
6. QuickTime Player (included with QuickTime 4.0 or higher) or MoviePlayer (included with QuickTime 3.0) (http://www.apple.com/quicktime)

Costs:

Free

Required Skills:

A good understanding of MAGpie 1.0. Reading the help section is necessary in order to understand how MAGpie works. This section will guide you through the steps to adding captions and audio descriptions. The skills required are comparable to the skills required for Microsoft Word.

Required Time Needed for Development:

Learning MAGpie might take a couple of hours. The program has a couple of bugs and problems, but they are listed below which will hopefully allow you to move on with little frustration. The captioning part is the most time consuming. If you outsource your transcriptions, the time it takes to caption obviously will be cut down. Without a transcript, a 5-minute video takes approximately 2 hours to caption. With a transcript, the time is cut almost in half to approximately 1.25 hours. The whole captioning process will speed up with practice. You can view the video sample here. This sample is a .wmv file which is only playable in Windows Media Player.

Degree Compliance Can Be Part of Initial Production:

This process can be a part of the initial production.

Special Problems & Issues: (Most of these issues have been addressed with MAGpie 2.0)

1. The internal player for MAGpie 1.0 is a Windows Media Player. This means you can only use media within MAGpie compatible with that player. These formats are listed below.

   File Formats Supported by Windows Media Player :

   • Windows Media (.asf, .asx, .wax, .wma, .wmv, .wvx, .wmp, .wmx
   • Audio Visual Interleave (.avi)
   • Moving Pictures Experts Group (.mpg, .mpeg, .m1v, .mp2, .mp3, .mpa, .mpe, .mpv2, .m3u)
   • Musical Instrument Digital Interface (.mid, .midi, .rmi)
   • Macintosh AIFF Resource (.aif, .aifc, .aiff )
   • Sun Microsystems and NeXT (.au, .snd )
   • Audio for Windows (.wav)
   • CD Audio Track (.cda)
   • Intel Video Technology (.ivf)
   • Windows Media Player Skins (.wmz, .wms)
   • Algebraic-Code-Excited Linear Prediction
   • QuickTime Content (.mov, .qt): If you upgrade from a previous version of Windows Media Player, files that were created using the QuickTime version 2.0 and earlier file formats are supported in Windows Media Player 7. If you have not previously installed Windows Media Player, you cannot play QuickTime files in Windows Media Player 7.
     
     
2. MAGpie 1.0 will output the necessary SMIL files to play in Real Player and QuickTime even if the base media you are using isn't compatible with those players. If you open up the SMIL file in a text editor, such as Notepad, you can see where it references the video source. If you have another version of the video you would rather use to play in RealPlayer or QuickTime, you can change the name of the video (see sample below) so it will point to the one you want. Make sure the media you want to use are in the same folder as the MAGpie files.
   
   
3. After outputting to SMIL make sure the "videoregion" and the "textregion" have the proper dimensions in order to view it correctly in the player. This has been a recurring problem with MAGpie's output. The dimensions vary from file type to file type so you may need to do a little adjusting. The example below will help you with where to start.
   

   Before Editing
   <smil>
   <head>
   <meta name="title" content="SMIL Wrapper" />
   <layout>
   <root-layout background-color="black" height=" 315" width=" 325" />
   <region id="videoregion" background-color="black" top=" 5" left=" 5" height=" 240" width=" 320" />
   <region id="textregion" background-color="#000000" top=" 255" left=" 5" height=" 60" width=" 320" />
   </layout>
   </head>

   <body>
   <par>

   <!-- VIDEO -->

   <video src="VIDEO.wmv" region="videoregion" />

   
   <!-- CAPTIONS -->

   <switch>

   <textstream src="VIDEO.rt" region="textregion" system-language="en" system-captions="on" title="english captions" alt="english captions" />

   </switch>

   
   </par>
   </body>
   </smil>
   

   After Editing
   <head>
   <meta name="title" content="SMIL Wrapper" />
   <layout>
   <root-layout background-color="black" height=" 315" width=" 325" />
   <region id="videoregion" background-color="black" top=" 5" left=" 5" height=" 240" width=" 320" />
   <region id="textregion" background-color="#000000" top=" 255" left=" 5" height=" 60" width=" 320" />
   </layout>
   </head>

   <body>
   <par>

   <!-- VIDEO -->

   <video src="VIDEO.rm" region="videoregion" />

   
   <!-- CAPTIONS -->

   <switch>

   <textstream src="VIDEO.rt" region="textregion" system-language="en" system-captions="on" title="english captions" alt="english captions" />

   </switch>

   
   </par>
   </body>
   </smil>
   
   
4. If you are checking your work in another player, like RealPlayer, and want to make corrections in MAGpie, make sure you close Real Player before outputting the revised captions to SMIL again. In other words, your media cannot be in use by any other application in order to output a SMIL file.
5. Follow the download instructions carefully. Saving files in the proper folders is necessary in order for MAGpie to run.
6. Windows Media Player uses SAMI instead of SMIL. It works a little differently. Unlike SMIL, you must open up the base media in the Windows Player in order to view the captions and not the SAMI file. Windows Media Player has an internal mechanism that automatically looks for a SAMI file that is associated with that media.

Examples:

Open Source Video Repository Project

Recommended Resources:

http://ncam.wgbh.org/webaccess/magpie/

http://ncam.wgbh.org/webaccess/magpie/webhelp/

More on SMIL

More on SAMI

Recommendations: Captioning with MAGpie 2.0

MAGpie is a freeware captioning tool for video intended for the web. It outputs the necessary files to play in RealPlayer (SMIL, .rt), QuickTime (SMIL, .txt), or Windows Player (SAMI).

Required Hardware, Software, and/or Other Tools:

1. MAGpie 2.0 program (Read download instructions and special issues below thoroughly and carefully before downloading.)

Costs:

Free

Required Skills:

It is necessary to read the help section for MAGpie 2.0 in order to understand how the program works. Good typing and organization skills are useful. The skills required are comparable to the skills required for Microsoft Word.

Required Time Needed for Development:

Learning MAGpie might take a couple of hours. The captioning part is the most time consuming. If you outsource your transcriptions, the time it takes to caption obviously will be cut down. Without a transcript, a 5-minute video takes approximately 2 hours to caption. With a transcript, the time is cut almost in half to approximately 1.25 hours. The whole captioning process will speed up with practice. You can view the video sample here. This sample is a .wmv file which is only playable in Windows Media Player.

Special Problems & Issues:

1. File formats that play in GRiNS
   GRiNS uses the RealPlayer engine, so it will play the same file types as RealPlayer does.
   RM, RA, MP3, SWF (Flash), SMIL/SMI, WAV, AIFF**, MPG, MPEG, AVI
2. After outputting to SMIL make sure the"videoregion" and the "textregion" have the proper dimensions in order to view it correctly in the player. This has been a recurring problem with MAGpie's output. The dimensions vary from file type to file type, so you may need to do a little adjusting. The dimensions in the example in MAGpie 1.0 section will help you with where to start.

Examples:

Salud Pilot Video

Recommended Resources:

More on SMIL

More on SAMI

Recommendations: Audio Descriptions

Required Hardware, Software, and/or Other Tools:

1. For adding audio descriptions with MAGpie, you will need an audio recording program and a microphone. The .wav recorder that comes on most computers works fine for this. A microphone/headset which you can plug directly into your computer also works well for recording simple descriptions.
2. If you are streaming the video/audio descriptions, the .wav files must be converted into a format that will stream like .rm or mp3.

Required Skills:

A clear, precise speaking voice.

Required Time Needed for Development:

It takes about 3.5 hours to write, record, and edit a 14-minute video. The time will vary depending on how many descriptions are necessary and how long the video is.

Degree Compliance Can Be Part of Initial Production:

This process needs to be a part of the initial production.

Special Problems & Issues:

1. Deciding what descriptions are necessary and how to word them concisely is very important. Descriptions should only describe those actions or information which are necessary to make the scene clearer to a blind individual. A good test for this is to listen to the audio descriptions, once outputted from MAGpie, without viewing the video.

Examples:

Salud Pilot Video

Recommended Resources:

http://ncam.wgbh.org/webaccess/magpie/

http://ncam.wgbh.org/webaccess/magpie/magpie2_docs_ad.html

http://service.real.com/help/library/guides/realone/ProductionGuide/HTML//realpgd.htm

Resources

• http://hotwired.lycos.com/webmonkey/00/41/index4a.html?tw=authoring
  A tutorial of SMIL for web developers.
• http://www.w3.org/AudioVideo/
  The W3C (World Wide Web Consortium), a Web standards committee pushing the development of standards such as SMIL, is the "official" page to check out the latest that s happening with SMIL.
• http://dmoz.org/Computers/Data_Formats/Markup_Languages/SMIL/
  Some helpful links on SMIL in general. (Examples)

© 2002, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ITS.
Last revised: February 7, 2007.