,

Tip #416: Closed Caption Formats for Social Media

… for Codecs & Media

Tip #416: Closed Caption Formats for Social Media

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

As you might expect, there’s no one subtitle format that works everywhere.

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Erin Myers, at Rev.com, summarized the closed caption formats used by social media. Here’s her article. This is an excerpt.

Closed caption file formats vary depending on which site you’re using to host your videos and which platform you use to obtain the closed caption transcripts.

Adobe Premiere supports:

  • Scenarist (.scc)
  • MacCaption (.mcc)
  • XML (.xml)
  • Spruce Subtitle File (.STL).

Apple Final Cut Pro X supports:

  • iTunes Timed Text (.iTT)
  • SubRip (.srt)
  • SCC (CEA-608 format)

YouTube recommends Scenarist (.scc) format. But is compatible with:

  • SubRip (.srt)
  • WebVTT (.vtt)
  • DFXP/TTML (.dxfp)
  • Scenarist (.scc)
  • SAMI (.sami)

Vimeo recommends WebVTT (.vtt) but is compatible with:

  • SubRip (.srt)
  • DXFP/TTML (.dxfp)
  • Scenarist (.scc)
  • SAMI (.SAMI)

Facebook recommends the SubRip (.srt) format.

Netflix has two recommended formats. The EMA Closed Captions Working Group has identified Scenarist (.scc) as a preferred format due to its status as the de facto standard for CEA-608 and CEA-708 data.  SMPTE-TT is also recommended as, under the applicable laws, it is considered safe if captions are compliant. It is also compatible with:

  • SubRip (.srt)
  • Scenarist (.scc)
  • Timed Text (.ttml)
  • DXFP (.dxfp)
  • WebVTT (.vtt)
  • Cheetah CAP (.cap)
  • MacCaption (.mcc)
  • Quicktime Subtitle (.qt.txt)
  • Spruce Subtitle File (.stl).
  • XML (.xml)

Amazon Video Direct requires closed captions on all new videos uploaded to the service, but has not recommended a favorite. It supports:

  • Scenarist (.scc)
  • SMPTE-TT (.xml)
  • EBU-TT (.xml)
  • DFXP Full/TTML (.dfxp)
  • iTunes Timed Text (.iTT)

iTunes asks for a Scenarist-formatted file (with an .scc extension), or a QuickTime file with a closed captioning track. Compatible formats:

  • Scenarist (.scc)
  • DFXP Full/TTML (.dfxp)
  • iTunes Timed Text (.iTT)

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1 reply
  1. Simon Morton
    Simon Morton says:

    …This is why I love ‘The Inside Tips’…this type of information would be unbelievably painful if you wanted to find it yourself…thanks for sharing the love Larry & team! Simon, Orange Eye ltd

    Reply

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