Captioning: A caption can not only improve the visual appeal of a
video, but can also help in increasing the comprehension, and level of interest
of the viewer. There are several captioning styles, but captions can be broadly
divided as closed captions and open captions. In a world that is a melting pot
of different languages, accents and cultures a caption has an important role to
play in conveying clearly what needs to be said.
Closed captioning: Closed captions are the most preferred captions
as they can be turned off or on. It helps as, if, the viewer is a native
speaker of the language captions can be just a mere hindrance. There are
several interesting closed captioning styles such as pop up or roll on. They
are a welcome relief from plain, no frills attached text.
Open captioning: The one disadvantage that open captions, have over
closed captions is that they cannot be turned off by the viewer. But it helps
in an environment where the viewer doesn’t have control of what’s going on in
the screen!. An open caption can be played at airport terminals, train stations
and other crowded places where a caption can be of great help and the viewer
can be saved of the trouble of turning on or off captions.
Broadcast: Most television programs accommodate captions and
subtitles in their content. It helps to reach out to a more global and diverse
audience. To garner more reach and be understood by non native speakers a lot
of media and television houses opt for captioning services. In fact fcc
guidelines demand that digital television receivers should compulsorily include
closed captioning display capabilities.
Youtube: Every minute there are around sixty hours of video
uploaded on YouTube. To make a mark not only with viewers but also with search
engines, it is important YouTube videos contain captions or subtitles. The
textual content in a video can make it look more professional and can help
viewers to view a specific section of the video effortlessly. It is a fact that
search engines and video sharing sites recommend and are partial to video
content that includes captions.
Subtitling: For a video to find a firm footing, and stand apart
from a barrage of other videos, it is essential that it includes subtitles.
Subtitles for DVDs should be compliant with major authoring systems. Subtitledmovie DVDs fly faster of the rack than DVDs that do not contain subtitles. Most
international movies and tv series use subtitles. It can also help the hearing
impaired community to enjoy the benefits of the mainstream audience.