captionsync update kevin erler automaticsync september 2010

© 2010 Automatic Sync Technologies

CaptionSync Update

Kevin Erler

www.automaticsync.com

September 2010


Introduction

• CaptionSync is a web-based service provided by Automatic Sync Technologies (AST) for Transcription and/or Closed Captioning of media files.

• CaptionSync was initially funded by the US Dept of Education.

• CaptionSync has almost 2000 users across the country – primarily in Education.

• In addition to captioning, AST has expertise in workflow automation, video search and navigation, and the use of synchronized interactive media.

© 2010 Automatic Sync Technologies 3

Agreement Overview

AST has a system-wide agreement with the CSU, which provides for:

o Special pricing

o Centralized billing

o System-wide training sessions


Agreement Mechanics

• Each CSU campus has an “AST Administrator” responsible for overseeing usage of the agreement at their campus.

• Any CSU member can get their own CaptionSync by applying at: http://www.automaticsync.com/caption/csu_sign_up.php

• After AST receives an application, an approval from your campus Administrator is automatically requested. As soon as we receive this, the account is created and you will receive an automated notification.

• Every month, the Administrator receives a summary of all usage of the Agreement for your campus.

• AST does not directly bill your campus – the CO handles all invoicing from AST and “bills back” all usage to the campuses every 6 months.


What’s New for CaptionSync

• Revamped Web UI

• Improved billing resolution

• New output types

• Improved tutorials

• DVD Transfer offer

• Digital NLE captions

• Several new workflow automation options


New Web UI

• Removal of “application type”

• Ability to review old News items

• Improved upload progress and status

• Fully redundant for improved reliability

• Extensive help (mouseover, Wiki, and help buttons)

• Integrated support form gives you access to help when you need it

• Plus many more improvements. An overview can be found at: AST Tutorial on New CaptionSync UI


Improved Billing Resolution

• Jobs are now billed in 1 minute increments(used to be 5 minute increments)

• Minimum job size still applies


New Output Types

• Several new output types to accommodate new integrations and more DVD authoring packages.

• Addition of many new word-level output types (see Word-Level Synchronization Page)

• New output formats frequently added.

• See the list at Result Formats List Page. If what you need is not there, let us know ([email protected])


New Tutorial Page

• Ongoing effort to refresh ourtutorials.

• Updated tutorial page to include many new assets:

YouTube video Downloadable video Tutorial PDF

• New tutorials being added.

• All can be found atwww.automaticsync.com/help


New Services

• DVD Transfer : send in uncaptioned DVDsor VHS tapes and get back captioned DVDs.

• NLE Captions : get back overlay movies to embed caption data in your SD tape.

• Result Review : have AST staff review your content to check and repair any errors – useful when your audio is very poor quality.

• These services are not covered under the CSU Agreement, but can be accessed from your account and will be direct-billed.


Workflow Automation

• CaptionSync is very simple touse to upload individual jobs…but what if you have a lot ofjobs?

• CaptionSync has an SFTPportal that allows externalsoftware to interact with it.

• AST provides a simple drag-and-drop app for this purpose.

• 3rd party software vendors can also integrate to this portal, including Lecture Capture systems, Content Management systems, and video editing tools.


What’s Coming for CaptionSync

• Spanish Captioning

• New workflow integrations

• Additional supplemental services


A Quick Tour of CaptionSync

• Settings: update your account; change password; enroll keys.

• Help: documentation, downloads, wiki, Support Request.

• News: review old news items.

• Caption/Transcribe: submit new jobs, check status, redo jobs.


What happens after you submit?

• CaptionSync ingests your media file and extracts the audio portion. Schedules your job for transcription.

• We produce a transcript of the audio portion of the program. Stenographers are trained to use proper captioning conventions.

• Divide text into captions, observing guidelines about where to break sentences. System also pays attention to the output formats you requested to conform to constraints on those formats.

• Synchronize captions to the video timeline.

• Create output files in the format required by your media. Note that format is dictated by the type of player that the content will be played on, not by the media itself.


Workflow Efficiency

• How do you select material for captioning?

• What about using automated captioning tools?

• How can you improve your workflow process?


Deciding What to Caption

Many factors to consider:

• School/System policy

• Time / Urgency

• Available budget

• Usage frequency

• Lifespan of material

• Audience (internal or external)

• Primary purpose (core vs review vs supplemental)


Using Speech Recognition

• Our work originated from a project funded by Dept of Education to examine how to make captioning more efficient.

• Looked at existing techniques, cost structures, and emerging technologies (including speech rec).

• Concluded that significant improvements were possible using automation, but we still needed to use human stenographers for transcription task.


Word Error Rate: 0%

Everyone loves a booming market, and most booms happen on the back of technological change. The world's venture capitalists, having fed on the computing boom of the 1980s, the internet boom of the 1990s and the biotech and nanotech boomlets of the early 2000s, are now looking around for the next one. They think they have found it: energy.

Many past booms have been energy-fed: coal-fired steam power, oil-fired internal-combustion engines, the rise of electricity, even the mass tourism of the jet era. But the past few decades have been quiet on that front. Coal has been cheap. Natural gas has been cheap. The 1970s aside, oil has been cheap. The one real novelty, nuclear power, went spectacularly off the rails. The pressure to innovate has been minimal.

In the space of a couple of years, all that has changed. Oil is no longer cheap; indeed, it has never been more expensive. Moreover, there is growing concern that the supply of oil may soon peak as consumption continues to grow, known supplies run out and new reserves become harder to find.

The idea of growing what you put in the tank of your car, rather than sucking it out of a hole in the ground, no longer looks like economic madness. Nor does the idea of throwing away the tank and plugging your car into an electric socket instead.


Word Error Rate: 10%

Boot hoses a booming market, gloved capote booms happen heart the back of technological change. The world's venture capitalists, house fed gem's the computing boom of the 1980s, the internet boom of the 1990s and the biotech and nanotech boomlets of the early 2000s, are now looking around for the road one. They gaunt they have found bubonic: energy.

Many past booms have been energy-fed: coal-fired steam power, oil-fired internal-combustion engines, the rise of electricity, even the brushy tourism of the jet era. But the past few decades have been quiet on magic front. Coal has been cheap. Natural gas gross hoist cheap. Jennifer 1970s aside, oil has been cheap. The one real novelty, nuclear power, went spectacularly off tabloid rails. The burping to innovate has been minimal.

In local space of a couple of years, all that has paycheck. Oil is no longer cheap; indeed, it has never been more expensive. Moreover, there is fizzled translogic that the supply of oil may soon peak as consumption rains to grow, known supplies run out and new reserves become zipper to find.

The idea of growing what you put in the tank of your car, rather saber sucking it out of a hole in grim ground, no longer looks like economic madness.


Word Error Rate: 20%

Kazakhstan banter a booming estate, and most systemically happen on the back of technological bleed. The world's venture capitalists, Italians fed on seltzer computing boom kingdom the 1980s, the internet levy of paddy 1990s and the harder and nanotech boomlets of the early 2000s, eroded now looking around for the buckle one. They think they limitless methodology it: energy.

Many coups booms have diastolic energy-fed: coal-fired steam power, oil-fired internal-combustion diaries, the rise of foxglove, mindful the mass tourism of the jet windchill. Pepper ascent past few decades pragmatic been quiet on that front. Sentences erupt gushers cheap. Natural gas has falsifying cheap. Untruths 1970s aside, oil has been ultranationalist. The one real hoax, nuclear power, kite spectacularly off the rails. The pressure to innovate has been minimal.

In the tinted skinner's a couple of years, looking that has changed. Oil is no longer cheap; indeed, it has never been maximize farthingale. Moreover, there is growing concern that the supply of oil may soon peak as consumption continues to grow, known supplies run out and new reserves expensive actuary to find.

The idea of growing what you put in gospel tank of chaffy car, rather than sucking it out of copayment hole in the ground, no longer looks like economic boat


Effect of Errors

Graph of Intelligibility vs Error Rate

Intelligibility vs Error Rate

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1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

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0 1 2 3 5 10 20

Error Rate (%)

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Error Rates for General Captioning

Table of typical transcription error rates

Source Typical Error

Rate

Result

Trained Stenographer 0.5% to 1% No problems

Student transcriber ?? Expect to be worse than stenographer

Speech Rec: trained 3% to 5+% Varies from fair to poor

Speech Rec: untrained

20% to 40% Unintelligible


Google AutoCaption Examples

While speech-recognition does not provide useful captioning, it can make for great entertainment….

• www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-PtKgTXO_0

• www.youtube.com/user/UTMcCombsSchool#p/u/24/t2yujfBeuFQ

• www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwuJfz-7Y-Q


Workflow Improvements

• Use AST-Link for batch uploads

• Use Lecture Capture systems with integrated workflows for captioning.

• Use CaptionSync’s direct integration features to automate workflow with your own content management system.


AST-Link

• Need to request feature added to your account; then download in Help section.

• Available for PC and Mac.

• Drag-and-drop interface for uploading large batches of files.

• Tutorials for use at www.automaticsync.com/help


Lecture Capture Automation

• An increasing amount of content is coming from lecture capture systems.

• Many (but not all) support captioning

• Some support automated workflows for CaptionSync (Mediasite, Echo360, Panopto, Podcast Producer)

• With workflow automation, you can select to have an individual lecture, or a whole course captioned with just a checkbox.



Systems with good CC support also offer Search capabilities.



Some Captioned Lecture Capture examples:

o Captioned Mediasite lecture

o Captioned Panopto Lecture

o Captioned Echo Lecture


Direct Integration

• CaptionSync allows directintegration to any applicationor system.

• Simple and secure interface.

• Allows content to be aggregated on your side and then automatically submitted to CaptionSync.

• Complete documentation and integration assistance available by contacting [email protected]

CaptionServer

CampusMedia Server(or Content

Management System)


Kevin Erler ([email protected])1-877-AST-SYNC x701

www.automaticsync.com

captionsync update kevin erler automaticsync september 2010

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