PANELLISTS
14
April March 2012 2017
Subtitles and closed
Sixty delivers two new VR studios to Norway ’ s TV 2
TV experience company Sixty has delivered two new virtual reality ( VR ) studios to Norwegian broadcaster TV 2 . The physical set is supplemented by real-time graphics and animations , enriching the presentation , as well as increasing and adding to viewer engagement . According to Mari Hvattum , project manager at TV 2 , Sixty helped to overcome the challenge of creating a virtual set that looked as similar as possible to TV 2 ’ s previous traditional studio . Giving the seal of approval to the end-product , she said : “ These two new virtual studios will allow us to become even more creative in our presentation and we ’ re very confident that our audience will react positively to them .”
Fujifilm ’ s MK18-55mm lens for ‘ run and gun shot ’
Fujifilm has released the new MK 18-55mm cinema lens , which is designed for the “ run and gun shot ” type of cinematographers and videographers , as it eliminates the need for focus shift while zooming and suppressing breathing , according to Fujifilm . Equipped with a flat T2.9 stop through 18-55mm focal length , the MK 18-55mm lens allows users to shoot an image with fast speed and shallow depth of field while reducing the time for lightning adjustment .
Next Month @ Creation
Image Enhancement Techniques ( HDR )
PANELLISTS
Dr Ahmad Zaki Mohd Salleh
Group GM , Engineering Media Prima
Phan Tien Dung
CTO Vietnam Digital Television
Bernard Anthony
CEO Cambodian Broadcasting Services becoming global , visual languages
Content producers have to provide subtitles and closed captions if the content they are delivering is not broadcast in local audiences ’ native languages . These are crucial functions , especially when content can now be distributed globally via the Internet , as Josephine Tan finds out .
Subtitles are important broadcast functions for broadcasters and content producers to provide in order to ensure that audiences have a complete understanding of the content , even though it might not be broadcast in their native language .
As one of the key aspects of content localisation , understanding the differences in cultural languages is crucial for media operators when they are targeting their content at audiences in each specific country . One such media operator is Netflix , who is offering its services to more than 190 countries in more than 20 languages .
Considering subtitles and closed captions to be a “ vital part ” of Netflix ’ s member experience , the company also sees these functions as an extension of the content itself , stresses Dennis Sheehan , director , content localisation and quality control , Netflix .
He explains to APB : “ For content to be experienced and enjoyed beyond English-speaking or hard-of-hearing audiences , it is essential that subtitles are translated in a way that captures the creative intent of the filmmaker , while being culturally relevant to the audiences . This requires broadcasters to have their fingers on the pulse of what ’ s being localised , and to pay special attention to the quality thereof , as well as an understanding of the technical challenges of the file formats .”
Dr Stuart Green , CEO for Zoo Digital : The success of subtitling services relies on translators who have to be fluent in both languages to be able to condense and interpret the content according to cultural references , jokes and idioms .
When dealt correctly , subtitling and closed captioning could be helpful functions for audiences to gain a better understanding of the content . However , these services could also result in a disturbing viewing experience if the translations are inaccurate , or if it does not synchronise with the dialogue .
Tim Murphy , director , product management at Avid , says : “ We are seeing increased pressure on content owners and aggregators to provide highquality closed captions and subtitles . Besides needing to match what was spoken , the subtitles and closed captions also have to be aligned with those spoken words .”
To verify captioning , video description and languages with accuracy , Avid developed the Avid Illuminate platform , which prepares captions for online or over-the-top ( OTT ) distribution , reports on broadcast compliance , and is able to work in multilingual playout and distribution environments .
Avid Illuminate features three individual modules — Avid QC , Avid Comply and Avid Align . Based on phonetic technology , Avid QC is capable of comparing captions to the audio track dialogue . Integrated with broadcastcompliance solutions , Avid Comply provides the analysis and verification reporting in caption coverage and accuracy . The optional Avid Align , on the other hand , is available to re-time captions that are out-of-sync due to live captioning or frame rate conversion issues .
While subtitling is a cost-effective way of delivering key programmes to local audiences , the challenge is passed down to the translators as they would have to be fluent in both languages to condense and interpret the content according to the cultural references , jokes and idioms , Dr Stuart Green , CEO for Zoo Digital , points out .
Sharing almost similar functions to subtitling is closed captioning , which additionally incorporates information of the sound effects taking place in the particular dialogue or shot . Despite its primary role of aiding the deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences to understand the dialogue and sound , Dr Green suggests that these captions can also be employed in a multitude of other environments , such as hotels , airports and gyms , where audio is not necessarily heard .
He explains : “ In a world where SEO ( search engine optimisation ) can be vital to business success , captioning content makes it far more discoverable by search engines . With captions , there are multiple challenges , including
Featuring three individual modules — Avid QC , Avid Comply and Avid Align — the Avid Illuminate platform prepares captions for online or OTT distribution , reports on broadcast compliance , and is able to work in multilingual playout and distribution environments .