About Us

Since 1985, we have been the industry leader in closed captioning, subtitling & teleprompting software. To keep up with the newest technology, we have added DVD, Webcasting & HD closed captioning and subtitling software to our list.

CPC is the choice. Ask any of our thousands of satisfied customers. CPC has also been operating an award winning closed caption/subtitle service since 1989.

CPC is located in Rockville, Maryland. Directions to CPC.

Founders

(For the interesting story on how the company began, click here.)

Dr. Dilip K. Som, Ph. D. Physics. Co-Founder, President & CTO

Dr. Som has been the world’s leading closed captioning software developer since 1986. He has earned a reputation in the closed captioning community as the “guru of closed captioning” for his vast knowledge of the closed captioning field.

He has made innumerable software breakthroughs in the closed captioning field beginning in 1986 with the design, development and launching of the first PC based teleprompting/closed captioning software.

His other “firsts” in the closed captioning field include:

  • Release of the first commercially available closed captioning software in 1986
  • Release of one of the first time-code based professional closed captioning software in 1992
  • Release of Realtime Webcast closed captioning software with total synchronization between the closed captions and audio in 2003

Dr. Som earned his Ph. D. in Physics from the City University of New York. He co-founded CPC with Sid Hoffman in 1985.

Sidney Hoffman, M.S. Computer Systems, M.A. Audiology. Co-Founder and Vice President

Sid has a over 30 years of experience in the closed captioning and teleprompting field. Sid earned a Master’s degree in Audiology (testing hearing and doing therapy with the hearing impaired), and a second Master’s in Computer Information Systems.

While in graduate school, he moonlighted as a hands-on teleprompter operator, working on shows such as the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather, and the soap operas One Life To Live and All My Children.

As a teacher of the speech and hearing handicapped he realized the vast need for closed captioning for both the profoundly deaf and those with moderate and mild hearing losses. As a practical visionary, he has been instrumental in directing, developing and marketing CPC’s closed caption products, suitably combining his academic knowledge in Audiology and Information Technology to serve the hearing impaired community.

Sid’s Master’s thesis (which was published in the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America) focused on the hearing problems of the elderly.

Sid has also received a U.S. patent for his development of a new method of teaching speech reading to the hearing impaired.

CPC Milestones

1985-86:

  • CPC develops the first IBM compatible teleprompting software (CPC-1000 SmartPrompter); and the first IBM compatible software capable of simultaneously displaying both teleprompter text and closed captions of the teleprompter text as it is being spoken (CPC-2000 SmartPrompter).

1987-88:

  • CPC develops the first low cost, easy to use post-production closed captioning software (CPC-500 CaptionMaker)

1989-90:

  • CPC begins a high quality, low cost closed captioning service.

1991-92:

  • CPC greatly enhances the closed captioning capabilities of the CPC-500, including introduction of a time code simulation feature (CPC-600 CaptionMaker).
  • CPC develops time code based closed captioning software (CPC-700 CaptionMaker).

1993-94:

  • CPC interfaces the CPC-700 to the Chyron Codi character generator, giving it the capability to do broadcast quality subtitling in over 21 languages.
  • CPC opens a multi-language subtitling service.
  • CPC is awarded a General Services Administration (GSA) contract for closed captioning, subtitling and teleprompting systems.

1995-96:

  • CPC greatly enhances the capabilities of the CPC-1000 SmartPrompter, with features such as proportionally spaced fonts and built-in spell check. New software is named the CPC-1000 SmartPrompter II.
  • CPC's closed captioning and subtitling service is certified by the US. Department of Education and the National Association of the Deaf.
  • CPC is awarded the first ever General Services Administration (GSA) contract for closed captioning and subtitling service.

1997-98:

1999-2000:

2001-2002:

2003-2004:

2005:

2006-2007:

2008:

2009: