Basics

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Closed Captioning HD Video

Complete closed captioning and subtitling solution.

No additional CC hardware required. No generation loss!!!

Closed Caption all your SD and HD videos using:

and much more!

HD Enterprise contains every closed captioning feature CPC offers, allowing you to meet virtually any closed captioning requirement today and in the future. Its unique features include XDCAM .MXF file support, DVCPRO-HD file support MPEG-2 closed captioning with Manzanita mux, and Assemble captions from FCP EDL.

MacCaption HD Enterprise supports all features listed below. For a complete list of features, click on MacCaption features.

As of Oct. 2009, CaptionMaker-HD Enterprise does not yet support all of the features listed here. Please check CaptionMaker features for the most recent additions.

HD Caption workflows

Matrox MXO2

Matrox and CPC have co-developed an innovative solution that allows the MacCaption HD software to encode and decode HD captions to and from any HD or SD decks using the Matrox MXO2 and HD-SDI, SDI, and/or Analog connections.

A new feature in the latest Matrox MXO2 1.4 drivers supports down-converting HD captions to SD line 21. Now you can simultaneously print your timeline to both HD with 708/608 captions and SD with line 21 captions. This also allows you to proof your 4VANC caption track on a regular TV with a CC decoder, instead of needing an expensive HD-SDI caption decoder. The MXO2 can also up/down/cross-convert any video format to any other format while maintaining the captions. More about the MXO2.

AJA Kona

MacCaption DTV and HD Enterprise software now works with the AJA KONA (3, LHi, LHe, LSe) and IO HD cards along with Final Cut Pro 7 to output 708/608HD closed captions. More about the AJA workflow.

Blackmagic DeckLink HD series

MacCaption DTV and HD Enterprise software now works with the Blackmagic DeckLink (HD Extreme 3, DeckLink Studio, DeckLink Studio 2, DeckLink SDI and DeckLink Optical Fiber) cards along with Final Cut Pro 7 to output HD 708/608 closed captions. More about the Blackmagic workflow.

MPEG2 Transport, Program, and Elementary streams

MacCaption-HD ties into Manzanita's multiplexing software to generate 708/608 closed captions in CableLabs-compliant HD MPEG-2 transport streams (requires Manzanita software to be installed separately) for tapeless delivery to networks and VOD.

MacCaption-HD (including the demo version) can also decode/retrieve both 708 and 608 captions from MPEG-2 transport streams, including ATSC broadcast streams. You can verify that your stream is compliant with FCC regulations and that the 708 captions are encoded properly.

Users without Manzanita software can add captions to generic MPEG2 Elementary and Program streams. The MPEG2 can be SD or HD. Captions can be formatted in any one of the following styles: ATSC DTV 608/708, DVD, CCube/LSI DVx 608 Linear or CCube/LSI DVx 608 Temporal. SCTE20-style 608 captions can also be decoded. More about the Manzanita workflow.

Panasonic DVCPRO HD

Closed captions can be added to DVCPRO-HD .mov (QuickTime) files. The files can be used on Omneon servers, or for tape output you can use MacCaption-HD Enterprise to print the captioned video via Firewire to a compatible VTR such as a Panasonic AJ-HD1400. For HD-SDI output to tape workflows, please see the Matrox MXO2, AJA, or Blackmagic workflows.

SONY XDCAM HD

MacCaption-HD Enterprise can encode and decode closed captions from Sony XDCAM MXF files (1080i and 720p) which came from a Sony XDCAM HD deck, Avid, or Final Cut Pro via the Sony XDCAM Transfer tool. Click the link above to see a sample MXF file with captions. To output to an XDCAM HD deck via HD-SDI, please see the Matrox MXO2, AJA, or Blackmagic workflows.

Omneon Server

MacCaption HD can export a closed caption encoded DVCPRO-HD file or XDCAM MXF file for playback to the Omneon Server. More about the Omneon workflow.

Proofing your 708 captions

Please read our Monitoring HD Closed Captions white paper, describing some of the issues of monitoring HD closed captions.

Note that HDMI and component connections do NOT carry closed captioning data. (DTV compatible TVs can only receive caption data as metadata in the DTV MPEG-2 transport stream, or as line 21 on the analog SD inputs.) The only high definition baseband interface which carries closed captioning data is HD-SDI.

You can use MacCaption or QuickTime Player to proof your HD captions on your Mac. MacCaption can preview your 708 captions (including Asian language and other Unicode characters supported in 708) on your computer monitor in sync with a video file.

The Matrox MXO2 also down-converts your HD timeline to SD with line 21 captions in real time, so you can preview your 4VANC captions track on any regular TV with a CC decoder. If you can see the down-converted captions, then your 4VANC 708/608 caption track is working properly.

If you do not have a Matrox MXO2, or if you MUST proof 708 captions on an external monitor, then you need an HD-SDI device with a 708 captions decoder. HD-SDI 708 closed captions can be displayed using a Sony Luma monitor with the optional BKM-244CC closed caption decoder (note: not compatible with 708 roll-up or paint-on captions), or converted into open captions using an Evertz 7760CCM-HD decoder card, or verified using the Tektronix Video Test waveform monitors. There are other devices capable of decoding 708 captions as well. However, we have yet to find an HD-SDI 708 captions decoder which properly supports Asian language and other Unicode characters.

Additional Info