NLE Hardware

CPC software running on both Windows and Macintosh platforms can add captions directly to video using NLE systems. After adding captions to a 720x486 video with an NLE system, you typically write the final video to a videotape using the hardware (not firewire) associated with your NLE system. 

Caption data sits in 720x486 video in Row 0, 1 or 2 depending on the NLE system. In NTSC (525 line) video caption data sits in Line 21.  When you transfer the 720x486 video to NTSC, you must use an NLE system which can map the caption data from Row 0, 1 or 2 of 720x486 video to NTSC video Line 21. For example, for Avid systems, the caption data sits on Row 1 and column 26.

Click here to see a sample 720x486 black video with caption data near the top. The caption data looks like tiny dashes.

 

CPC software can export a 720x486 black video with closed caption data on row 0, 1 or 2 as shown below.

The 720x486 video file is then imported into the NLE system and put on the time line exactly like other video material. A crop or picture-in-picture effect is then applied to the imported video to mask off all but the closed caption image lines to merge the imported video with the original video. The resulting video output from the NLE system is closed captioned. Using this method, no additional closed caption encoder is needed to produce closed captioned video.

The following NLE systems are caption compatible. Caption data for use with NLE systems is stored in the following locations:

 

* Works with Mac Final Cut Pro
^# Works with Windows Adobe Premier

Notes: 
1. Blackmagic DeckLink can be used with Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere.  Drivers for Decklink card smay be found at: www.blackmagic-design.com/support/software 

2. The KONA drivers that support closed captioning can be downloaded from
www.aja.com/support_kona.html 

2. Matrox DigiSuite hardware works with the following NLE systems

• Adobe Premiere Pro

• Discreet edit

• in-sync Speed Razor RT

• IMC Incite

• United Media On-Line Express

3. The following Pinnacle hardware used by many Windows NLE systems are caption compatible.

• TARGA 1000 PRO

• TARGA 2000 RTX

• TARGA 2000 DTX

• TARGA 2000 PRO

• TARGA 2000 SDX

• TARGA 3000

Compatibility Check 1
There may be other NLE hardware devices which work with CPC CaptionMaker and MacCaption software. To check whether the CPC software works with your specific hardware, you can do the following test.

 

Take a commercial video with closed captions and save it uncompressed via your video input/output device (not Firewire) on your hard drive. Now send the uncompressed video out of your computer to a TV with its closed caption decoder turned on. If you see captions, your hardware is most likely compatible.

Compatibility Check 2
You can download one of the two sample NLE 720x486 black videos containing closed captions which were created with CPC software:

MOV files for a number of NLE systems: NLE_MOV_Exports.zip
AVI files for a number of NLE systems: NLE_AVI_Exports.zip

Chose either the mov or the avi zip file, unzip it and choose the appropriate mov or avi file for your system. Open the video in your NLE software and output the video via your video input/output device (not Firewire) to your video deck. For details, click here. To see the captions, you would need a TV with its closed caption decoder turned on. If you see captions, your NLE hardware is compatible.

If your NLE system is not listed above
We created a tool to determine the preset values for your NLE system if it is not listed  in the table above. 

Please click here for instructions on how to find the correct settings for your NLE system.