The Office of Innovative Technologies can provide consultation and support regarding options for captioning your video content. While the cost of closed captioning video content is the responsibility of the requesting department, OIT can assist with contracted captioning services that are then billed back to your department if needed.
Please note that if you are an instructor and have a student with an accommodation request involving captioning, you may first request assistance though Student Disability Services (sds.utk.edu). Otherwise, OIT staff will provide consultation and training by request.
For more information and assistance with captioning your video content, contact the OIT HelpDesk online or call 865-974-9900 to schedule a consultation.
LiveOnline@UTK (Zoom) is a popular platform used for classes, meetings, and events of all kinds. Many users would benefit from the option of being able to use live captions during Zoom meetings and/or to access a live running transcript for the meeting.
Automatic live captioning and transcription is now available at no extra cost in UTK’s subscription to Zoom. Learn more about how to use live caption and transcripts in Zoom.
Please note that Zoom captions, as with any automatic captions, will vary in accuracy and may be insufficient for providing equitable access if an attendee is deaf or hard of hearing. For more information, please reach out to the Office of Equity and Diversity, Student Disability Services, or OIT.
The accuracy of auto captioning depends upon good audio quality. When recording media, please begin with a good microphone or headset and a quiet recording environment.
Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR), sometimes known as “auto captions”, is available at no additional cost, and may be a suitable option by itself. This option may also be used to provide an initial product that can then be corrected to perfection by the media creator. In general, ASR captions can be expected to be about 80% accurate, though this can vary widely based on the quality of recording, aspects of the speaker’s voice and the nature of the subject being discussed. ASR captions should always be reviewed for accuracy.
We have three supported options available for ASR captioning available at no additional cost:
UTK has a partnership with a professional captioning vendor that can provide high-accuracy captions at reasonable prices. We will provide you with recommendations and price estimates based on your specific needs and turn-around time. If you would like to have a video file captioned, please submit a request online to begin the process. An OIT staff member will contact you to discuss options and estimate costs. While the cost of closed captioning video content is the responsibility of the requesting department, OIT can assist with contracted captioning services that are then billed back to your department if needed.
If you would like to caption media developed by professional studio (e.g.Hollywood productions, videos from professional organizations), it’s best to begin by looking for existing caption files. We recommend two sources:
If you would like to caption media developed or shared through a video hosting platform (e.g., YouTube, Vimeo), it may be possible to use a UT-approved vendor to caption content without violating copyright. This option will require streaming the content through a vendor-provided interface or through another streaming interface that allows captions (e.g., Canvas Studio). If you would like to find out more about having an unowned video file captioned, please submit a request online.
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