Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) today announced it is to support the creation of live captions using the new EBU Timed Text (EBU-TT) Live standard, which facilitates live subtitling and also supports playback of prepared subtitling in the same format. The new approach is demonstrated live during a presentation on EBU-TT-Live at EBU's IBC booth 10.F20 - starting at 14:00 hrs.
EBU-TT Live will enable broadcasters to create live captions for online platforms quickly and easily without the need to invest in traditional broadcast infrastructure. Additionally it will enable broadcasters to replicate the familiar presentation style used on linear TV to ensure a consistent over-the-top (OTT) viewing experience. Currently, captions are available on OTT platforms principally for on-demand and pre-recorded programmes.
EBU-TT Live Toolkit
UK public service broadcaster, the BBC, is currently trialling the approach with Ericsson as part of a proof of concept utilising the open source EBU-TT Live Interoperability Toolkit, with the aim of simplifying the methods used to deliver live captions to online platforms. Ericsson will also offer this service to clients globally to improve the experience of audiences around the world who access content through online platforms.
Thorsten Sauer, Head of Broadcast and Media Services, Ericsson, says: “This new standard will reduce the cost and complexity required to deliver live captions to online platforms and enable all broadcasters, like the BBC, to ensure their live content and multi-platform services are truly accessible by everyone.”
Earlier this year, Ericsson unveiled a new, world-first approach that significantly reduces latency in live-captioning, developed in partnership with BBC Research & Development. The new approach minimizes the delay between live captions and the audio they represent by utilizing the time taken to compress the audio and video streams for transmission and distribution. The new approach started rolling out across the BBC’s portfolio of channels from this summer.