MacCaption - 5.0

Most broadcasters use Live Closed Captioning (CC) services which are VERY pricey per hour or use a CC service for BetaSP/Digibeta tapes which can run $1000 per hour of programming and you can lose two generations. We decided years ago to go in-house with our CC and we hire a Transciptionist (usually a former court reporter) to handle all the script preparation and time stamping.

We have saved hundreds of thousands of dollars in 5 years using CPC's products. We still use the Windows version for the transcriptionist (CPC-700NLE), export a ONL file and use that in the Edit suites (FCP) with MacCaption. We have a dongle, which roams from room to room so we don't have to buy multiple versions.

The whole process is a pain, but we are required by the FCC to do it and our audience appreciates it and lets us know when there is a problem. We use Line 21 mostly but as we are moving to Web and DVD based distribution, we are beginning to use the DV and MPEG capabilities.

Obviously this product is not for the independent producer creating a limited amount of projects, but for Broadcastors, TV stations and Post houses who are moving completely away from tape based editing (although CPC-700 with a hardware encoder can do tape based CC) MacCaption is a great product.

Brad Loflin
Senior Editor
JHM, Inc.

for those who is intersted. Because there aren't too much of interest from the general public anyway. Production companies - are not individuals, besides, the people who involved in approval of purchases are clercs who are spending not their own money. I the program good? Who c ares!. At this prise i won't even bother trying it anyway. This developers probably are doing fine job, let just not forget: a toilrt seat for Pentagon core between $150 - and $500, depend on whos a** is going to use it.

Since there aren't (m)any competing programs to do CC, this is the best option. It imports and exports to many useful formats. It claims to be able to capture DV video with captions, it didn't work for me. DV is 720x480 but I think you need to capture 720x486 to get Line 21 (where the CC data exists).

The interface is slow and cartoonish, although it does work as advertised. There is a demo available so check for yourself, at these prices I would expect a much more polished program. I make DVDs and would like to add CC but not at this price. That's probably why English subtitles are so popular on DVDs.

I'm sure they can ask the price they do as there aren't any competing apps and sales aren't large. Too bad, more media should include CC and a decent shareware author could make a competing app and do it better. The CC data format is FCC regulated and would be quite simple to implement. Doing everything MacCaption does would be harder but any competition would be good.

<http://www.geocities.com/mcpoodle43/SCC_TOOLS/DOCS/SCC_FORMAT.HTML>

The FCC regulation is in 15.119 on this page:
<http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/47cfr15_03.html>

The prices are a mistake..yes? No?
Ridiculous if not a typo.