The Captions Matter site went live today with a BETA version of a caption file checker application. The free application scans an uploaded closed caption file and compares it with industry standards. The tool is a simple way for content developers and accessibility professional to identify potential errors or problems in their closed captions.
Users upload a caption file (often in .srt format). The tool conducts an analysis and provides a report in the following areas:
- File Statistics and Basic Metrics
- Caption Timing Standards
- Text Quality & Formatting
- Accessibility & University Design Compliance
- Standards Alignment & Best Practices
The tool provides a comprehensive report with detailed issue reporting. Because the tool has no access to the video file itself, the tool cannot provide an analysis of the synchronization of the captions to the video, the accuracy of the captions, or other aspects of captioning that depends on analysis of the video file. Like the analysis tool, the report format is currently in BETA.
A Note On Development
The tool is presently in development. Tool features and report design will change over time. Look to this blog for updates.
For more information about captions and captioning, visit the Described & Captioned Media Program.