Explaining How Closed Captioning Came To Be

By Adrienne Arno

Closed captioning is the process that permits those who are hearing impaired to gain access to the dialogue on television programming by presenting the transcript on the lower third of the screen. The FCC passed the first|initial|original|earliest closed caption ing law in 1993. This required all analog television receivers with screens larger than 13 inches sold and/or manufactured in the US include a built-in decoder to display closed display. Congress became involved several years later with the 1996 decision to demand all video programming distributors including cable TV, broadcasters, and satellite distributors to close caption their programming.

The FCC added to this edict a year soon after with a explicit transition schedule that obliged all distributors to increase|expand the amount of programming that contained captioning.As a final point, in July 2002, the FCC approved a second law requiring digital television receivers to add closed captioning display components.

Being a part of the communications industry while working at the American Movie Company has given me a personal look at the influence these decisions have had on most studio productions. One of these effects has been how video and television productions have adapted the use of the teleprompter.

While most people recognize why closed captioning is valuable, many people don't know how the teleprompter performs a key function in the conveyance of closed captioning to your television. There are two sectors into which closed captioning systems are separated: On-Line systems and Off-Line systems. This is when the teleprompter becomes important.

On-Line captioning is the teleprompter-based solution widely used by broadcasters and news stations. In this situation, pre-scripted stories are fed from the newsroom automation system to both the teleprompter and to the closed caption encoder. This information usually does not include closed caption control codes but rather relies on the encoder inside the screen itself to include the appropriate codes each time an ASCII carriage return is received.

The regard for this type of system is based on the fact that neither a steno-captioner nor a computer with high-priced software is needed. In many cases, the teleprompter system is already in place and closed captioning is easily added for only the cost of the encoder.

Closed captioning is an exciting field that offers many opportunities for both the television broadcaster and the video producer. Hopefully, this introduction will help you to make informed decisions should you need to choose a caption service provider, obtain equipment, or offer advice to those who will make these choices.

Those heavily involved in Closed Captioning for multilingual purposes also greatly appreciate the fact that structures are in place to make this easier. - 23815

About the Author:

For those who have had to use any kind of teleprompter before its an absolute life line. For more info,videos and articles on teleprompters click to see more at teleprompter rentals.