Closed Captions versus Subtitles

November 2, 2019 | Khurram Suhrwardy | Tips

All video content that goes on air in North America is mandated by the FCC to be closed captioned. And all Blu-Ray and DVD needs to have subtitles to reach a wider audience.

Closed captions and subtitles are characterized by some important differences based on their context and purpose. Let’s have a look at closed captions versus subtitles.

Popular Closed Captioning formats: Sonic Scenarist (.scc), Timed Text DFXP (.xml)
Popular Subtitle formats: SubRip (.srt), .sub, .idx

Accessibility

Closed captions are used to define sound effects in addition to the dialogue. It is primarily used as a service to aid the deaf and hearing-impaired audiences. It gives them a complete feel of important sound effects and information relating to music.

Placement

Subtitles are placed at the bottom of the screen with a hyphen to separate speakers. Closed captions can be placed under the speaker to give a clear indication of the source of the audio.

Example of multiple speakers in a subtitle

Example of multiple speakers in closed captioning

Language

Closed captions appear in the language that is spoken in the TV show or movie. Subtitles can translate speech into a different language for the target audience.

Uses of Closed Captioning

Language Learning Tool

Apart from placement, closed captioning is a great tool for any non-native English speaker who wants to learn the language. As closed captioning is much more detailed than subtitling, it gives the viewer complete information about a particular scene to learn or improve their knowledge of the respective language.

Absence of Sound

Closed captioning is also very helpful in sound-sensitive or noisy environments such as bars and restaurants to health clubs and airports,. Closed captions facilitate audiences to understand what is happening onscreen when either the background noise is too high or the TV volume is too low.

Example of sound effects in closed captioning

Improving Viewer’s Experience

Closed captions are best suited for heavy accented dialogues or if they are not clear. They enhance the experience of the viewer by laying out everything clearly.

Broadcasters, producers, and video programmers are joining hands to provide a better experience of content to their audiences by incorporating closed captions and subtitles to reach a wider audience.