CC help? Broadcaster unable to use .scc files

norgeworks wrote on 4/25/2011, 9:36 PM

After a long hiatus from Vegas I'm exploring coming back for the enhanced Closed Captioning support (CC).

Initially the company I was sending files to was going to use anystream (which supports .scc). Now they are not, and I'm told they require files in one of the following formats:

ProCap, NCI, TDS, CIN, Cheetah Cap.

I can't seem to find a way to export captions from Vegas into any of these formats. Nor can I find a way to convert my existing .scc file either!

I called in a favor to have my .scc file converted to .cap by a friend who has a caption maker license, but that isn't an acceptable workflow going forward. Nor is purchasing caption maker!

The studio only wants a caption file emailed to them--they have their own QC suites with operators who scrutinize the output as its created, so offering to do the encode/muxing for them isn't an option they'll entertain.

Help me think outside the box here. Is there any way to get Vegas to play nicely with the formats they've listed?

Thanks!

(PS - it was amusing watching people drool over the FCPX reveal--showcasing things we've had since the Sonic Foundry days! ;)

Comments

JohnnyRoy wrote on 4/26/2011, 5:12 PM

> "I can't seem to find a way to export captions from Vegas into any of these formats. Nor can I find a way to convert my existing .scc file either!"

That's probably because those formats are proprietary and require software developers pay a licensing fee just to use them so you won't see any free software making the conversion for you. I was going to try and write you a small converter but there were no free specs on these formats that I could find. :(

I would recommend you change companies and let your old company know it's because they don't accept industry standard .scc files.

I can highly recommend CaptionMax for captioning. They not only accept Vegas Pro .scc files but they also accept Sony MXF files if you need to get HDCAM tapes made. (most post houses only accept QuickTime files)

We used CaptionMax to caption all 13 episodes in the first season of the new PBS series "Painting & Travel with Roger and Sarah Bansemer" using the new VASST Caption Assistant plug-in and they were a great company to work with.

You can read more about the show which was edited entirely with Vegas Pro in this months Sony Newsletter.

~jr

norgeworks wrote on 4/26/2011, 6:42 PM

Thanks for the response! I am bidding on providing captioning for a few of their material(s), so I don't really want to tell them to go with CaptionMax, as good as they may be.. ;)

"I was going to try and write you a small converter but there were no free specs on these formats that I could find."

Would converting between .txt formatting be easier? I spoke with one of their guys at length and they can use text files that have been converted by ProCap (they use Procap Converter in conjunction with some Evertz hardware).

My text files look like:

[00:07:58.81] I do the fashion show,
[00:08:00.61] you stay over tonight. [00:08:01.66]
[00:08:03.48] You're the ultimate boyfriend.

Theirs:

\ TC: 01:04:40.24 ¶÷1420÷1420÷142E÷142E÷1472÷1472WHO ARE YOU?÷142F÷142F
\ TC: 01:04:41.23 ¶÷1420÷1420÷142E÷142E÷1472÷1472÷1139÷1139JANE, CAN THIS WAIT?÷142F÷142F
\ TC: 01:04:44.01 ¶÷1420÷1420÷142E÷142E÷147A÷147A÷1139÷1139NO.§00÷142F÷142F
\ TC: 01:04:45.29 ¶÷142C÷142C

Any way to convert my .scc file into a text file that matches what they're looking for? When I export a .txt from Vegas it seems to lose all the formatting that the .scc contains (meant solely for QT it seems), while theirs comes across as a bunch of different codes.

For instance ¶÷142C÷142C seems to equate with {EDM}.

I can make the whole caption file available via PM if you wish. I'd be very interested in making this process work.

CaptionGuy wrote on 4/27/2011, 7:03 AM

Your text file looks like QuickTime QText file. It can easily be done in Vegas Pro 10 and up.

Launch Vegas, go File->Import->Closed Captioning...-> select the .scc file, after import, you see caption markers.

Now go Tools->Scripting->Export Closed Captioning for QuickTime.
After export, you open the .txt file you will see what you want.

norgeworks wrote on 4/27/2011, 6:41 PM

Thanks for the help CaptionGuy.

I guess I must be explaining this poorly...

The Quicktime Text file is in fact what *I* created with the methods you describe. What I need to do is export a file that is compatible with:

ProCap, NCI, TDS, CIN, Cheetah Cap or a specifically formatted .TXT file.

The amount of info exported by Vegas into the Quicktime QText file is insufficient to trigger their Evertz gear. And the formatting is completely different. I got a sample file that was originally a .cap file, run through ProCap and spit out as a .TXT file.

They can use this text file as a new master, negating the need to work with .cap.

My hope is that there is a way for Vegas to export the type of info that is contained in a .scc into a .txt file that will be formatted the same as if it had been converted with ProCap.

Am I making sense?

Or alternatively perhaps there is a way to script a conversion to the type of .txt file ProCap/Evertz is expecting...

Former user wrote on 4/27/2011, 6:46 PM

ccextractor has many little modules for converting between some CC formats. It is all command line stuff, but you might search and see if there is a tool that will get you a file that you can use.

Dave T2

norgeworks wrote on 4/27/2011, 7:44 PM

Thanks for the tip regarding ccextrator. I've emailed them about it. We'll see what they have to say...doesn't look like it does quite what I need at this point in time, but I could be wrong.

And command-line is no problem. Hell, I'll reinstall linux to get this working if I need to!

farss wrote on 4/27/2011, 8:23 PM

I was going to say anyone with basic VB skills should be able to write something for you IF all the was required was to convert one text file into one of a different format however something seems to be missing.
For example your output"

"[00:08:00.61] you stay over tonight. [00:08:01.66]"

That seems to have TC in HH:MM:SS.SS in and out, that's fine.

But their output:
"\ TC: 01:04:41.23 ¶÷1420÷1420÷142E÷142E÷1472÷1472÷1139÷1139JANE, CAN THIS WAIT?÷142F÷142F"
seems to contain more than just the text which is what I though a CC file should specify i.e. position and colour.

Bob.

CaptionGuy wrote on 4/27/2011, 8:48 PM

You may take a look at the script file "Export Closed Captioning for QuickTime.cs" under Vegas\Script Menu. You can make a copy and
modify to export ProCap file.

Instead of CommandParameter (caption text), you work with
CommandComment (caption markup).
{RCL} will be 1420, it is repeated due to old air transmission was not reliable. {EOC} is 142F. These codes are for CC1.

If you are willing, please email me a ProCap file, so I can come up a script to export ProCap file from Vegas Caption markers.

norgeworks wrote on 4/27/2011, 8:50 PM

Sure. That's why going from a Vegas exported (quicktime) text file probably won't work--it just doesn't have enough source info to begin with. You'd have to convert from a .SCC that contains (I assume) positioning information etc.

Alternatively, all that info exists on the timeline, and in the Vegas Commands viewport. Seeing as Vegas can utilize scripts, would it be possible to convert to that wonky-formatted text file formatting from within Vegas?

If need be I could cook up a "conversion table" of sorts by watching what those captions look like when displayed. Or perhaps its obvious to someone more familiar with captioning...

norgeworks wrote on 4/27/2011, 8:56 PM

CaptionGuy - check your PMs. Thanks!

CaptionGuy wrote on 4/28/2011, 8:14 PM

If you just need ProCap caption text file so as to use ProCap to embed caption into MPEG2 video, please hold on, the coming 10.0D
has full caption support for MPEG2.

Anyway, I had written the script to export CC as ProCap caption text file. Who else needs it, just PM me.

norgeworks wrote on 4/28/2011, 10:22 PM

Great news about the MPEG2 support!

That will help me in other areas--still need the script though as this client only accepts external caption files--they keep their studio masters in house and cannot outsource the MPEG2 encoding due to studio restrictions. Nor could they release them to me to mux them into their file(s).

I'm stuck providing just a .txt file--but your script looks VERY promising in this regard! Thank you so much!!!