Newsroom Interface

When subtitling live programmes, it is necessary to deal with three kinds of information: link scripts, video packages and truly live items. Whilst it is possible to subtitle the whole programme "as live", text and timing accuracy can be improved by downloading and using the link scripts where available, as well as obtaining access to voice-over scripts for video packages or transcribing them in advance. The WinCAPS News interface to newsroom systems makes all this possible.

AutoTX and WinCAPS News help to automate scripted bulletins WinCAPS News can be configured to subscribe to a defined set of running orders, and to download each one to a shared WinCAPS file. The WinCAPS Multi-User Server handles rapid access to each run-order file by client workstations. As the story scripts are tidied up for subtitling, each user sees the updates made by other users. If a script is updated in the newsroom system, and the story has been tidied in the subtitle file, then the update is flagged for comparison with the latest subtitle version.

Changes to the running order are reflected automatically in the subtitle file, even while the programme is on air, so that subtitlers can work story-by-story when cueing the texts to air. Pre-scripted links can be mingled with real-time input for live sections, and with transcripts of video packages. Camera directions and other non-read material is filtered out from the incoming scripts to minimise preparation time. Automatic segmentation splits the text into readable subtitles based on linguistic and geometric rules that can be tuned for each language. If a late story appears it is segmented into subtitles fully automatically as the text is cued for transmission.

WinCAPS News supports the MOS protocol, and works with most of the popular newsroom systems including iNews and ENPS. It is integrated into two other products: firstly, the NewsOut system which republishes newsroom story data to a website or mobile phone service, with real-time updates. Secondly, the AutoTX system which incorporates the SysMedia Speech Follower so that subtitles for fully scripted bulletins can be broadcast automatically in time with the voice of the presenter.

<< Live Subtitling

Speech Recognition >>