[Athen] FW: WGBH Releases "CC for Flash" - Free Tool to Simplify Captioning for Flash

[Pratik Patel]

March 8, 2007

WGBH Access Division Creates "CC for Flash" to 
Simplify Captioning for Adobe Flash Technology

Accessibility and Search Enhanced by Free Tool; 
Easy-to-Embed Flash-Based-Media Player also Available

Use of AdobeR FlashR technology to add dynamic 
and engaging video content to Web sites is 
growing exponentially. With WGBH's new solution, 
developers are able to more easily add captions 
in Flash. Now, millions of users who are deaf or 
hard of hearing are better able to experience 
Web-based video in Flash and search engines are 
able to capitalize on captions as search metadata for SWF content.

WGBH, Boston's public broadcaster and a 
decades-long pioneer in developing access 
solutions to media for audiences with 
disabilities has created a component for Flash, 
CC for Flash, that can be authored into any SWF 
file for playback in Adobe Flash Player.  The 
component is easy to use, and freely available 
from the NCAM Web site at http://ncam.wgbh.org/webaccess/ccforflash.

Funding for development of CC for Flash was 
provided by a grant to WGBH's Carl and Ruth 
Shapiro Family National Center for Accessible 
Media (NCAM) from the NEC Foundation of America, 
with additional support provided by Yahoo!

CC for Flash: The Details

. Uses external files produced in the W3C's 
Distribution Format Exchange Profile (DFXP) of the Timed-Text Authoring
Format.

. Imports existing formats such as Apple 
QuickTime's QTtext, with support for Microsoft's SAMI format soon to follow.

. Exposes many of its internal functions through 
ActionScriptTM language so that the author can 
control and customize many of the features.

. Can play back caption metadata that has been 
embedded in the video by tools such as Captionate.

. Can be linked to any video playback components 
in Flash or directly to Netstream objects in the SWF of the FLV file.

. Allows the author to set the caption display 
box coordinates and default text attributes, like 
background color, text foreground color, font 
face and size, opacity, etc., at authoring time. 
At playback time, any text attributes that are 
explicitly defined in the external caption file will override the defaults.

. Captions can be added after the video content 
in Flash is posted, allowing for flexibility 
across production and distribution environments.

. Allows captions to be searched.

. Comes with an optional player, ccPlayer for 
Flash, which allows those unfamiliar with Flash 
programming to embed video content in Flash into 
a Web page with minimal effort.

. Is compatible with Flash MX2004 (7) and 8 authoring packages.

A Best Friend for CC for Flash: MAGpie

MAGpie, NCAM's free do-it-yourself captioning and 
description application allows developers to 
create captions once, and then to output those 
captions in multiple formats, including QuickTime, Windows Media, and Real.

NCAM has now added the W3C's new timed-text 
format, the Distribution Format Exchange Profile 
(DFXP), to MAGpie's caption export options. 
MAGpie version 2.0.2 is the only tool available 
today for authoring DFXP caption files.  With 
MAGpie and CC for Flash, it's now easier than 
ever to provide captions for Flash Player compatible video content.

WGBH's Media Access Group can also provide Flash 
caption authoring services for long-form content 
not easily handled by MAGpie, and for producers 
who would rather outsource their captioning work. 
WGBH's Media Access Group, since 1972 the leader 
in providing captioning and description to the 
broadcast, film, educational and online media 
worlds, is now the first organization that can 
provide DFXP captions for Flash presentations.

About NCAM and WGBH

The Carl and Ruth Shapiro Family National Center 
for Accessible Media at WGBH is a research, 
development and advocacy entity that works to 
make existing and emerging technologies 
accessible to all audiences. NCAM is part of the 
Media Access Group at WGBH, which also includes 
The Caption Center (est. 1972), and Descriptive 
Video ServiceR (est. 1990).  For more information, visit access.wgbh.org.

WGBH Boston is America's preeminent public 
broadcasting producer, the source of fully 
one-third of PBS's prime-time lineup, along with 
some of public television's best-known lifestyle 
shows and children's programs and many public 
radio favorites. WGBH is the number one producer 
of Web sites on pbs.org, one of the most 
trafficked dot-org Web sites in the world. For 
more information, visit www.wgbh.org.

Adobe, ActionScript and Flash are either 
trademarks or registered trademarks of Adobe 
Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries.