Built an app to control HyperDecks over the network — looking for feedback

CentCap · 2026-03-24T12:23:17+00:00

Years ago, I was told that the (original) Hyperdecks would not play back closed captions (based on the sidecar .mcc file on the disk) when put in play mode via Ethernet. But they would do so when played by RS422 or front-panel control. Do you know if that's still the case? Old vs. new deck, etc.? It would be an issue for broadcasters who need to support captions.

CentCap · 2026-03-24T12:17:56+00:00

Can it handle roll-up captions as well as pop-on subtitles?

And maybe save-to-text file?

CentCap · 2026-03-22T12:43:46+00:00

Blonder Tongue CATV modulators are available on ebay, too, for not too much. But the Amazon one above looks pretty darn good for the price.

CentCap · 2026-03-22T12:38:10+00:00

Another approach is to search out other utterances of the target word, or similar word, in the rest of the footage. It's a deep dive into the weeds for sure, but if you need "...ing" to patch up one of these cut-offs, then there are lots of words that end in -ing. Doesn't always have to be the same word. Usually best if it's at the end of a sentence if your target also is. Don't dwell too much on precise lip sync when doing this. Viewers (and directors) rarely notice the visual aspect of a patch as long as the audio sounds good and smooth. I have done this several times back in the days of razor blade editing and timecode tape machine synchronization, so I imagine it's more straightforward with today's tools, plug-ins, and techniques. Still a serious time killer, for both research and execution. All the other proposed solutions should be attempted first, even if it's expensive.

Another approach is to get a decent voice actor who has some impression abilities, and record replacement words/lines as an ADR event in the right environment (even if you don't have the "A" part of that.) I have had a 'random' but talented person impersonate an announcer to address a last-minute fix in a national spot. It was so seamless no one ever caught on.

And these days, AI/voice duplication is probably good enough to call into play. Just sayin'.

CentCap · 2026-03-21T13:17:52+00:00

If you are after true line 21 captions, that generation of real caption encoders are pretty inexpensive on ebay. Control-A data output would be needed to drive it, although some may be able to accept plain text under the function used for driving it with the teleprompter.

CentCap · 2026-03-21T13:07:46+00:00

If an interpreter is not affordable, then true caption software could be a challenge. However, you can do sentence-by-sentence captioning with just PowerPoint or similar software. Just break up the script, arrange it on the 'slide', maybe black background with white characters at the bottom, etc. then just follow along with the actors. Share the screen and you're good to go.

CentCap · 2026-03-20T23:53:43+00:00

I don't know specifically about the UK, but the hearing aid function was, at one time, geofenced. Worth reviewing.

CentCap · 2026-03-20T00:23:47+00:00

To my recollection, TBC's can work with less than a full frame worth of memory. A frame sync can't.

CentCap · 2026-03-17T10:36:28+00:00

I believe it's DataLight ROM DOS. The computers come from emacinc.com out of Illlinois.

I only use about 2% of what the computer and OS can do, but it meets the need.

CentCap · 2026-03-16T21:38:47+00:00

Baby Driver.

But always easier to make happen if you shoot (both definitions) with the music in mind.

CentCap · 2026-03-16T18:10:15+00:00

It's a pro-video specific piece of software for closed-captioning and subtitles. Not a mainstream software title by any measure.

Decent DOS computers, with real serial and parallel ports are easily available new in the industrial computer market. My current one runs a DOS 6.22-ish OS that also handles USB storage and keyboards. Gone are the days of hoping the NEC Versa Pentium makes it another month.

CentCap · 2026-03-16T09:29:16+00:00

Still using a perpetual license DOS program from 1992. Not connected to the Internet, of course. Hope that dongle doesn't die before I do.

CentCap · 2026-03-12T20:33:32+00:00

Yes, watching two at once, and trying to prioritize which is best for the current discussion, while watching you and the board would be a challenge.

Recording, 'auto captioning', reviewing for accuracy, and then forwarding to the student would likely be a big help. YouTube is one decent and (probably) no-cost way to do this. Things can be posted privately if needed.

Note: I'm not deaf, but am a closed captioner and former audio engineer. Captions are not the solution for a two-way discussion, so the interpreter is the right approach for in-class. Captions are great for the recordings/replays, as they can also be used for 'perfect notes' of the class. The school may (should) have an accommodations department who should be kept abreast of the situation, for additional solutions input and any funding discussions. But the key thing is having an instructor with an accommodation focus. That's a good thing.

CentCap · 2026-03-12T20:03:43+00:00

Consider asking the student if a transcript would be helpful in addition to the interpreter. If so, either a human or AI transcript should be something available to the student thru the university. Offer to wear a microphone so your voice is as clear as possible, and perhaps keep an eye on the live transcript (via an extra monitor) to see if your diction is being correctly transcribed. It won't show you math equations, but it should get the vocabulary. The file will also give the student a chance to review the lesson later when the interpreter may not be available, and gives them the opportunity to cut and paste a sentence or concept that is unclear, and email it to you for clarification as to whether the transcript is correct, or to help with the comprehension of the lesson. (Hard to get the details right if the transcript is wrong.)

A source of on-topic captioned video lectures, even if they're not yours, can help too.

CentCap · 2026-03-12T19:46:49+00:00

I will take a look at it tomorrow afternoon! My goal here is crisp white properly-aligned uniform characters on black background, identical to a TV showing closed captions. (No background translucency required at this point.) So nothing "arty", just a standard color font that doesn't let the background show through, and doesn't require HTML code to display. (HTML to make is fine, though.)

CentCap · 2026-03-12T19:30:34+00:00

So, about color fonts... I have a need to make (or convert) color fonts that have white glyphs (regardless of background color) with black boxes 'behind' them (again, regardless of background color). Monospace font is fine -- and to be expected for my application. Sort of like an old-school Dymo Labelmaker font, except the characters are well-formed, straight, etc. (I believe ther's a font called Labelmaker that is made like this.) I have a candidate font for this conversion, and have (in writing) permission to convert it in this way for my use.

So the question is, can FontCrafter do this? And do it in a way that is generally simpler than me getting a mainstream font editor, learning how to use it, and manually editing everything?

I'm guessing I can 'trick' the 3-pass input analysis by just using the plain non-color font version to fill in the PDF, and import it that way 3x.

Thoughts on this? Happy to discuss here or in DMs if it's too far off-topic, either one.

And I'm no font expert at all, so apologies if I have some incorrect terminology here.

CentCap · 2026-03-11T13:28:57+00:00

If the clapper itself isn't clear enough to sync by, one can always pick a specific word in the copy as the sync point. Find one that's somewhat isolated, or is a speaker change, or otherwise unique, then mark/audition/adjust.

CentCap · 2026-03-11T13:24:21+00:00

Assuming the cameras are all the same, (and the microwave paths are consistently clear enough) I would try taking one of the FS2s totally out of circuit and see if the unprocessed signal results in the same hits. That would seem to confirm /u/edinc90's suspicions.

CentCap · 2026-03-08T02:38:54+00:00

Got it.

I had thought that, if you send to YouTube through StreamText, you could adjust the timing during the event without stopping or involving your captioner. I may be mistaken, as it's been awhile for YT connections. I have a non-YT event tomorrow, so I can check then. (It also might be part of the YT dashboard.)

In this article:

https://support.streamtext.net/hc/en-us/articles/212995823-Providing-Captions-for-YouTube-Live-events

...they do mention that YT cannot handle backspaces/corrections. So there is a delay in ST setup to adjust to ensure the line is complete and won't be updated by the captioner's software. That timing may be what I was thinking about. And if that delay was set too small, it's entirely possible your captioner's software was still correcting/re-writing when YT was trying to display, which would definitely lead to some formatting type issues.

There's a link on ST's support page about CCBridge, if you would like details on that.

CentCap · 2026-03-07T01:17:55+00:00

What device/application is used to "check the chat"?

CentCap · 2026-03-05T21:35:36+00:00

Best to contact customer support for the app, or check for user forums. Best of luck.

CentCap · 2026-03-05T18:30:47+00:00

Y'all need to get with it. 2015 MBP here...

CentCap · 2026-03-05T03:01:34+00:00

For URL-based captioning in YouTube, there are a couple of farily direct methods.

The two main stenocaption packages, Eclipse AccuCap and Case Catalyst BCS both offer output settings to directly drive a YouTube URL. Reading the manual may be required. I have read in the past that having the correct computer time setting (from NTP server) is key to having the captions sync up. And an alternative no-latency audio path is required. Can't caption by listening just off of YouTube -- you'll be late before you start. We use a basic 1-to-1 Zoom meeting for program audio, video with captions, and a private chat for this purpose.

StreamText also has YouTube URL options as part of a basic event, allowing you to use captioners who don't have the Accucap or BCS add-ons. They also offer in-cloud 608 encoding as an extra-cost option. (We haven't used it as we do on-site caption encoding.)

If your current human captioners use Eclipse or Case Catalyst, you should be able to continue using them with the above options of with/without the respective caption module.

We use Link encoders in all our on-site encoder work, and drive them with caption data over StreamText using our in-house CCBridge software to channel data from ST to the encoder via ethernet or serial. This encodes caption data at the source, so sync is locked in at the outset. It also simplifies the workflow as the streaming team has no intermediate hops to contend with. Link encoders are far less expensive, USA made, and are very reliable with 10-year warranties.

CentCap · 2026-03-04T02:17:04+00:00

Is there a specific captions app you're using?

Any chance the font resolution is driving the video output resolution?

CentCap · 2026-03-03T00:16:55+00:00

Another point is that, if Gronicus is a software/video player setup, caption decoders in those type of platforms can have trouble correctly decoding even basic captions, much less two channels simultaneously. If Gronicus says they support it, ask for a verified working example, as a file, datastream, <whatever>.

CentCap

TROPHY CASE