субтитры sdh что значит
SDH Subtitles vs. Closed Captions: What’s the Difference?
“Tomato, tomahto.” That’s what people might think when seeing the words “subtitles” and “captions,” but, there actually is a difference. Before fully understanding the difference between subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing (SDH Subtitles) and closed captions, it is helpful to first understand the difference between subtitles and captions.
Subtitles vs. Closed Captions
How are they alike?
Both subtitles and closed captions are synchronized with the media so the text can be viewed at the same time the words are being spoken. Typically, both closed captions and subtitles can be turned on or off by the user.
How are they different?
Subtitles are intended for hearing viewers who do not understand the language. For this reason, subtitles only show the spoken content but not the sound effects or other audio elements. They are usually used to refer to translations, for instance, subtitles for a foreign film.
Closed captions, on the other hand, are meant for deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences. They communicate all audio information, including sound effects, speaker IDs, and non-speech elements. Closed captions are written in the source language of the video. They originated in the 1970s and are required by law for most video programming in the United States.
What Are Subtitles for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing?
So now that you know the similarities and differences between subtitles and closed captions, let’s add one more into the mix.
Subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing (SDH) are subtitles that combine the information of both captions and subtitles. They can be in the source language of the video, as they include important non-dialogue audio like sound effects and speaker identification. While normal subtitles assume the viewer can hear the audio but doesn’t know the spoken language, SDH assumes that the viewer cannot hear the audio (like with captions). In this case, subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing are intended to emulate closed captions on media that does not support closed captions, such as digital connections like HDMI. SDH subtitles can also be translated into foreign languages to make content accessible to the deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals who understand other languages.
The Difference Between SDH Subtitles and Closed Captions
| Subtitles | SDH | Closed Captions | |
| Synced with video |  | | |
| Can be turned on/off | | | |
| In source language | | | |
| Speaker Identification | | | |
| Sound effects | | | |
| Text appearance | Varies | Varies | Usually white text on black background |
| Onscreen placement | Centered lower bottom third | Centered lower bottom third | Varies |
| Encoding | Supported through HDMI | Supported through HDMI | Not supported through HDMI |
The Technicalities of SDH Subtitles
Appearance
Subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing differ from closed captions in a number of ways. The first difference is in appearance. Closed captions are typically displayed as white text on a black band, whereas SDH subtitles are usually displayed with the same proportional font as translated subtitles. More and more often, however, both subtitles and closed captions have user control options that allow the viewer to change the color, font, and size of the text.
How to Select the Right Closed Captioning Vendor
This white paper is designed to equip you with 10 crucial questions to ask to compare your options and find the right video accessibility solution for you.
Placement
Subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing and closed captions also differ in terms of placement. Closed captions can usually be aligned to different parts of the screen, which is helpful for speaker identification, overlapping conversation, and avoiding interference with important on-screen activity. SDH subtitle text is usually centered and locked in the lower bottom third of the screen.
Encoding
The biggest difference between subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing and closed captions is that they are encoded differently. While closed captions are encoded as a stream of commands, control codes, and text, subtitles are often encoded as bitmap images – a series of tiny dots or pixels.
The difference between SDH subtitles and closed captions was made particularly apparent by the move from analog TVs to high-definition media. Blu-ray, as well as other HD disc media, do not support closed captioning but will support SDH subtitles.
So while shifting from analog to digital TV gave us a crystal clear picture and uninterrupted sound, it also brought about major difficulties for Closed Captioning (CC).
Enabling CC on an analog TV was simple – the TV did all the CC decoding. With the introduction of digital HDTV services (cable, satellite, etc.) the responsibility of decoding CC was put into the Set-Top Boxes. To make matters more confusing, all of these Set-Top Boxes have different ways of enabling CC. Even though all set-top boxes are required to support CC, the implementation can vary significantly between products, causing a great deal of confusion.
Subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing provide accessibility for HD disc media. Just as closed captions are beneficial to people who aren’t Deaf or hard of hearing, SDH subtitles make content more accessible to a wide range of people by:
It should be noted, however, that subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing do not satisfy the FCC’s requirements for closed captioning of broadcast video. For this reason, in addition to the ever-changing technology, it seems reasonable to believe that SDH subtitles may become obsolete in the not-so-distant future.
Watch our Captioning Webinar with 3Play Media webinar to get a full picture of closed captioning 101:
Want more info? Watch our webinar:
This post was originally published by Lily Bond on May 21, 2014 as “How Subtitles for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (SDH) Differ From Closed Captions”, and has since been updated for accuracy, clarity, and freshness.
Further Reading
How to Remove YouTube’s Automatic Captions
After uploading a video to YouTube, you may notice that YouTube’s automatic captions are turned on. Regardless of whether you’ve uploaded your own captions or have created captions with YouTube’s transcription interface, the platform will still display auto captions as an option…
How Much Do Closed Captioning Services Cost? (And Why Price Isn’t Everything)
Video is a valuable business and communication tool for organizations across many industries. However, videos without closed captions are inaccessible to over 430 million people worldwide with hearing loss. As global video production and consumption rates continue to increase, organizations must provide…
How to Translate Videos into Foreign Languages
As the world continues to become more interconnected, it’s important to create content that has the ability to reach a global audience – which often entails translating your video content to a foreign language. Technology has given people around the world access…
What Does SDH Mean?
Understanding Subtitles for the Deaf or Hard of Hearing (SDH)
Subtitles originally helped non-native audiences understand the language spoken in a video. But, gradually, they have evolved to make video content accessible to a wider group of people. Subtitles for the Deaf or Hard of Hearing, or SDH, are one example. By providing more than just standard dialogue, they give people with hearing impairments a richer viewing experience.
What is SDH?
SDH is the most complete form of subtitle you can use. It not only details actors’ speech, but features non-verbal sounds like laughter and music. Plus, it can identify individual speakers through colors, names or alignment.
SDH subtitles are intended for viewers who are deaf, Deaf or hard-of-hearing. The lowercase “deaf” is the term for not being able to hear. The uppercase “Deaf” refers to deaf people who communicate through sign language and are actively engaged in the Deaf community. “Hard-of-hearing” describes a person who has mild to severe hearing loss.
These subtitles are a relatively new invention kickstarted in countries like the U.S. and UK when digital formats like DVDs became popular. Closed captions (CC) — an FCC-mandated form of subtitling — weren’t supported by these formats, so SDH was born.
People with hearing loss can get the same experience as hearing viewers, thanks to SDH. The dialogue, sound effects and speaker tags appear at precise times. Viewers can then get a feel for the scene’s atmosphere and emotion.
SDH subtitle files are also unique because they can contain both sound and language information. This is ideal for native speakers, plus those who don’t speak the language of the video.
The difference between SDH subtitles and closed captions
People often confuse SDH subtitles and closed captions. Unlike regular subtitles, neither assume the audience can hear, so they include non-verbal details to help viewers better understand what they’re watching.
But closed captions and SDH do have several differences:
The following could be described as SDH or a closed caption. But its color, font and timing would differ for each method:
[phone rings from the bedroom]
Sarah: Just let me get that.
Creating SDH subtitles with Rev
Increasing the accessibility of your videos can broaden your reach in more ways than one. More than 450 million people have hearing loss across the globe. SDH subtitles can enrich their lives, and help them engage with your videos and amplify your message. You can gain the same benefits from foreign language speakers and those without the ability to play audio too.
Our SDH service steers clear of error-filled automated technology. Instead, we use real people to create accurate SDH subtitles for your video content. We’ll work to meet your exact needs and welcome any glossaries, scripts and notes that help us do just that.