Pre-recorded videos: professional captions

All audio and video produced at UTS receive automated captioning in Kaltura, which uses machine learning to produce captions synced to the audio track on playback and has an accuracy rate of around 90-95%.  

While this is a good starting point for general situations and can be manually edited by the content owner to improve accuracy, some students have identified requirements where the accuracy must be 100%.  

In these situations, UTS has access to a professional captioning service via the Accessibility Service, where people provide the captions to ensure they meet the 100% accuracy standard. This is also managed through the Kaltura media platform, available in Canvas.  

Upload a video or audio file produced by any program to Kaltura, or you can produce new recordings directly with Kaltura Capture. The resources below contain instructions for uploading your content:  

• Uploading your media files to Canvas with Kaltura My Media 
• Making screen and webcam recordings with Kaltura Capture  

If you need additional help with this, you can contact LX.lab for support. 

To request captions, open the relevant video or audio file via My Media, according to the instructions for accessing My Media in the links listed above. Once you’ve selected My Media, on the Media Information screen:  

1. Open the Actions menu  
2. Select + Caption & Enrich  

Next:

1. Select the dropdown menu under Service.
2. Change to Professional.  
3. Leave all Professional default settings as they are and select Submit.  

Upon submission, your request will go to a UTS moderator for approval. Once approved, captions should be delivered within 48 hours. You will receive a notification once your caption request is approved or rejected, and again once they are ready. You can check the status of any requests at any time by revisiting the same page:  

Once you have requested your professional captions, share the video with your class. Instructions for adding videos to your Canvas page can be found at:  

• Adding your media to a Canvas page with Kaltura Browse and Embed  

There are several things you can do to improve the accuracy of the captions including: 

1. High-quality audio: Capturing your audio using a microphone can help with the accuracy of your captions.  
2. Reduce background noise:  Record in a quiet space to limit unnecessary background noise that can interfere with your words. Keep doors and windows closed to minimise noise and interruptions.  
3. Speak clearly and steadily: This helps the captioner understand your words and helps the captions sync well with the time you’re speaking.