More On Closed Captioning – PodcastingTricks.com

A while ago I talked about closed captioning and transcribing podcasts and invited feedback. Here’s one e-mail (slightly edited for length and clarity) that I received which my readers may find helpful…

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“If you know of any tried and true captioning options that are less expensive or otherwise unique, send me an e-mail to info@podcastingtricks.com and if I think they’re interesting or inexpensive enough I will note them in a future post.”

Hello,

I am Israel Melendez and I produce what appears to be the only closed-captioned video podcast. This is not an easy thing to implement. I am referring to closed captions since open captions are on-screen subtitles that are always present.

I decided to caption my podcast to reach a larger audience since it is narrated in Spanish. It is working out fine. I have discovered there is an immense audience looking for captioned material: the hearing impaired.

Like I mentioned, captioning requires a lot of work. For example, in my last episode (15 minutes long), it took me eight hours to translate and code captions in it. Not everybody can spare eight hours for a hobby. Captioning software is very limited and most programs are outdated.

It all began with an earlier version of QuickTime that allowed the addition of text tracks. It got people interested and you can still find old web-based captioned programs. When I started my podcast, a friend suggested I do it in English, but since English is a second language to me, I decided captioning was a better alternative. Since there are plenty of technology shows in English, I wanted to address the Spanish speaking “tecnocatos” (tech-addicts).

I currently use Textation for Mac. Although it needs an upgrade, it is the best I have found. It has not been upgraded for some time… maybe if captioning gets popular again, some will come up with better solutions. I also used LiveStage to create a QuickTime sprite that turns the captions on and off. Anybody with a copy of QuickTime Pro can extract the sprite and use it with their own creations. Mine is “beta” but works.

I invite you to check out my podcast at:

http://www.tecnocato.com

Sincerely,

Israel Meléndez

tecnocato video podcast (CC)

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My sincere thanks go to Israel for sending this e-mail. Considering the amount of feedback I received about this issue, I think it deserves additonal coverage.

Who’s Got Your Back? – PodcastingTricks.com

I received a frantic e-mail this weekend from a new client. She’s so new, I haven’t even started on the research she asked me to do. She had already recorded five podcasts before meeting me and now she can’t find them. Turns out her son may have accidentally erased them from her hard drive. Since she had not yet uploaded these to her host, she had no backup copy. With her permission, I am sharing this incident because it brings home a good point. Have a backup plan.

Most podcasters rely on their host as their backup. You create a show, upload it and figure, well if it gets lost on my drive, I can always go get it from the host. But what if the host doesn’t keep shows past a certain date or they have a failure?

I think it’s prudent to have at least one physical backup in addition to the copy you send to your hosting solution.

My workflow goes something like this.

1) I make a backup copy of the GarageBand original file and send that to an external hard disk, and leave a copy on my personal server.

2) I send a copy of the finished compressed podcast to my host, and then again, make an additional copy for my external hard disk and leave a copy on my personal server.

3) I make an extra backup copy on DVD of each show.

Using this system, I am relatively sure that I can get to my older shows if need be no matter what. I do want to caution that saving shows to DVD is not something you want to do if you are archiving. DVDs (and CDs for that matter) are for short-term backups only. There’s mounting evidence that these formats degrade over time. So understand that there’s a difference between backup and archive and plan accordingly.

Übercaster Update – PodcastingTricks.com

Übercaster’s beta launch is less than two days away and they’ve posted some new tutorial movies in their movies section.

The first movie shows how to produce a basic podcast with Übercaster. In the second and thrid movie you’ll see some more advanced features, like creating an enhanced podcast and recording a Skype audio chat.

You Can Opt Out Of Podshow – PodcastingTricks.com

In case you haven’t heard, MTV VJ Adam Curry founded a company called Podshow, a company that among other things, runs a much-hyped podcasting directory. It created a lot of buzz when it received venture funding earlier this year.
Podshow got off to a rocky start when rumors began to circulate on the Internet about the company’s practice of “hijacking feeds.” This means that Podshow was changing the feeds of podcasters in such a way that the original content was modified without the podcaster’s permission.

Podshow claimed it was all a mistake.

I went to their site and realized that there is a trade off to being listed in their directory. They run lots of ads around the podcasting content they present, whether they own the show involved or not. In fact, it’s hard to tell a Podshow podcast from a non-podshow podcast.
After the hijacking incident and my realization that my show could be used to make them money, I contacted Podshow and advised them that use of my intellectual property without my permission was prosecutable under the US Copyright Act. They took my shows off their network (about two weeks later.)

So the moral of the story is this. You don’t have to let Podshow or any directory present your podcast if you don’t want them to. You can opt out. That doesn’t mean you have to or even should. Many podcasters will no doubt benefit from a Podshow relationship. I have no intention of forming any judgment at this time as to the motives of the company. I cast no aspersions on them. I simply don’t want them to make money off my podcast without sharing it with me.

This is something podcasters need to pay attention to. When you submit your podcast to ANY podcast directory, be sure to see how it’s presented, check to see that your original content is protected and then decide if the exposure the directory offers is worth the trade off.

New Podcast Available – PodcastingTricks.com

It seems natural to me that some of my readers would be curious about my own podcast. So I am using this space today to announce that the latest episode of the iLifeZone Podcast (Episode 4) is available for download by free subscription through the iTunes Music Store. Check it out.

Compact Digital Recorder For Sale – PodcastingTricks.com

FOR SALE – M-Audio Microtrack – See my ad on Ebay.

I took the big leap and bought the Sony PCM-D1 and I’ll have a full review on that unit next week. In the mean time, someone will get a good deal on my old recorder.

Noise Problems – PodcastingTricks.com

NOTE: Cross posted at O’Reilly Digital Media

I get lots of email from new podcasters. And without question, one of the main complaints I hear relates to noise. People using small digital field recorders to record their podcasts seem to have particular problems with noise.

In most cases, these are simple environmental noise problems like unbalanced AC power sources, air conditioners, fans, fluorescent lights and other environmental factors that can ruin your recordings. The fix is usually simple.

Try to use balanced AC or use power conditioners. Make sure that you don’t locate your recorder near an AC power source, fluorescent lights or mobile phones during recording.

Turn off any electrical item in the room that you don’t need. Turn off fans and air conditioners.

Make sure you have good clean cables and that they are properly inserted. Don’t cross instrument or mic cables and power cables.

These are very basic responses to a basic problem. Give them a try first before you go to extreme measures that involve spending money.

And by the way, if you want a more detailed look at this, go to “Seven Steps to Noise-Free Digital Audio.“