Closed Caption Problems

Apr 27, 2016

Ivy Walker
By Ivy Walker

Hi Everyone,

I am a Storyline newbie and I am having a really hard time making closed captioning work the way I need it to.  I have watched multiple videos, but none address the issue I am having. 

As succinctly as possible, here is what I am trying to do: I have a video on one of my slides.  I only need CC for the video. BUT, CC needs to only be on if the user selects it and not on otherwise.  So, I used these two community posts to create the CC: http://blogs.articulate.com/rapid-elearning/how-to-add-closed-captions-to-storyline/ and https://www.articulate.com/support/storyline/how-to-create-closed-captioning-in-storyline . 

Here is the problem: if the learner does not hit the CC button that I created immediately upon moving to the page that contains the video, the caption timing will be off.  If the learner pauses the slide (and thereby the video), the captions keep rolling regardless.  Is there a way to fix this?

I've tried having the video play automatically so that slide timing and video timing are the same and I have tried having the video begin when the learner clicks it.  In either case, if CC isn't clicked immediately, the caption timing is off. And if the slide is paused, the captions keep rolling.

Thanks!

 

13 Replies
Walt Hamilton
almost 8 years ago04/27/16 at 11:41 pm (UTC)

I would break the video up into 1 to 2 minute chunks, on succeeding slides, set to advance to the next slide when the video completes.

Then use a variable to show the caption, and replenish it about every 30 seconds. Don't use the video controls, and put an invisible cover over the video, so the slide seekbar is the only way to pause the video, which will also pause the timing of the captioning.

Ashley Terwilliger-Pollard
almost 8 years ago04/28/16 at 2:53 pm (UTC)

Hi Ivy,

Welcome to the E-Learning Heroes community! In addition to Walt's suggestions, there are a number of other threads or articles I wanted to share here for you:

Ivy Walker
almost 8 years ago04/28/16 at 3:12 pm (UTC)

Hi Walt,

There has to be something I am missing.  Breaking up the video helped to limit caption timing issues within any given slide (video chunk) but the pause issue is still a problem  The only way to pause the video is by using the seek bar but for some odd reason, the captions continue to roll when the slide is paused. Since the captions are set based on slide timing, I don't know why that is. 

 

Ivy Walker
almost 8 years ago04/28/16 at 3:19 pm (UTC)

Hi Ashley,

Thanks for these links.  I didn't see anything in them that addresses the issues I mentioned above.  I already have my text files and using an alternative method like a notes panel really detracts for the user experience in this instance so I would prefer not to go that route.  Nor can I put the video on a site like YouTube and embed as a web object since the video contains client info that cannot be in the public domain  I have done what I am attempting to do using another platform and I am sure there is a way to do it with Storyline.  I am a newbie to this software so I know I must be missing something.

Walt Hamilton
almost 8 years ago04/28/16 at 3:29 pm (UTC)

What I envision is a fairly small text box (3 or 4 lines of text across the bottom of the slide) for the captions. In it put %CaptionText%, or the name of a text variable of your choice. Then build triggers:  Adjusts variable %CaptionText% =Assignment Value (This is the next text block for the CC) when timeline reaches (time or cue Point).

If the only way to pause the video is the seekbar, stopping the timeline will stop the text from changing.

 

 

 

Walt Hamilton
almost 8 years ago04/28/16 at 6:16 pm (UTC)

Ivy,

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but it looks like you may changing the variable based on the timeline of the layer, which is independent of the timeline of the base.

The seekbar shows only the timeline of the base, and when the user stops it, the timeline of the layer continues, even though the seekbar stops.

You will probably have to copy each of those triggers to the slide base so they are attached to the base timeline to get them to work.

A lot of SL objects have their own timeline, and the best option would be to attach the captions to times on the video, but unfortunately, video timelines are not accessible to triggers :(

Ivy Walker
almost 8 years ago04/28/16 at 6:32 pm (UTC)

Thank you so much, Walt.  The only thing I could come up with was that the layer timing had to be differing from the slide timing but I wasn't sure that could be the case since they are linked.  I appreciate your diligence in confirming that.

I originally had the captions on the slide with the video, but that meant they were showing at all times so I moved them to a layer.  It would seem that the best option is to have them showing at all times on the video slide so that the timing works as it should.

I sincerely appreciate all of your help!

 

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