CaptionCast: Live Captions for Browsers and Mobile

Looking for the CaptionCast Event page? Click HERE and enter the unique Event Code, when prompted, to view the captions for your desired event.

What is CaptionCast?

CaptionCast is a web-based tool that streams live captioning to smartphones, tablets, and desktop computers. With CaptionCast, you choose how you want your captions to be displayed - attendees who want and need a companion text feed can use their own mobile devices, or event organizers can provide a text display on one or more screens. CaptionCast is fully compatible with common workflows for live video closed captioning, making accessibility compliance in stadiums, arenas, conference centers, and other large-scale venues convenient and efficient.

CaptionCast can use real-time text sourced from a human stenographer, automatic captioning systems, teleprompters, or any other feed that is compatible with standard live video closed captioning encoders.

What Hardware is Needed?

CaptionCast can broadcast the real-time text output of any EEG hardware encoder (model HD492 or similar), EEG Falcon or Alta software encoders, or other iCap partner product. CaptionCast text will be 1-2 seconds behind the live encoder output.

Looking to use CaptionCast without any other closed captioning products for video embedding or streaming? You can use the free EEG "iCap Audio Webcast" Windows software, which takes an audio input source on your PC and transmits it directly to a transcription service of your choice. The captions that the transcription service creates from your audio will then appear directly on your CaptionCast page.

Additional types of audio sources, as well as uploading a source from a Linux or Mac computer, can be accomplished by adding a basic subscription to the EEG Falcon service, and free RTMP upload software such as OBS (Open Broadcaster Software).

How it Works

If you are the event creator, you can set up an event for CaptionCast by visiting the iCap Admin website. You should have an iCap Access Code set up before proceeding. In the CaptionCast tab, click the Add button above the grid to create an Event ID. You can specify whether a welcome text banner will appear when a new browser begin viewing the event; you may decide this while creating your event or by editing the Event ID later.

Once you have set up an Event ID, visit the CaptionCast website and sign in using the Event ID you just created. If you have set a banner, it should appear on the caption view window shortly, followed by captions. Because only people who know the unique CaptionCast Event ID can see the text, you can choose whether to keep it private or publicize it to your audience.

If you share the Event ID, you can direct event attendees to view the text on their own mobile devices by visiting the EEG CaptionCast website and entering the event code. No additional per-user setup is required from the event organizer.

Alternatively, event organizers can embed the CaptionCast page with their specific live content as an “iframe” on the event’s own website or app by replacing “eegtest” in the following sample CaptionCast link (https://captioncast.eegicap.com/CaptionDisplay.html?event_code=eegtest) with the customer Event ID.

Or, for large screen viewing at the event, on-site production staff could open the CaptionCast website in a full-screen web browser and display it at the venue, either standalone on screens or as an overlay with other content. (Overlaying the CaptionCast will require an external video mixer.)