I don’t often do posts where I just link to or re-present content that appears elsewhere on the web, but I’m going to make an exception in this case, with a an extended preview to a link on Martin Hawksey’s MASHe blog…
Somewhen last year, I started to explore how we might use a Twitter backchannel as a way of capturing subtitle like commentary for recordings of live presentations (e.g. Twitter Powered Subtitles for Conference Audio/Videos on Youtube, Twitter Powered Youtube Subtitles, Reprise: Anytime Commenting, Easier Twitter Powered Subtitles for Youtube Movies). Further progress toward freestanding subtitles stalled for want of a SMIL like player that could replay timestamped text files.
Anyway, whilst I was watching Virtual Revolution over the weekend (and pondering the question of Broadcast Support – Thinking About Virtual Revolution) I started thinking again about replaying twitter streams alongside BBC iPlayer content, and wondering whether this could form part of a content enrichment strategy for OU/BBC co-productions.
I had a little more luck finding text replayers this time, for example here: Accessible HTML5 Video with JavaScripted captions and here: smiltext-javascript (I found that “timed text” is a handy search phrase), but no time to explore further…
…and then this:
which leads to a how to post on Twitter powered subtitles for BBC iPlayer in which Martin “come[s] up with a way to allow a user to replay a downloaded iPlayer episode subtitling it with the tweets made during the original broadcast.”
This builds on my Twitter powered subtitling pattern to create a captions file for downloaded iPlayer content using the W3C Timed Text Authoring Format. A video on the Martin’s post shows the twitter subtitles overlaying the iPlayer content in action.
AWESOME :-)
This is exactly it’s worth blogging half baked ideas – because sometimes they come back better formed…
So anyway, the next step is to work out how to make full use of this… any ideas?
PS I couldn’t offhand find any iPlayer documentation about captions files, or the content packaging for stuff that gets downloaded to the iPlayer desktop – anyone got a pointer to some?
– iPlayer accessibility: turning on subtitles
PPS Twitter backchannel cubtitle files for episode 3 and 4 of Virtual Revolution available here: The Virtual Revolution: Twitter subtitles for BBC iPlayer
OUseful.Info, the blog... 
Can’t see it outside the UK.
This whole GoeDRM thing is getting to be a real irritant.
The first thing that occurs to me is that you could create an ‘expert’ commentary which you offer as a ‘subtitle download’. Rather than just bringing in the whole Twitter stream, instead get acknowledged experts (like academics at the OU?) to publish their commentary as a subtitle file.
This could perhaps present alternative arguments, point at further reading/resources, critique what is being said etc. etc.
Think the opportunities here are quite significant in terms of educational use – combining mass media, high quailty, broadcasting with individual expert knowledge.
Want a post-modern critique of last night’s Corrie?
Want to know what an evolutionary biologist can add to Blue Planet?
Want to know more about the answers to the questions asked on University Challenge?
Download these and more from ou-subtitles.com right now…
Came across this document on Subtitling Guidelines from the BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/guidelines/futuremedia/accessibility/subtitling.shtml