MiVideo: Order Captions for Media in Canvas or Mediaspace

Environment

Canvas
MiVideo Mediaspace

Auto captioning was enabled in MiVideo on 4/22/2024. Machine-generated English captions are automatically ordered for all new video and audio files you add to your My Media library. This includes uploaded media from a desktop, media uploaded from Kaltura Capture, passthrough media from YouTube, media recorded using Express Capture, and media copied using the U-M Zoom Recordings Manager.

Issue

How to order machine-generated captions or professional human-generated captions for media in Canvas and MiVideo Mediaspace.

Machine-generated English captions are automatically ordered for media added to your My Media library on and after 4/22/2024. You will need to manually order machine captions for any media added to your My Media library prior to 4/22/2024.

Media must be uploaded to your My Media in Canvas or Mediaspace to use this service. 

Video Demos

How to Order Captions for a Video In My Media on Canvas

Resolution

Notes

Viewing Captions in the Kaltura Media Player

Once captions are added to a recording, viewers have the option to enable/disable captions in the media player by clicking the closed captions icon. 

Example Video with Closed Captioning

What is MiVideo?

Machine-Generated Captions - Manually Ordering

  • MiVideo provides free machine-generated captions.
  • This service is provided using automatic speech recognition (ASR) technology.
  • Captioning requests produce caption and searchable and interactive transcript files of the original source language.
  • These captions are not always accurate. See the Edit Captions article to edit machine-generated captions for accuracy and accessibility. 
  • Media must be uploaded to your My Media in Canvas, a Canvas course Media Gallery, or Mediaspace to use this service.
  • Machine-generated captions must be manually ordered if the media was added to your My Media library prior to 4/22/2024.
  • Auto machine-generated captions are ordered in English. If the source language of the video is in another language, follow the steps below to order machine captions in another language (this is not the same as language translation). The source media can be one of any supported language.
  • It may take up to 30 minutes for machine captions to complete.
  • You cannot re-order machine-generated captions in the same language. You'll need to make a copy of the video using the MiVideo Video Editor. Captions will be automatically created for the copy. To use the captions file in the original video, download the SRT captions file from the copy, then upload the SRT captions file to the original. Contact the ITS Service Center for assistance.

Canvas Course Media Gallery: Order Machine-Generated Captions

Canvas course teachers, TAs, and designers can order captions for most Media Gallery content without having to be the owner or a co-editor.

  1. Navigate to your Canvas course.
  2. Click on Media Gallery in the navigation on the left hand side of the page.
  3. Click on the video you would like to caption.
  4. Select Actions > Request Captions.
  5. Choose the Machine service.
  6. Select the appropriate Source Media Language. This is not a translation service, the source language spoken in the video must match the language selected or unusable captions will be created.
  7. Leave the defaults in the other fields.
  8. Click Submit.
  9. You will receive an email notification when the captions are ready for editing. See the Edit Captions article.

Canvas My Media: Order Machine-Generated Captions

Media owners and co-editors can order captions for audio and video entries.

  1. Account > My Media > check the box next to the media item. 
  2. Select Actions > Request Captions.
  3. Choose the Machine service.
  4. Select the appropriate Source Media Language. This is not a translation service, the source language spoken in the video must match the language selected or unusable captions will be created.
  5. Leave the defaults in the other fields.
  6. Click Submit.
  7. You will receive an email notification when the captions are ready for editing. See the Edit Captions article.

Mediaspace: Order Machine-Generated Captions

Media owners and co-editors can order captions for audio and video entries.

  1. user drop-down menu > My Media.
  2. Check the box next to the media item.
  3. Select Actions > Caption.
  4. Choose the Machine service.
  5. Select the appropriate Source Media Language. This is not a translation service, the source language spoken in the video must match the language selected or unusable captions will be created.
  6. Leave the defaults in the other fields.
  7. Click Submit.
  8. You will receive an email notification when the captions are ready for editing. See the Edit Captions article.

Professional Human-Generated Captions (English to English)

Kaltura contracts with Verbit to generate professional human-generated English captions.

There are three ways to order professional captions:

  • With a shortcode
  • Disability accommodation through the SSD office
  • Caption profile

Ordering Professional Captions with a shortcode

This is a premium fee-based service. It is not free. Please complete the MiVideo Captioning, Transcription & Audio Descriptions Request Form.

  • Media must be uploaded to your My Media in Canvas or Mediaspace to use this service.
  • Professional captions can be ordered for videos that already have machine captions. Once professional captions are created they will become the default and the machines captions will be disabled on the video.
  • The source video must be in English.
  • Captioning requests produce English caption and transcript files.
  • Price is based on turnaround time and the length of the recording rounded up the next minute (not the number of minutes of audio that need transcribed). For example, a recording with a length of 10 minutes and 1 second will be charged for 11 minutes. See the ordering form for estimated costs.
  • The recording length can be edited down as necessary, see the Utilizing Video Editor article.
  • The ITS-MiVideo team will need a shortcode and authorized signer approval to place the order.
  • The ITS-MiVideo team will email the requester once the order is completed.

Disability Accommodations through the SSD Office

  • Professional human-generated captions can be ordered on request for disability accommodations through the SSD office. 
  • Media must be uploaded to your My Media in Canvas or Mediaspace to use this service.
  • Professional captions can be ordered for videos that already have machine captions. Once professional captions are created they will become the default and the machines captions will be disabled on the video.
  • See the Human-Created MiVideo Captions For SSD Accommodation article for more details.

Caption Profile

Caption profiles can be configured for individual departments. The department purchases a bucket of credits which can then be used to order professional captioning services. If your team has a need for lots of professional captioning (more than the occasional video which can be ordered via a shortcode) please contact the the ITS Service Center for a consult with the ITS-MiVideo team.

Professional Human-Generated Captions (non-English)

Kaltura contracts with Verbit to generate professional human-generated captions.

Ordering Professional Captions with a shortcode

This is a premium fee-based service. It is not free. Please complete the MiVideo Captioning, Transcription & Audio Descriptions Request Form.

  • Media must be uploaded to your My Media in Canvas or Mediaspace to use this service.
  • Professional captions can be ordered for videos that already have machine captions. Once professional captions are created they will become the default and the machines captions will be disabled on the video.
  • Captions can be ordered for several languages.
  • Captioning requests produce caption and transcript files.
  • Price is based on language, turnaround time, and the length of the recording rounded up the next minute (not the number of minutes of audio that need transcribed). For example, a recording with a length of 10 minutes and 1 second will be charged for 11 minutes. See the ordering form for estimated costs.
  • The recording length can be edited down as necessary, see the Utilizing Video Editor article.
  • The ITS-MiVideo team will need a shortcode and authorized signer approval to place the order.
  • The ITS-MiVideo team will email the requester once the order is completed.

Additional Information

Audio descriptions, extended audio descriptions, language translation captions, and language translation dubbing are separate services; see related articles.

Resources and Questions

For additional questions, please contact the ITS Service Center

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