MiVideo: Download Video Captions and Use Them Outside of MiVideo

This article describes how to download captions from MiVideo and how to use them outside of MiVideo.

Environment

Canvas
MiVideo Mediaspace

Issue

Download a video or audio entry and captions file for use outside of MiVideo (eg YouTube or other streaming platforms).

Video Demo

How to Download Captions & Transcript Files from My Media

Resolution

MiVideo captions and transcripts are separate files from the video entry. MiVideo/Kaltura players combine these files with the video for a seamless end user experience.

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Canvas

Only the media owner or co-editor can download video and caption files. All viewers can download the transcript file. Captions and transcript files can be opened in a text editor such as Notepad, Wordpad, or TextEdit and modified as needed.

Download video

1. Navigate to Account > My Media > click the pencil icon next to the media, or from the Media page click Actions > Edit.
2. Click the play button to load the player controls.
3. Click the download button in the player (in the upper right) to download the video to your computer.

Download SRT captions

1. Navigate to Account > My Media > click the pencil icon next to the media, or from the Media page click Actions > Edit.
2. Select the Captions tab then click the download icon next to the captions to download.

Download TXT transcript

1. Navigate to the Media page.
2. Click the play button in the player to load the controls.
3. Click the Show Transcript icon in the upper right.
4. The transcript plugin will open, click the triple dots in the upper right and select Download current transcript.

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Mediaspace

Only the media owner or co-editor can download video and caption files. All viewers can download the transcript file. Captions and transcript files can be opened in a text editor such as Notepad, Wordpad, or TextEdit and modified as needed.

Download video

Mediaspaces with upgraded players

1. Navigate to the user drop-down menu > My Media > click the pencil icon next to the media,  or from the Media page, click Actions > Edit.
2. Click the play button to load the player controls.
3. Click the download button in the player (in the upper right) to download the video to your computer.

Mediaspaces with legacy players

1. Navigate to the user drop-down menu > My Media > click the pencil icon next to the media,  or from the Media page, click Actions > Edit.
2. Click the download button in the lower right corner of the player to download the video to your computer.

Download SRT captions

1. Navigate to the user drop-down menu > My Media > click the pencil icon next to the media,  or from the Media page, click Actions > Edit.
2. Select the Captions tab then click the download icon next to the captions to download.

Download TXT transcript

Mediaspaces with upgraded players

1. Navigate to the Media page.
2. Click the play button in the player to load the controls.
3. Click the Show Transcript icon in the upper right.
4. The transcript plugin will open, click the triple dots in the upper right and select Download current transcript.

Mediaspaces with legacy players

1. Navigate to the Media page.
2. Click the download button on the interactive transcript widget just below the player to download the text transcript file.

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Resources

These resources may be helpful in using media and captions outside of MiVideo. ITS does not support these resources. 

Uploading SRT Captions file to YouTube

There are several video tutorials on YouTube, such as this this one titled How to Upload Subtitle Caption Files to YouTube Videos, that demonstrate how to add captions to your YouTube videos. Note that the YouTube interface is constantly changing, so your experience may be different than what is described in the video.

"Burned-in" (Open) Captions Using Free Handbrake software

Handbrake is popular free video conversion software for Mac and Windows. It can be used to combine a captions SRT file and a video into a new video file where the captions are permanently displayed (burned-in) at the bottom of the video. These steps outline the general process for burning in captions with Handbrake. For more support, see the Documentation and Community Forums at https://handbrake.fr 

1. Download Handbrake from https://handbrake.fr and install.
2. Download the video and captions SRT file from MiVideo (see above).
3. Open Handbrake and click the File button on the left side and select the downloaded video.
4. At the bottom of the page click the Browse button.
5. Enter a file name for the new video in the File name box. If necessary, change the location the video will be save to.
6. Click the Presets > Presets menu at the top and choose output settings (usually Fast 1080p30 is sufficient).
7. From the tabs in the middle of the Handbreak window, select the Subtitles tab.
8. Click the Tracks drop down menu > Import Subtitle.
9. Browse to the downloaded SRT file to add it.
10. Select the Burn In checkbox option in the Handbrake window.
11. Click the Start Encode button at the top of the window.
12. When processing is done, open your new video to view the burned in captions.

Resources and Questions

• Check out the new Academic Technology@Michigan website for course planning resources from across U-M
• Visit the Canvas @ Michigan site for faculty including the U-M Instructor Guide with links to additional support resources from across campus
• Check out the Canvas and MiVideo tutorials

For additional questions, please contact the ITS Service Center