Captioning Your Mediasite Recordings

OVERVIEW

Use this guide to generate, view, and edit captions for your Mediasite recordings, improving accessibility and helping ensure caption accuracy.

 

About captions in Mediasite

  • Lecture recordings scheduled through ITS and captured through supported SFU lecture theatre recording systems are automatically captioned and published after processing.
  • Captions are generated using an AI-powered transcription service in accordance with the university privacy policy and are typically 86-90% accurate.
  • Instructors are encouraged to review and correct captions, especially when recordings contain specialized terminology, names, or technical content.

An example of a presentation with captions: 

Example of a presentation with captions

 

What you'll need

  • An SFU account with access to MyMediasite.
  • A Mediasite recording that you own or can edit.
  • Audio recorded primarily in English (automated captioning is currently available in English only).

 

Steps to view captions

  1. Open the recording in MyMediasite.
  2. Look for the caption indicator to confirm captions are available.

    Caption indicator
     
  3. Select the CC (Closed Captions) button in the video player to turn captions on or off.

    Caption on and off button
     

Steps to generate captions for a recording

Use these steps if captions were not automatically created.

  1. Sign in to MyMediasite.
  2. Open your presentation.
  3. Select Edit Details.

    Presentation edit button
     
  4. Open the Delivery tab.
  5. Enable Audio Transcriptions.

    Checkbox for audio transcriptions
     
  6. Under Choose a Provider for Captioning, select SFU Official Verbit Captivate Basic ASR.

    The caption provider
     
  7. Click Save. 

    Confirm button

After submitting the request, Mediasite will begin processing the recording. You'll receive an email notification when captioning is complete. Processing usually takes several hours, with an expected turnaround of approximately one business day.

 

Steps to edit captions

If captions contain errors, you can edit them directly in Mediasite.

  1. Sign in to MyMediasite.
  2. Open the presentation.
  3. Select Edit Captions from the right-side menu.

    Edit Caption menu
     
  4. Use the Caption Editor to:
    • Correct caption text.
    • Remove incorrect captions.
    • Add new captions.
  5. To add a caption:
    • Select the Add tab.
    • Enter the caption text.
    • Select Add Transcription at Video Position.

      The caption text field
       
  6. Click Save after adding a caption.

                     Save button

7. Click Publish if the screen indicator shows Publish in green. This will enable your captions to be displayed in the video player.

          Publish button location

8. Select the arrow beside Save and click Save & Exit when you are finished.

          Save & Exit

What to expect

  • Automatically generated captions are available for many supported lecture recordings.
  • Caption accuracy is typically 86-90% and may require review.
  • Self-service caption requests typically have a next-day turnaround.
  • Mediasite provides:
    • Caption files in DFXP format.
    • Transcript files in TXT format.

 

If something goes wrong

Captions are missing

  • Confirm the recording has finished processing.
  • Check whether captions were enabled for the recording.
  • If you are a student, contact your instructor.
     

Captions contain errors

  • Open the Caption Editor and make corrections manually.
  • Pay particular attention to names, technical terms, and specialized vocabulary, which may be transcribed incorrectly. 
     

Caption generation has not completed

  • Allow several hours for processing.
  • Check your email for a completion notification.
  • If processing has not completed after one business day, contact IT Services.
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