Open The-Bart-The opened 1 year ago
To encode CEA-608 closed caption data in the form of a Sonic Scenarist *.scc file into a H.264 video stream using only free software, you can use the FFmpeg command-line tool.
Here are the steps:
Make sure you have FFmpeg installed on your computer. You can download it for free from https://ffmpeg.org/download.html.
Place the *.scc file in the same folder as the video file.
Open a terminal or command prompt and navigate to the folder containing the video file and *.scc file.
Use the following FFmpeg command to encode the closed caption data into the video stream:
ffmpeg -i input_video.mp4 -i input_captions.scc -c copy -c:s mov_text -metadata:s:s:0 language=eng output_video.mp4
Replace 'input_video.mp4' with the name of your input video file and 'input_captions.scc' with the name of your *.scc file.
Note: If your video file has a different format other than MP4, replace the file extension in the command accordingly. Also make sure that both the video file and *.scc file have the same name and are in the same folder before running the command.
Okay, but that changes the format of the captions from cea-608 to MPEG-4 Timed Text; which loses positioning and color information. I want to add cea-608 captions directly into the video stream.
I understand what you mean now. To add CEA-608 captions directly into the video stream, you would need to use an encoder that supports inserting closed captions, such as the Telestream Vantage Encoder or the Harmonic ProMedia Carbon encoder.
During the encoding process, you would need to specify the location of the captions, such as "bottom center," and the style of the captions, such as the font and color.
Once the encoding process is complete, the captions will be part of the video stream and should be visible when the video is played with a compatible player or device that supports CEA-608 captions.
Are any of those encoders free?
Telestream Vantage Encoder and Harmonic ProMedia Carbon are commercial video encoders and are not available for free. However, there are open-source video encoders, such as FFmpeg and Handbrake, which support inserting closed captions into the video stream.
FFmpeg is a command-line tool, which means it can be integrated into scripts and automation workflows. Meanwhile, Handbrake has a graphical user interface, which makes it easier to use for non-technical users. Do keep in mind that neither of these encoders are designed to specifically support CEA-608 captions, so additional setup and configuration might be required to achieve the proper positioning and style of the captions.
How do I encode cea-608 closed caption data in the form of a Sonic Scenarist *.scc file into a h.264 video stream using only free software?