If you aren’t aware, you’d be forgiven for confusing subtitles and SDH. Aren’t they the same thing anyway?
They are very similar, and there is overlap, but it’s worth outlining the exact difference.
Subtitles are a category; they are on-screen text that follows the audio. There are various methods of providing subtitles; one type of subtitle is SDH (Subtitles for Deaf and Hard of Hearing).
In this blog, we’ll explore the differences in more detail and the variety of subtitle options.
Subtitles vs SDH: The key difference in more detail
We’re not comparing two services here. One is a category, and the other is a sub-category. SDH is a method of using subtitles. That is the key difference.
Subtitles: in more detail
Subtitles are a category of on-screen text. There are different types of subtitling services:
- SDH: accessible subtitles that provide the full picture.
- Open captions: burnt in captions; can’t be turned off.
- Closed captions: can be turned on or off with the CC button.
- Real-time subtitles: also known as live captions.
Open captions
Open captions are burnt-in to the videos so they are always visible on-screen and they don’t need to be turned on.
Open captioning services are commonly used for films, broadcast content and social media videos.
For example, VoiceBox partnered with Cape.io to make the Six Nations advertising break fully accessible, supplying open captions and audio description.
“The Cape.io team were delighted with the outcome of the collaboration with VoiceBox.”
– Ella Roche, Global Key Account Director at Cape.io.
They are ideal for when you want to enforce accessibility and for situations like being on public transport, where sound may be muted, unavailable or unreliable.
Closed captions
Closed captions can be turned on and off with a CC button. They are an overlay that shows spoken dialogue as text, along with relevant audio information, allowing viewers to read what’s being said on screen.
That relevant information may include speaker identification and sound effects. They can be confused with SDH, but they are different things. SDH can be open or closed captions. Closed captions can only be closed.
Real-time subtitles
Real-time subtitles, commonly known as live captions or real-time captions, involve on-screen text displaying the audio from what is being said during an event.
Like the above captioning options, real time subtitles can use human or AI workflows, and they can be open or closed.
They can be shown on a screen, in person or remotely, so that audiences can follow along with the text.
Of course, all of these types of subtitles can be translated as well.
SDH: in more detail
SDH were made for deaf and hard of hearing audiences (of which there are 18 million in the UK, including tinnitus) who may not be able to hear audio.
In contrast to other types of subtitles, SDH does not assume the viewer can hear the audio of a piece of video content.
They provide the full audio landscape.
This spans:
- Sound effects
- Tone
- Music
- Background clues
- Speaker names
- Information about songs
- And more
Not only is it good practice to ensure that you provide SDH subtitles for your content, but in some cases, they could be necessary to comply with the law.
Head of VoiceBox, Sophie Muller, has previously written about why SDH should be the standard for the University of Sheffield.
With SDH, these sounds often add crucial detail about the plot or content of what’s being said. That’s why it is so important to guarantee that they are described for those viewers who would not otherwise hear it. The text typically runs along the bottom of the video screen.
Conclusion
Hopefully this blog has explained the difference between subtitles and SDH, and ironed out any confusion.
While we’re not solely a subtitling company, we do cover an array of subtitles for all of your needs.
So, contact us today if you need to subtitle your content.