Two of the most popular Flash video players that support closed captions are JW FLV Player from LongTail Video and ccPlayer from the National Center on Accessible Media.
Unfortunately many of these players do not include support for closed captions, but a few do. Tools are readily available for developing in these environments, and as a result many developers have created custom video players or 'skins'. Many media players today are embedded into web pages, and are most commonly developed for Adobe Flash or Microsoft Silverlight browser plug-ins. Media players vary in their support for closed captions and audio description, as well as in the steps users must follow to turn these features on when they are available. If important information in a video is presented visually but is not obvious through the program's audio, this information must be described by a narrator and made available in a separate track for individuals who need it. Closed captions, however, are contained with a separate text track and can typically be toggle on or off as needed.Īudio description is a technique for making video accessible to individuals who are blind. Open captions are part of the video and can not be turned off. Captions provide equivalent text for individuals who are unable to hear the audio portion of a video presentation.
