CEA-608 Captions vs. CEA-708 Captions | GoTranscript

CEA-608 vs. CEA-708 Captions: What You Need to Know

Captions are an essential tool for making video content accessible to a wider audience. By including captions, you ensure that people who are deaf or hard of hearing, or those who speak different languages, can understand your videos with ease. Captions can also help your videos reach a global audience by providing on-screen text that matches the audio. In this guide, you’ll learn the differences between CEA-608 and CEA-708 captioning standards, the best file formats to use, and how to get professional captioning services.

What Are Captions and Why Do They Matter?

Captions are written text shown on video screens that represent spoken words and other audio information. They improve accessibility and understanding for all viewers, regardless of hearing ability or language.

• Improvement in accessibility: Captions help people with hearing loss enjoy video content.
• Language support: Multilingual captions can reach non-native speakers.
• Better engagement: Captions encourage viewers to watch videos in noisy or quiet environments.

According to the World Health Organization, over 1.5 billion people worldwide live with some degree of hearing loss (2021).

Captioning Standards for Television: CEA-608 and CEA-708

Television broadcasts in the United States use two main caption standards: CEA-608 and CEA-708.

• CEA-608 (EIA-608 or Line 21): Used for analog television broadcasts and some digital TV.
• CEA-708: The standard for digital television captions.

Let’s take a closer look at each standard.

What Is CEA-608 Captioning?

CEA-608, also known as Line 21 captioning, was the original standard for closed captions on analog NTSC television in North America.

• Displays uppercase white text inside a black box.
• Has a fixed position on the screen.
• Limited to 32 characters per line, restricting the length of text.
• Supports only a handful of languages, such as English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, German, and Dutch.
• Allows two languages to be displayed at once.
• No styling options for font, size, color, or background.

CEA-608 does not meet the quality standards set by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 2014, making it less suitable for modern broadcasting.

What Is CEA-708 Captioning?

CEA-708 is the current standard for closed captions on digital television in the United States.

• Offers customizable text with multiple fonts, sizes, and colors.
• Allows three text sizes and many background color options.
• Enables effects like background opacity and text edges.
• Supports captions anywhere on the screen, reducing interference with on-screen action.
• Handles both roll-up and pop-on caption display styles.
• Accommodates every language using an expanded character library.
• Allows multiple caption tracks for one program, reaching a global audience.
• Complies with the FCC's captioning quality standards, including speaker identification, proper punctuation, and background sound descriptions.

Digital TV transmits CEA-708 captions through MPEG-2 streams, making them standard for all digital broadcasting.

When and Where to Use Each Caption Format

Uses for CEA-608 Captions

• Best for legacy analog television sets.
• Still needed for some digital content to support older devices.
• Modern televisions can display both CEA-608 and CEA-708 captions.

However, CEA-608 lacks the flexibility and quality standards required by today’s FCC rules. Its use is discouraged for new content.

Uses for CEA-708 Captions

• Ideal for all new digital television broadcasts.
• Works with smartphones, streaming platforms, on-demand videos, and live TV broadcasts.
• Meets FCC requirements for caption quality and customization options.

The FCC requires online videos to have captions if that video was aired on US television (2010). Online captions must match the quality seen on TV.

The Best Caption File Format: SCC

The recommended file format to meet current captioning standards is the Scenarist Closed Caption (SCC) file.

• SCC files (.scc) are the United States broadcast standard for closed caption delivery.
• They include information on text positioning, style, color, and timing, encoded in hexadecimal values.
• Most major video platforms — such as YouTube, Netflix, Amazon, and iTunes — accept or require SCC files for caption uploads.
• SCC files are not easy to edit manually and are used mainly for delivering finished captions.

You can also submit other files, like SRT or VTT, for web captions. But SCC remains the standard for US television.

How to Get SCC Files for Your Video Content

The best way to get an SCC caption file is to use a professional captioning service. When you order closed caption services from GoTranscript, you'll receive:

• A Scenarist (.SCC) file for TV broadcast submission.
• Other caption formats (such as SRT and VTT) for web and video platforms.
• High-quality captions produced by experts, ensuring full compliance with FCC standards.

You can also order captions directly through the GoTranscript platform.

Why Professional Captioning Matters

A professional captioning service ensures your video content:

• Meets quality, accuracy, and timing standards.
• Is accessible to everyone, regardless of hearing ability or language.
• Complies with all FCC rules and industry best practices.
• Has captions in the correct file formats for any platform or broadcaster.

This process can save you time, improve your video’s reach, and guarantee accessibility.

Conclusion: GoTranscript Makes Captioning Easy

Captions are vital for video accessibility and audience reach. By understanding the differences between CEA-608 and CEA-708 captions and using the right file formats, your videos can comply with legal standards and reach global audiences. GoTranscript provides professional captioning services, including SCC file delivery, fast turnaround, and high accuracy. With our experience and industry reputation, GoTranscript is ready to help you make your content accessible to everyone. Explore our captioning and captioning pricing options today, or order captions online to expand your audience and meet every accessibility standard.