Timed Text Ingest¶

LINKS

Purpose¶

This guide explains how to identify newly received subtitles and captions, validate them for ingest, and correctly match them to Media Orders (MOs) in Airtable.

1. Notification of Incoming Timed Text¶

As the partners deliver content, the Slack channel #ops-incoming will notify in real time when the files are received from partners. Generally the TT files are sent to us at the same time as the video content. The files can be in various formats such as .srt, .vtt, .scc, .ttml, .pac and .stl.

If a partner sends two versions such as a .srt and a .vtt, the .vtt should be ingested as it holds positioning.

Any received TT files will also appear in the incoming_media view in the Traffic Airtable base.

2. Locate Media Orders Requiring Timed Text¶

Navigate to the media_orders_pending_timed_text tab in Airtable.

This is where incoming Timed Text files must be matched to their corresponding Media Orders (MOs).

3. Pre-Ingest Validation Checks¶

Before matching any Timed Text file, confirm the following:

3.1 Check foo_billing_tier¶

The foo_billing_tier can help determine whether captions are required.

Tier meanings:

1 = MP4 source / can passthrough

2 = Needs transcoding

3 = Multi trimming needed/burn in of subtitles required

Letter modifiers:

a = Partner supplied breaks

b = We create breaks

c = Captions needed

Timed Text Rules¶

Any order with a C tier requires captions.

Examples:

1C
2C

Captions are mandatory for all Canada orders. They are often also requested for UK, LT and BR orders if available.

Tier 3 orders may require burn-in of supplied subtitles, but this is not always the case as tier 3 can also be used for multi-trim workflows.

Use the MO details, language requirements and destination region to determine whether subtitles or captions are required.

4. Validate the Incoming Timed Text File¶

In the incoming_media tab, review each file carefully.

4.1 Language¶

Confirm the Timed Text language matches the language requested on the MO.

4.2 File Name¶

Confirm the filename includes sufficient information to identify the correct asset, such as:

Title
Episode number
Season number
Language

4.3 Duplicate Files¶

If multiple versions of the same Timed Text file exist:

If both .srt and .vtt versions are supplied, use the .vtt file.
Otherwise, use the most recently received version.

5. Match Timed Text to the Media Order¶

Once all checks pass:

Copy the ID from the incoming_media tab.

Paste this ID into the corresponding incoming_media field in the media_orders_pending_timed_text tab.

Re-check:

Language
Timed Text type drop down menu (subtitle or caption)
File naming

When everything is confirmed, tick Match Approved.

6. If Something Is Wrong¶

Do not approve the match if:

The language does not match the MO
The incorrect Timed Text type has been supplied

Flag the issue to the appropriate Project Manager instead.