CEA Clarifies Technical Guidance for DTV Closed Captions

3-Jul-02

Providing technical guidance for manufacturers implementing closed captions for digital television (DTV) as required by law, the Consumer Electronics Association's (CEA) R4.3 Television Data Systems Subcommittee has adopted a revised bulletin providing additional guidance on the design of DTV closed captioning encoders and decoders. The bulletin pertains to the DTV closed caption standard EIA/CEA-708-B, DTV Closed Captioning.The revised Implementation Guidance Bulletin (EIA/CEA-CEB-10-A) offers enhanced descriptions of the syntax needed for DTV closed caption features that are not currently offered through analog closed captions. These added features include user selection of character size and closed caption screen background color. The bulletin also explains how to send DTV closed caption data, such as center-justified and right-justified text, in a manner that will ensure consistent caption viewing on all DTV closed captioning-enabled decoders. It also provides guidance to encoder and decoder manufacturers on how to implement backgrounds, fills and transparent spaces in a manner that will ensure text legibility.""CEA welcomes the opportunity to work with encoder, decoder, content provider and transmission interests to provide DTV closed captions,"" said Wayne Luplow of Zenith and Chair of the R4 Video Systems Committee.Echoing Luplow's comments, Robert Blanchard of Sony and Chair of the R4.3 DTV closed captioning working group said, ""As with any new technology, the process often involves learning through implementation. Without the valuable input from all parties, the provision of DTV closed captions would have been much more challenging.""Content providers, broadcasters and manufacturers all must contribute in order for consumers to be able to use DTV closed captioning features. Regulations issued by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) require that all DTV receivers with 4:3 picture screens diagonally larger than 13 inches, all DTV receivers with 16:9 screens vertically taller than 7.8 inches and all separately sold DTV tuners, shipped or manufactured in the United States after July 1, 2002 be capable of decoding DTV closed captions.