What does "closed captioning" mean?

The transcription, either verbatim or in edited form, of the dialogue and sometimes sound effects of a program, displayed onscreen and synchronized with the program, most frequently used by the deaf and language learners. Closed captions are encoded invisibly, and displayed by a decoder.

What is a synonym for "closed captioning"?

Common synonyms include: captioning, subbing.

Closed captioning

noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1
The transcription, either verbatim or in edited form, of the dialogue and sometimes sound effects of a program, displayed onscreen and synchronized with the program, most frequently used by the deaf and language learners. Closed captions are encoded invisibly, and displayed by a decoder. uncountable
"... the closed captioning said, "There were no survivors of flight 815." [Note from Season 3: turns out it was "We're the survivors of flight 815."]"
2
The analogue standard for this transcription, which analogue media like videotapes, laser discs, and cable television use, but also digital forms like satellite television and DVDs. formal, uncountable

Synonyms

All synonyms

captioning subbing

Example

More examples

"... the closed captioning said, "There were no survivors of flight 815." [Note from Season 3: turns out it was "We're the survivors of flight 815."]"

Etymology

"Closed" originally indicated that such captions were by default not visible until activated (opened) by the viewer turning them on, in contrast to open captions which are embedded in the video itself, visible to all.

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