Mike Armstrong

Responsive design for personalised subtitles

The Internet has continued to evolve, becoming increasingly media rich. It is now a major platform for video content, which is available to a variety of users across a range of devices. Subtitles enhance this experience for many users. However, subtitling techniques are still based on early television systems, which impose limitations on font type, size and line length. These are no longer appropriate in the context of a modern web-based culture. In this paper we describe a new approach to displaying subtitles alongside the video content. This follows the responsive web design paradigm enabling subtitles to be formatted appropriately for different devices whilst respecting the requirements and preferences of the viewer. We present a prototype responsive video player, and report initial results from a study to evaluate the value perceived by regular subtitle users.

Online News Videos: The UX of Subtitle Position

Millions of people rely on subtitles when watching video content. The current change in media viewing behaviour involving computers has resulted in a large proportion of people turning to online sources as opposed to regular television for news information. This work analyses the user experience of viewing subtitled news videos presented as part of a web page. A lab-based user experiment was carried out with frequent subtitle users, focusing on determining whether changes in video dimension and subtitle location could affect the user experience attached to viewing subtitled content. A significant improvement in user experience was seen when changing the subtitle location from the standard position of within a video at the bottom to below the video clip. Additionally, participants responded positively when given the ability to change the position of subtitles in real time, allowing for a more personalised viewing experience. This recommendation for an alternative subtitle positioning that can be controlled by the user is unlike current subtitling practice. It provides evidence that further user-based research examining subtitle usage outside of the traditional television interface is required.

Understanding the diverse needs of subtitle users in a rapidly evolving media landscape.

Audiences are increasingly using services such as video on demand and the web to watch television programmes. Broadcasters need to make subtitles available across all these new platforms. These platforms also create new design opportunities for subtitles along with the ability to customise them to an individuals needs. To explore these new opportunities for subtitles we have begun the process of reviewing the guidance for subtitles on television and evaluating the original user research. We have found that existing guidelines have been shaped by a mixture of technical constraints, industry practice and user research, constrained by existing technical standards. This paper provides an overview of the subtitle research at BBC R&D over the past two years. Our research is revealing significant diversity in the needs and preferences of frequent subtitle users, and points to the need for personalisation in the way subtitles are displayed. We are developing a new approach to the authoring and display of subtitles that can respond to the user requirements by adjusting the subtitle layout in the client device.

The Development of a Framework for Understanding the UX of Subtitles

Approximately 10% of the television audience use subtitles (captioning) to support their viewing experience. Subtitles enable viewers to participate in an experience that is often taken for granted by the general audience. However, when reviewing subtitle literature, it is uncommon to find work that examines the user experience of subtitle users. This paper presents work on the development of a framework analysing the user experience of watching subtitled content. The framework is introduced, its usage discussed, and the overall framework is then reflected on.

In-Programme Personalization for Broadcast: IPP4B

The IPP4B workshop assembled a group of researchers from academia and industry -- BBC R&D, Ericsson and MOG Technologies to discuss the state of the art and together envisage future directions for in programme personalisation in broadcasting. The workshop comprised one invited keynote, two invited presentations together with a paper and discussion sessions.