Files formats for automatic transcription

 

Automatic transcription: Discover all the files formats downloadable and their uses

Our previous article explained the automatic transcription goals and the different input formats you can send for transcription. Indeed, audio and video files are accepted for automatic transcription, as long as the recording quality is good. They both meet different objectives.
As a reminder, every sectors can be concerned by an automatic transcription service. This is why, a good comprehension of files formats is essential. Automatic transcription is the Speech to Text conversion. Input files, or “Speech” files have been seen, we offer you now to review the different output files formats, or "Text" files and their uses.

Different files formats for different uses

1) Text files formats .txt and .docx

Text in european alphabet are composed of characters in finite numbers (letters, punctuation signs, etc.). A “text” file is then a file including only a sequence of characters. The file format .txt available on the application allows you to export the transcription obtained in plain text. It can be open with Notepad for example. This format helps you to get your transcribed text easily.
The online Authôt text editor will enable you to put in form your text (underline, bold, italics, align, do paragraphs etc.). Thus, it is possible for you to work your text directly online and export it in .docx. This file format “doc”, unlike to the “text” allows you to keep the layout and can be open with Word. So this file format is a real time saving!
With these text formats you have your transcription in a raw version, or in a reworked version thanks to the online editor.
This is particularly relevant if you are a company or an Institution which needs meeting or conference transcriptions. Names of the different speakers can be added if necessary.

2) Subtitle files formats .srt .webvtt

First at all, you have to know that a subtitle file is composed of 2 types of informations:

• the text to display
• for every line of text, the start and end timing
    

The file format .srt can be open with the text editor Sublime Text but also with Aegisub in order to modify the synchronisation between subtitles and video if necessary.

                                 Example of a file exported from the Authôt application in .srt format

.webvtt format is also for subtitling, here are the main differences with .srt format:

• there is space for optional header data between the first line and the first cue
• timecode fractional values are separated by a full stop instead of a comma
• timecode hours are optional
• cue settings allow the customization of cue positioning on the video
    

The two main subtitles formats are available on Authôt application. 

Subtitles files formats are now essential for companies which published frequently short videos on social networks such as Facebook (Condé Nast interview). Indeed, with the autoplay, videos are watched automatically and subtitling allows a better visibility for the video.
Authôt also offers: synchronization, burned subtitles, and translation. Thus, subtitles can be done in every languages.
Subtitles files formats are also increasingly used by Education with MOOC’s, and Public Institutions in order to meet digital accessibility standards (February 2005 law).  
It is therefore important to respect several rules if you wish to have a reliable and accessible subtitled video. For example, in Teletext, which is used to display subtitles on some broadcast platforms, line length is limited to 37 fixed-width (monospaced) characters, since at least 3 of the 40 available bytes are used for control codes. Guidelines for both platforms are summarised in the table below.

Transcription allows you to subtitle your video file, thanks to .srt and .webvtt formats.

3) Files formats with timecode

                                                      Example of a file exported from the Authôt application in timcode format

On Authôt application you can have your transcription in a timecode .text format. That allows you to open and read the timecode of your file.
Timecode files are extremely valuable notably for audiovisual sectors which edited movies. The automatic transcription and the export in .text are real time savings (interview here). They have their scripts and video rushes.

4) Html files formats

                                           Example of a file exported from the Authôt application in .html format

HTML format or Hypertext Markup Language, is the standard markup language for creating web pages and web applications.
This format is available on Authôt application and allows you to add audio and text synchronisation for your podcasts for example. This article (here) will give you some tips about the use of .html files formats.

5) Xml files formats

In computing, Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a markup language that defines a set of rules for encoding documents in a format that is both human-readable and machine-readable.
Opposite to the html language, the xml permits to create its own tags, they are entirely customizable. Thus, the xml language is less rigid. Download in .xml format allows you to sort out and format easily your data.
For example with Authôt, your data sort out can be done via the tags “words” which contains an attribute “start” and an attribute “end”. Thanks to the XML, you can create an customizable display, create subtitles etc.

6) Sjson files formats

In computing, JavaScript Object Notation or JSON is an open-standard file format that uses human-readable text to transmit data objects consisting of attribute–value pairs and array data types. JSON is promoted as a low-overhead alternative to XML as both of these formats have widespread support for creation, reading, and decoding in the real-world situations where they are commonly used.

                                                   Example of a file exported from the Authôt application in .sjson format

Sjson format appears like a table divided in three parts: “start”, “end” and “text”. Unlike html for example, where the “start” and “end” are in the text in order to allow the synchronisation.
Sjson meets very specific requests, but is available on our application.

                                                                        Screenshot of Authôt application

Authôt is a French start-up specialised in automatic transcription. We offer an online application to transcribe audio or video files into text.
A long list of files formats is available on app.authôt.com, in order to meet every specific needs!
You want another format? Please contact us 🙂

TEST AUTHÔT APPLICATION

Authôt. You speak. We write.

Sources:

Vimeo
BBC.github
Sciencepo
Blog Authôt