Speaker-following video subtitles

Y Hu, J Kautz, Y Yu, W Wang - ACM Transactions on Multimedia …, 2015 - dl.acm.org
ACM Transactions on Multimedia Computing, Communications, and Applications …, 2015dl.acm.org
We propose a new method for improving the presentation of subtitles in video (eg, TV and
movies). With conventional subtitles, the viewer has to constantly look away from the main
viewing area to read the subtitles at the bottom of the screen, which disrupts the viewing
experience and causes unnecessary eyestrain. Our method places on-screen subtitles next
to the respective speakers to allow the viewer to follow the visual content while
simultaneously reading the subtitles. We use novel identification algorithms to detect the …
We propose a new method for improving the presentation of subtitles in video (e.g., TV and movies). With conventional subtitles, the viewer has to constantly look away from the main viewing area to read the subtitles at the bottom of the screen, which disrupts the viewing experience and causes unnecessary eyestrain. Our method places on-screen subtitles next to the respective speakers to allow the viewer to follow the visual content while simultaneously reading the subtitles. We use novel identification algorithms to detect the speakers based on audio and visual information. Then the placement of the subtitles is determined using global optimization. A comprehensive usability study indicated that our subtitle placement method outperformed both conventional fixed-position subtitling and another previous dynamic subtitling method in terms of enhancing the overall viewing experience and reducing eyestrain.
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