3G/HD/SD Closed Caption Encoder

The SCE-492 is a high performance, professional grade closed caption encoder. It will accept 3GB/HD/SD-SDI transport streams and give three closed caption encoded outputs of the same format as the input with the option of one of them being decoded for quality monitoring. This unit is IP caption ready with VANC line selection, CEA-608 to CEA-708 channel conversion, re-clocked outputs, and much more. When looking for a high quality caption encoder loaded with features and seamless workflow integration, look no further.

The SCE-492 has four communication ports; two serial RS-232 ports, both with adjustable baud rates, and two IP ports that are tunneled through the Ethernet connector. The two IP caption connections at one address allows two captioners to connect to the unit simultaneously through one of the ethernet ports. Up to four captioners can be connected to the unit and swap control of the encoder just by initializing it, which is useful when doing live captioning for long periods of time. It can also redirect or resend the Ethernet data out of one of its serial ports, allowing a captioner to be remotely connected to two encoders at the same time. All four communication ports are always active so they do not have to be turned on or off.

IP captioning is becoming the preferred method of Captioners and broadcasters for live captioning, which is why the SCE-492 comes IP caption ready. As the plain old telephone (POTs) lines are becoming less available and less reliable, IP captioning is becoming the standard for many captioners. No modems, no phone lines, no long distance charges, and no caption server fees means less equipment and fewer opportunities for connection failure when using IP captioning.

The SCE-492 allows the user to customize their captioned broadcast. VANC line selection lets the user choose where to place the Caption Distribution Packet (CDP) based on system requirements. CEA-608 to CEA-708 channel conversion allows the user to convert two of the four CEA-608 channels into CEA-708 services allowing primary and secondary languages on CEA-708 services. A re-clocking output synchronizes the incoming caption data and creates an SDI eye-pattern that helps analyze the quality of the SDI stream. It has RAM that is reserved for XDS packets, the packets will be inserted into CEA-608 field 2 based on XDS packet priority and field 2 availability. The unit also has XDS menus for Parental Guidelines (V-Chip) and Transmission Station Identification (TSID) packets. The RAM can be filled using V-Chip software.

A GPI remote is used to activate a bypass within the unit. This bypass can enable a “legalizer” that will lift the caption lines above information at the bottom of the screen that would otherwise be covered by the captions. A menu in the unit allows you to select the number of lines to be lifted. You can raise the lower 4 caption lines up 2, 3, or 4 lines or raise all caption lines to the top 4 lines. The FCC has mandated that captions are not to be displayed over things like people’s names, school closings, and so on.

The SCE-492 has a decoded output for quality monitoring. The decoded output provides open captions for CEA-608 channels CC1-CC4 or CEA-708 services S1-S6, one channel at a time. This allows the user to monitor the encoded (closed captioned) outputs of the selected channel. It also includes a black screen output which will change the decoded output to have a black screen instead of the active video. This can be used for monitoring caption quality, as well as providing a blank screen for caption display in meetings, conferences, and more.

The SCE-492 is backed by a 10-year warranty and 24/7 free customer support from Link Electronics’ engineering team. It meets the innovative, high performance, flexibility, and reliability requirements of all products manufactured and supported by Link Electronics.