Caption Colorado 's Bison Captioning Suite enters new territory

Customer Control Console 2.0 loaded with features for captioners, TV stations, and viewers

March 10, 2004 – Denver, CO - Watch for the new release of Customer Control Console 2.0 (CCC 2.0), part of the Bison Captioning Suite, Caption Colorado 's proprietary captioning system.

Bison is a windows-based suite of software products that simplifies and streamlines the captioning process, and CCC 2.0 is the component designed for the broadcast captioning customer.

The new release is coming this spring, loaded with features destined to make online captioning easier and more comprehensive than ever before. CCC 2.0 is designed to better meet customer, captioner, and viewer needs. The original release was loaded with features that made this Internet-based system a must-have. "This release adds a number of valuable features for our television customers, but it also opens up a wonderful service for the deaf community," said Tad Polumbus , president of Caption Colorado .

"Many of the upgrades are a direct result of the feedback we've received from our customers," explained Wesley Long, software designer at Caption Colorado . "Every customer question or concern we receive is analyzed to see if there is anything we can do to improve the technology of our product." Long noted that upgrades to the customer control console make the system more user friendly for both captioners and customers. "And the easier it is for captioners and customers to interface, the better it is for viewers," said Jim Catts , manager of information technology at Caption Colorado .

The most valuable features in the Bison CCC 2.0 release include enhanced emergency coverage, functionality, tighter security protocols, quality control applications, and realtime captioner/customer communication.

"The emergency coverage feature," Catts explained, "allows us to recruit captioners for breaking news with the quick click of a button. One click and our nationwide pool of 120 captioners is instantly alerted. Response can be immediate -- sometimes in less than one minute." In the past, Caption Colorado had to telephone individual captioners to secure coverage for emergency events.

Another valuable feature is the added security functionality. “Internet connections continue to be secure with the new release, however, the proprietary security in the Bison Captioning Suite has been extended to include modem communication,” said Long. “So stations now have the option of securing their caption modem connection.” Currently, the Bison Captioning Suite is the only system that allows a station to secure their caption connection."

"We understand that security is important to our customers, and CCC 2.0 is a secure program,” Catts said. “Captioners require a hardware key for their computers. The key must be installed on their computer in order for them to access the network. This allows us to keep tight control over who is able to access the system. Plus, with our security exchange, only authorized people can connect to the system."

CCC 2.0 also incorporates a unique quality control feature not included in the initial release. "We can now schedule automatic capture of specific audio files and the corresponding transcripts to perform robust quality control," said Long. This allows Caption Colorado to maintain high standards.

Customers can monitor technical operating conditions and send instant messages to captioners via two-way, realtime messaging. This feature aids trouble-shooting as stations and captioners can communicate directly for quick resolutions of on-air operating emergencies. “It’s also ideal for on-the-fly changes to captioning configurations,” Polumbus explained..

Several additional features complete the update. A new pre-alert system notifies captioners when they have an event coming up -- and automatically connects them to the system.  Stand-by captioners can take over seamlessly during longer broadcasts so viewers can enjoy uninterrupted coverage. "Before the first captioner disconnects, the second has taken control,” explained Catts. "It’s a tremendous improvement."  And television stations can view their schedules online to confirm all captioning needs are covered.

CBS will be the first station group to implement Bison CCC 2.0. They recently renewed their national contract and plan to have all affiliate stations up and running on Bison CCC 2.0 in summer, 2004.

About Caption Colorado

Caption Colorado was founded in 1991 and is now America 's largest provider of realtime closed captioning service. From traditional news and television captioning to realtime streaming media captioning services, Caption Colorado is the nation's premier provider of captioning services. Caption Colorado develops the technology to empower the deaf and hard-of-hearing and provide you with ADA and Section 508 compliant solutions.

 

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