The technology that makes SBS’s online closed captioning possible is a point of innovation. A system was developed by SBS which automatically reformats pre-prepared captions which were broadcast on television. It has not yet been possible to provide captions for live content, such as news and sport, but SBS has informed us that this is an issue they are working to resolve.
The app will allow iPhone users to watch programs and movies aired on the ABC network through WiFi and 3G connections. ABC iView is the ABC's television show streaming service that allows people to watch programs online after they have been broadcast. The ABC iView app allows people to access this service through different mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.
While people are increasingly watching TV on the internet, the provision of captioning on IP-TV has been very patchy. In Australia, prime time programs from ABC1 and ABC2 which can be watched on the ABC’s iView player are captioned, while about 15% of programs available for purchase from the Australian iTunes store have captions. The US legislation is the first to stipulate that programs must retain their captioning for viewing online.
