Amazon Instant Video closed captions

I was part of the team that built a silverlight video player for Amazon instant video. Specifically, I worked on closed caption functionality and integrating the player into the various services that it relies on for playback which included parental controls and ownership rights.

#Why are closed captions important?

Aside from the main purpose of closed captions which is to enable people with hearing problems to consume and enjoy video I find that closed captions are a perfect example of where accessibility issues can be a benefit for everybody. There are a huge amount of scenarios where a person might find that they want to use closed captions and they are not limited to hearing difficulties.

You might want to watch a movie in bed without disturbing your partner or catch up on the latest episode of your favourite tv program while on public transport but whatever the reason this further cements in my mind the idea that assistive technology is useful beyond it's original intent and I am proud to have been part of the team that made this possible for Amazon.

One last thing worth mentioning is that the closed captions in the Amazon Instant Video silverlight player are responsive and change size relative to the size of the viewport. If you're one of the millions of people who use the Amazon Instant Video silverlight player then I hope you like it!