MediaPlus: Managing Captions
TLC Guide
MediaPlus is ASU’s media streaming and management platform, developed in partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS). It is designed to support the secure and reliable delivery of video and audio content for teaching and learning across the university.
Captions and transcripts are essential components in making media accessible and usable for all students. MediaPlus now automatically captions all newly uploaded media by default, reducing the need for manual setup while still allowing instructors to review and edit captions as needed.
How Captioning Works in MediaPlus
MediaPlus automatically generates captions for all new media uploaded to the platform. Once a video or audio file is uploaded, it is sent through MediaPlus’s speech-to-text service, which produces English-language captions and a transcript. When processing is complete, the caption file becomes available under the Captions tab in the media’s details view.
Automatic captions provide a strong starting point, but they are not perfect. The service may misinterpret lyrics, background music, proper names, technical terminology, or accented speech. Because of this, instructors are encouraged to review captions for instructional content and make corrections when accuracy matters for student comprehension.
Viewing and Managing Captions
To review captions for a piece of media, log in to MediaPlus, locate the media, and click on it to open the details view. From there, select the Captions tab at the top of the details panel. Once captions are available, they will be listed in this area and can be managed directly from the interface.
Editing Captions
While automatic captions reduce the initial workload, reviewing and correcting captions is an important step for accessibility and clarity. To edit captions:
- Log in to MediaPlus and locate the media you want to edit.
- Click the media to open its details view.
- Select the Captions tab to see available caption files.
- Click Edit beneath the caption file you want to modify.
- Use the built-in editor to correct any errors. (Tip: Select Open full caption editor to expand the editing workspace.)
- Click Save to apply your changes.
Changes to the active caption file become visible to viewers immediately after saving.
Captioning Older Media
Some media uploaded or migrated into MediaPlus before automatic captioning was introduced may not include captions. In such cases, the media owner can request captions on demand.
When the Generate Captions and Transcript option is selected, MediaPlus sends a copy of the media to the automatic captioning service. Once processing is complete, the generated caption file appears in the Captions tab alongside any existing caption files. From there, captions can be reviewed, edited, and activated just like captions on newly uploaded media.
For detailed instructions, refer to MediaPlus Tutorial: Captions - Google Docs.
Tips for Improving Caption Accuracy
Good audio quality significantly improves the accuracy of automatic captions. Before recording, reduce background noise such as fans, HVAC systems, traffic, or nearby construction. Recording a few seconds of silence and listening with headphones can help identify unwanted noise.
During recording, speak clearly and at a steady pace, avoid moving closer to or farther from the microphone, and minimize overlapping speech whenever possible.
Additional Resources
- ASU Enterprise Technology: ASU MediaPlus
- ASU Enterprise Technology: MediaPlus FAQs
- ASU Enterprise Technology: MediaPlus Resources
- TLC Comprehensive Instructor Guide: Teaching with MediaPlus
- TLC Guide: MediaPlus: Uploading Video
- TLC Guide: MediaPlus: Embedding Video in Canvas
- TLC Guide: MediaPlus: Playlists and Collections