Method and apparatus for control of closed captioning

A closed captioning encoder for enabling a programming originator to view and control one or more aspects of closed captioning processes, comprising:

• at least one communications port operable for communicating, over a computer network, with a first captioning computer;
• at least one communications port operable for communicating, over a computer network, with a programming originator computer;
• at least one communications port operable for receiving an audio signal and a video signal from at least one audio and video signal source;
• at least one communications port operable for outputting, over a computer network, a program feed, wherein the program feed includes the audio signal, the video signal and a caption encoded signal;
• a non-transitory memory having stored therein a bridge program;
• wherein the bridge program comprises instructions for:
• receiving, from a programming originator computer, at least one command specifying whether conventional closed captioning or improved closed captioning is desired;
• receiving the one or more closed captioning characters from the first captioning computer;
• when improved closed captioning is desired,
• receiving at least one improved control data command specifying at least one or more display aspects of the one or more closed captioning characters;
• outputting in the caption encoded signal the one or more closed captioning characters and the at least one improved control data command;
• when conventional closed captioning is desired,
• receiving at least one conventional control data command specifying at least one conventional display aspect of the one or more closed captioning characters;
• outputting in the caption encoded signal the one or more closed captioning characters and the at least one conventional control data command;
• outputting the video signal and the caption encoded video signal to at least one of the first captioning computer and the programming originator computer;
• whereupon receiving and decoding video signal and the caption encoded video signal at least one of a size and a placement of the closed captioning characters relative to the video signal can be determined based on at least one command present in at least one of the improved control data command and the conventional control data command;
• a processor operable to execute the bridge program.