4 Benefits of Using AWS S3 in Captioning Workflows

5 Security Questions to Ask Your Closed Captioning Provider [Free eBook]

Ensuring secure methods of data storage and transfer is a necessity in today’s digital world. As organizations across a variety of industries are moving towards the adoption of secure workflows for all kinds of data, new ways of storing videos and their associated media accessibility files are coming to light.

One of the most popular choices for secure storage and accessibility workflows is Amazon Simple Storage Service, more commonly known as S3. S3 is a cloud storage solution provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS). S3 allows organizations to store and retrieve data via web or application programming interfaces (APIs). Data types can include documents, images, video, and more.

AWS S3 is growing in popularity for organizations who want a secure and centralized method for sharing video assets and receipt of files such as captions or audio descriptions. In this blog, we’re covering how S3 works, the key benefits of using S3, and why integrating AWS S3 and 3Play Media accounts can streamline the video production process.

How Does S3 Work?

In general, AWS S3 workflows are fairly straightforward once they’re set up, and it’s no different for captioning or other accessibility workflows. Here’s how it works:

• An organization uploads a video asset to a secure S3 folder.

• A media accessibility vendor pulls the video asset to create captions, audio descriptions, and more.

• Media accessibility files are seamlessly delivered to the organization’s digital properties.

S3 workflows can be made even easier with the use of watch folders. A watch folder is a location in which automated processes are triggered when a new file is placed inside. For example, when a new file is placed in a watch folder, a notification of file receipt may be sent to the folder’s owner, or it may automatically grab the file and move it to a new location.

The Benefits of Using S3 in Media Accessibility Workflows

AWS S3 workflows are often used by organizations that want a highly secure cloud storage solution. In industries like media and entertainment, S3 adoption is increasing due to its straightforward, user-friendly interface, as well as its ability to handle and store large assets in a secure environment. Let’s take a look at some of the top benefits of using S3 in media accessibility workflows.

1. Security

AWS S3 is a highly secure cloud storage system, making it a popular choice for security-conscious industries. S3 provides features for managing access and permissions while also automatically encrypting object uploads.

Cyber security threats can affect anyone, but incorporating secure storage and workflow methods can help mitigate risk. For organizations looking to keep their video content safe throughout the captioning process, S3 can be a great solution to ensure valuable data is protected.

2. Speed

For broadcast producers working on quick-turnaround timelines, workflow speed is critical to ensuring video content goes to air on schedule. AWS S3 helps trusted partners share content and data quickly with accelerated transfers and reduced network variability.

Using S3 in high-velocity video production workflows can allow for speedy deliveries between customers and media accessibility vendors when working on tight deadlines. S3 captioning workflows in particular can be made faster when leveraging solutions like progressive delivery.

3. Scalability

In the era of streaming, the production of video content is increasing across industries. S3 is a great storage solution for any type of data with its almost infinite scalability for video, audio, and any associated media accessibility files.

It’s because of this scalability that S3 is a top pick for organizations, networks, and platforms that are juggling high volumes of video and audio data on a regular basis. And with the ever-growing amount of video content, S3 can additionally support scaling efforts for captioning and audio description to help streamline the path to an inclusive and compliant experience for your viewers.

4. Centralization

Many organizations are centralizing accessibility efforts, particularly when it comes to video and audio. Centralization is the process in which all video accessibility needs (captioning, audio description, localization, transcription, etc.) go through a single, centralized department or entity within an organization.

AWS S3 helps with the centralization of media accessibility processes by providing a solution where multiple departments, people, and partners can share media files in a secure, fast, and scalable way. Traditional media accessibility workflows tend to use manual methods which can easily become bottlenecks, whereas S3’s easy-to-use system enables every person involved in a workflow to operate at higher efficiency. By automating the minutiae of media accessibility workflows, S3 enables you to focus on the bigger picture of your video projects instead of getting stuck in the world of uploads, downloads, turnarounds, and deliveries of every individual caption file.

How 3Play Seamlessly Integrates with S3 Workflows

3Play Media supports your AWS S3 workflows by seamlessly integrating your S3 and 3Play accounts. Our team will work alongside you every step of the way as we implement a custom workflow to automatically post back captions and other media accessibility files to your S3 bucket.

3Play Keeps Data Secure

In addition to integrating with your organization’s S3 workflows, 3Play is committed to keeping your media and content as secure as possible. With a vast array of services ranging from closed captioning to audio description, we understand the significance of safeguarding your media and personal data in a digital landscape rife with threats.

We are certified and compliant with some of the industry’s most robust security standards, including SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA, Infosec, Trusted Partner Network (TPN), and more. Beyond certifications, we take a holistic approach to data security that extends far beyond compliance, and we pledge to protect your data with utmost vigilance.

3Play Offers Flexible Turnaround Options & Deadline Compliance

Security isn’t our only prioritization with AWS S3 workflows. We know that speed and deadline compliance are major factors when it comes to integrating your 3Play account with S3.

We offer a multitude of turnaround options to best fit your video production schedule. Our flexible turnaround options aren’t just suggestions to us; we know they have a major impact on your deadlines. That’s why we go a step further by holding ourselves accountable for meeting your selected turnaround in our service level agreements (SLAs).

And for those times you need your video captioned even faster than our quickest turnaround? Our patented Progressive Delivery ensures you have captions as soon as they reach a certain accuracy threshold, which can later be replaced with a finalized file.

3Play Helps Scale Media Accessibility Efforts

Whether you’re centralizing your captioning efforts or simply want to streamline your workflows, we’re here to serve as an accessibility partner who will grow with you.

At 3Play, we process large quantities of video at a time without sacrificing our industry-leading accuracy and deadline compliance. By leveraging certified editors and AI, our pool of resources allows us to provide you with the peace of mind that your video content will be captioned, described, or localized so that you can upload videos to your S3 account and make them accessible with 3Play whenever you need to.

Looking to integrate your S3 account with 3Play for your captioning, audio description, or other media accessibility workflows?