This new service is designed to help expand accessibility and meet WCAG 2.1, Level AA requirements.
Powered by CASTUS AI, Audio Descriptions provide clear, natural-sounding narration of on-screen actions, speakers, and key visual elements to increase accessibility for people who are blind or visually-impaired.
We offer both Standard Audio Descriptions and Extended Audio Descriptions, giving you the flexibility to meet a range of accessibility and compliance requirements depending on your content and platform.
Our streamlined, integrated workflow is compatible with any platform that supports SAP (CASTUS playback not required), making deployment simple, scalable, and cost-effective.
Meets WCAG 2.1 Guidelines: 1.2.3, Level A | 1.2.5, Level AA | 1.2.7, Level AAA
Click to view a video sneak peek demonstrating the powerful new CASTUS Audio Descriptions service. Note that these results were 100% generated by CASTUS AI with zero human intervention. Enjoy!
Use Audio Descriptions either through your CASTUS playback server or CASTUS Cloud Services.
Or upload any video and download AD as a separate downloadable audio file (.WAV). This standalone web interface is compatible with any platform that supports SAP. The Audio Descriptions service works even if you don’t use CASTUS playback.
No third-party tools or vendors required.
What are the WCAG 2.1, Level AA requirements for Audio Descriptions?
Under WCAG 2.1, Level AA, pre-recorded video content should include Audio Descriptions when visual information is necessary to understand the content. For further information, here is a link to the Success Criterion 1.2.5.
On April 24, 2024, the Federal Register published the Department of Justice’s final rule updating its regulations for Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
The final rule adopted the current technical standard, Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Version 2.1, Level AA, to ensure that state and local governments’ web content and mobile apps are accessible to people with disabilities. The WCAG contain criterion for measuring success in meeting the standard.
As always, municipalities should consult legal counsel for specific compliance interpretation. The full Law, Regulations, and Standards can be found here.
Updated 4/20/26: The deadline for compliance has been extended by a year.
What’s the difference between Standard Audio Descriptions and Extended Audio Descriptions?
Standard Audio Description (AD) adds voiceover narration that describes key visual elements, such as on-screen actions, speaker identification, and important visual context, during natural pauses in the original audio. This approach preserves the timing of the video while enhancing accessibility.
Extended Audio Description goes a step further to ensure full accessibility compliance. When there are no natural pauses (such as during continuous speech or slide presentations), the video is automatically paused to create space for additional descriptive narration. This ensures that all critical visual information is communicated, even in content with little or no silence.
Extended AD is especially valuable for presentation-heavy content where speakers do not pause, and for platforms that do not support secondary audio channels (such as Facebook, Granicus, and others). In these cases, you can provide two versions of your content:
What types of visual elements are covered by Audio Descriptions?
Audio Descriptions (AD) add spoken narration of important visual elements in your videos so residents who are blind or visually impaired can fully understand your content.
The AD service can
Identify speakers.
Describe slides, maps, and on-screen graphics.
Communicate vote results and visual actions.
Describe body language when it is critical to understanding.
What type of content can the service cover?
CASTUS Audio Descriptions are purpose-built for municipal meetings and public access content, delivering exceptional results for council meetings, hearings, and community programming. At the same time, the system is highly effective for standard video content, including promos and produced pieces, often outperforming traditional solutions.
Do Audio Descriptions work for social media?
Yes, you can export files with Audio Descriptions already generated for social media or platforms that don’t support alternate audio. This is compatible with platforms like YouTube that support secondary audio tracks.
Can Audio Descriptions be turned on or off as desired?
Yes. With the delivery option of a Secondary Audio Track (SAP), viewers can choose to turn AD on or off.
What is the quality like? Do the Audio Descriptions interrupt speech, pause the video, etc.?
The CASTUS Audio Descriptions are powered by AI and trained for high-quality, natural playback. They were designed for a clear, non-intrusive listening experience.
Audio Descriptions
Use natural pauses in speech (no awkward interruptions).
Do not pause or override speakers.
Provide speaker identification by reading lower thirds.
How does pricing work for the service?
Pricing Options
CASTUS Audio Description services are based on a prepaid, usage-based model. Funds are deposited into your account and drawn down as content is processed, based on your locked-in per-minute rate. This approach provides flexibility while rewarding higher commitments with better pricing.
We offer three flexible options:
Pay-As-You-Go
This option provides maximum flexibility with no upfront commitment. Usage is billed at the highest per-minute rate and is ideal for new customers or those with occasional needs. No CASTUS playback server or VOD system is required.
Bulk Purchase (Prepaid)
Prepay for minutes or hours in advance and draw from your balance as content is processed. Rates are discounted based on volume, with larger purchases unlocking better pricing tiers. Funds do not expire, giving you complete flexibility in how and when they are used.
Annual Cap (Auto-Funded Plan)
Designed for predictable, ongoing usage. Commit to an annual volume with scheduled deposits to maintain your balance and lock in the best available rates. This option provides the most cost-effective pricing and simplifies budgeting. Additional funds can be added at any time if usage exceeds your planned amount.
Note: While services are measured in hours/minutes, billing is based on actual usage against your prepaid balance, not a traditional hourly contract.
For detailed pricing and recommendations based on your workflow, please contact Sales.
This service is designed to help expand accessibility and meet WCAG 2.1, Level AA requirements.
CASTUS Captioning provides a complete, accurate on-screen text display of spoken dialogue to increase accessibility for people who are deaf or hearing-impaired.
We offer both Live captioning or File-based captioning for full flexibility in fulfilling accessibility requirements, dependent on your content and platform.
Both Live and File-based captioning are 100% cloud based and do not require any hardware. Caption with great accuracy (95%+) while captions are embedded on VOD programming, live streams, and OTT apps. This service even integrates with our playback servers so captions appear seamlessly on your cable channel. Easy, automated and affordable. Our caption services are reliable and provide captions for a fraction of the cost.
Closed captioning is a powerful tool and is required in today’s world of broadcast. Translation services allow you to translate English captions to 75+ spoken languages accurately and automatically in order to provide the same incredible content to a wider audience. The 100% cloud-based translation service is easy, fast, affordable, and accurate with CASTUS and does not require additional hardware or costly maintenance.
Closed Caption Dictionaries allow you to exceed the industry standard of 95% accuracy, giving you the ability to add names and more so they are displayed in captions accurately. Add committee names, street names, dates, abbreviations and more so your captions are accurate every time. There is no additional cost to use this incredible feature. Dictionaries are included with our File Based and Live Captioning services, saving you time and money.
This is an incredible opportunity for the Department of Communication and Frostburg State University to showcase the talent and skills of students who work towards creating original programming for the area. We were limited to cable before, and we were not getting robust viewership, but the new app should reconnect us with the community and the world! The app is free and easy to download, so it’s a win- win!
I absolutely love the CASTUS system! It’s an amazing piece of equipment and I won’t work without it. In my 25 years, it’s my favorite server.
Last night’s Zoom meeting coverage was live, and ACMi is receiving great praise from the Town.
Andover has had great success with our Roku and Amazon Firestick services designed and launched from CASTUS. We’ve been quite happy with their quality and reliability.
“We recorded 7 meetings yesterday to the cloud and all of them uploaded to the website perfectly.”
CASTUS not only opened up to 24/hr programming opportunities and greatly reduced the time I’ve needed to spend on playback as a whole (in more ways than I can count on my fingers!) but it added features we use regularly.
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