Upload a video to a social network and an SRT file is usually enough. Deliver the same video to a broadcaster or a major streaming platform in North America and you will often be asked for something else: an SCC file. SCC is an older, stricter caption format, but it remains a common delivery requirement in broadcast and professional video. Here is what it is, why it is used and what to watch for when you translate it.
What Is an SCC File?
SCC stands for Scenarist Closed Caption. The format was created for the Scenarist DVD authoring software and became widely used for broadcast and online video captions. An .scc file carries closed caption data based on the CEA-608 standard, the "line 21" captioning system used in North American television.
Unlike SRT, an SCC file is not human readable. Each line contains a timecode followed by caption data encoded as pairs of hexadecimal codes. Those codes include both the characters and control commands that tell the decoder where to place the text, when to show or clear it, and which caption style to use.
How an SCC File Is Structured
A typical SCC file starts with a header line ("Scenarist_SCC V1.0"), followed by lines that each begin with a SMPTE timecode in hours:minutes:seconds and frames. Drop frame timecode, commonly used with 29.97 frames per second video, is shown with a semicolon before the frame number. After the timecode come the hexadecimal byte pairs that encode the caption. Because of this encoding, SCC files are created and edited with captioning software rather than by hand.
Caption Styles in SCC
- Pop-on: a full caption is prepared off screen and appears all at once. The standard for pre-recorded programmes.
- Roll-up: lines scroll up from the bottom of the screen, typical for live news and talk shows.
- Paint-on: characters appear one by one, used less often.
Technical Limits You Need to Know
SCC inherits the constraints of CEA-608 television captions:
- A maximum of 32 characters per row.
- Typically up to four rows of captions visible at once.
- A limited character set: basic Latin plus a selection of accented characters used in Spanish, French, Portuguese, German and some other Western European languages.
- Limited styling: a small set of colours, italics and underline.
This has a big consequence for localization. Languages that need characters outside the CEA-608 set, such as Polish, Czech, Russian, Greek, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese or Korean, cannot be represented correctly in standard SCC. For those markets, platforms usually accept other formats such as WebVTT, TTML or SRT.
Why SCC Is Still Required
Closed captions are a legal and accessibility requirement for much television content in the United States; the FCC guide to closed captioning describes the rules. Many broadcast chains, playout servers and video platforms were built around CEA-608 data, so SCC remains one of the most reliable ways to deliver captions that survive every step of distribution.
SCC vs SRT
- Readability: SRT is plain text; SCC is hex encoded.
- Use case: SRT for web and social video; SCC for broadcast and professional deliveries.
- Timing: SRT uses milliseconds; SCC uses SMPTE frames.
- Positioning: SCC supports placement on screen; SRT generally does not.
- Languages: SRT supports any Unicode language; SCC is limited to the CEA-608 character set.
Our guide to SRT files and subtitle translation covers the simpler format in detail.
How to Translate SCC Captions
- Extract the caption text. A CAT tool or translation management system that supports SCC decodes the hex data into readable segments while keeping timecodes and control codes protected.
- Translate within the limits. Each line must stay within 32 characters, so translators often need to condense rather than translate literally. Character counters in the CAT editor help.
- Use memory and terminology. Series and recurring programmes reuse phrases constantly; translation memory and a term base keep names and terms consistent.
- Check characters. Make sure every character in the translation is supported by CEA-608. QA checks flag line length and unsupported characters before export.
- Re-encode and test. Export the translated SCC and verify it in a caption viewer or on the target platform.
For target languages SCC cannot display, deliver translated captions in a Unicode format such as SRT or WebVTT instead, keeping the same timing.
Common SCC Problems
- Captions drift out of sync: frame rate or drop frame settings do not match the video.
- Missing accented characters: the character is not part of the CEA-608 set or was encoded incorrectly.
- Truncated lines: translations exceed 32 characters per row.
- File rejected by the platform: missing header or invalid control codes from manual editing.
Translate Caption Files With WordBeam
WordBeam supports SCC alongside SRT, DOCX, XLSX, XLIFF and other localization file formats. Caption text is extracted into clean segments, timing data stays protected, and translators work with memory, glossary, AI engines and QA in one place. Learn more about localizing video in our video localization guide or start free.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I open an SCC file?
You can open it in a text editor, but you will only see timecodes and hex codes. Use captioning or video editing software to view and edit the actual captions.
Can I convert SRT to SCC?
Yes, captioning tools can convert SRT to SCC, but lines may need to be shortened to 32 characters and unsupported characters replaced.
Does SCC support all languages?
No. SCC supports English and a limited set of Western European characters. Other languages should be delivered in Unicode formats such as SRT, WebVTT or TTML.