Live Subtitles Anywhere – Onsite, via Satellite or Web.
Clear standards for the accessibility of audiovisual content have been in place since the requirements of the European Accessibility Act (EAA) came into force in mid-2025. For years, we have been helping companies make their content accessible to a wide audience with our AI-based subtitling solution. One of our customers, WELT, has been strengthening its market presence and fulfilling the inclusion and sustainability goals of Axel Springer Verlag for years with our solution. This workflow enables them to subtitle one of Germany’s leading news channels live around the clock — even at 2 a.m. — at a low cost. Thanks to the platform approach, agile proof of concepts (POCs) and other spontaneous solutions can also be enabled by using our infrastructure.
The DeepVA platform, with it’s Deep Live Hub, forms the technological basis for real-time transcription of spoken content and automated creation of live subtitles. Using modern AI models, DeepVA not only reliably recognizes spoken language, but also identifies the respective language and can provide live translations based on this information. This makes the platform equally suitable for live subtitling and translation of a wide variety of media formats – especially in the broadcast environment.
Technically, DeepVA processes the live audio stream in real time and continuously generates subtitles. These can be provided flexibly:
The Advantages of DeepVA’s Deep Live Hub:
Teletext integration via Stream-Engineering.de
DeepVA integrates AI-generated live subtitles into linear television workflows using SDI insertion technology provided by partners such as Stream Engineering by Jochen Albrecht. This technology enables subtitles to be embedded directly into SDI signals in compliance with international teletext standards, making them available on traditional linear TV platforms.
In the workflow, the broadcaster sends its RTMP audio livestream to the Deep Live Hub. There, AI-based live subtitles are generated and delivered back as an HLS subtitle stream. This HLS stream is retrieved by the subtitle inserter, which combines the subtitle data with the broadcaster’s already encoded live signal and outputs a subtitle-enhanced SDI signal.
The system is designed for stable 24/7 operation and supports multiple endpoints, allowing subtitles to be integrated into HD and SD signals simultaneously. The finalized SDI signals are then distributed to end viewers via satellite, ensuring reliable and barrier-free live subtitling for linear television broadcasts.
Enabling Flexibility in Input and Output.
The Deep Live Hub from Aiconix offers a comprehensive set of flexible input and output signal options, making it a powerful foundation for modern live streaming, broadcast, and AI-driven media workflows. On the input side, the platform supports a wide range of sources, including RTMP, WebRTC, SRT, and even established standards like the SIP protocol, allowing audio and video signals from cameras, encoders, call systems, or production tools to be seamlessly ingested.
For outputs, Deep Live Hub supports both text and media formats depending on the input type: text-based subtitle and translation streams accessible via SRT URLs, HLS egress, or real-time HLS egress can be pulled or presented in a browser, while video streams can be delivered with burned-in captions, closed-caption tracks, and even metadata via websocket push, enabling direct publication to platforms or downstream systems. In addition, support for SRT push workflows provides secure, reliable transport of subtitle data back to CDNs or streaming endpoints, giving broadcasters and marketers the flexibility to choose the most effective delivery method for their audiences.
Teletext subtitles: proven standard for accessible television
Although not a feature of the future, teletext subtitles are a central component of accessible television. They have become increasingly required in recent years as the need for accessibility compliance has grown. They provide deaf and hard of hearing people with a well-established, easily accessible standard that is independent of apps, platforms or modern hardware. They remain widely used, particularly for linear television, they are user-friendly for all ages and technically robust. A key advantage of teletext is its reliability: subtitles are available on older TV sets and with limited reception.
Last but not least, legal requirements also play an important role. Public broadcasters in particular are required to provide barrier-free services. Teletext subtitles are a necessity for European broadcasters.
Many European private and public broadcasters integrate live subtitles directly into their TV signal via standardised teletext pages. Modern IPTV platforms such as waipu.tv also support teletext, thereby bridging the gap between traditional television and internet-based services.
