HJ Holdings, Inc., the company that operates the online video streaming service “Hulu” in Japan, shared with us how they utilize a speech recognition API to generate subtitles for their streaming content without any development work.

Issues/background

Challenges in Creating Subtitles for Hulu’s Streaming Service

Hulu has an optional "Subtitle Guide" feature that displays Japanese subtitles for domestic dramas and anime (video works with Japanese audio), and uses the AmiVoice API to create this "Subtitle Guide."

In recent years, the number of video distribution platforms has increased, and as more people use them, the demand for subtitles has also risen. However, there have been various challenges and progress has not been made to address these issues.
One of the challenges was cost, and another major issue was that it would require development and take time to convert the transcription data from the speech recognition API into subtitles.

Hulu's Subtitle Guide Options

Key Drivers of the Adoption

Transcribing Dialogue Without Development using the Editor App

When we tried using the low‑cost AmiVoice API, we found that it was able to accurately recognize dialogue from dramas and anime—something we had initially assumed would be difficult for speech recognition.
Another major challenge was that converting the AmiVoice API’s transcription data into subtitle format would normally require development work, and we expected the implementation to take time. However, once we learned that UD Talk Subtitle Editor—which can integrate with the AmiVoice API—was available, we decided to proceed with the system adoption.
By importing the AmiVoice API’s recognition result files into the UD Talk Subtitle Editor, our subtitle production partners can edit the speech recognition output directly for subtitle use, allowing us to create subtitle data without any development.
As a result, we were able to launch our “Subtitle Guide” feature at low cost and without spending time or effort on development.

>What is UD Talk Subtitle Editor?

Impact of the Implementation and Future Outlook

Cost Reductions Have Increased Subtitle Guide–Enabled Content

We were able to reduce costs more than usual, which resulted in us being able to increase the content provided by the Subtitle Guide, which has allowed many users to use the Subtitle Guide.
We hope to continue using the AmiVoice API and considering further development in the future to provide subtitles in an even better way. We would like to continue considering providing subtitles for all video works.