IT Services - Download a Transcript for a Kaltura Video

Overview

Kaltura supports captions - which display in the media player as it plays - as well as transcripts, which are automatically generated based on the caption file. Anyone who can see the transcript within a Kaltura media player should be able to download it.

This tutorial applies to all UCSD Kaltura users: students, instructors, and staff with active directory credentials. Transcripts can be downloaded in Canvas and in MediaSpace.

Critical Concepts

What's the Difference between Captions and Transcripts?

A visual comparison of the contents of a caption file and a transcript file - the former with timecodes and the latter without. People sometimes use “captions” and “transcripts” like they mean the same thing, but they’re not quite the same, especially when working with video tools like Kaltura.

Captions are text synchronized with the video. They include timecodes that tell the player exactly when to show each line of text. Caption files typically end in .srt or .vtt extension.
Transcripts are just the plain text version of what’s spoken in the video: no timing info, no formatting. It’s usually just one long .txt file.

In Kaltura, the transcript is automatically generated based on the captions. So if you edit your captions, the transcript updates too.

If you’re using a Kaltura player with the transcript widget, you’ll notice it’s a little smarter than a plain text file, though — it highlights what’s being said in real time and lets you click on the text to jump to that part of the video.

Things to Keep in Mind

You have to play the video before the transcript will be visible. Some in-player controls only appear after clicking Play.
For the purposes of this documentation, we're assuming that you're already looking at a Kaltura media player with the transcript widget visible.
A rare few Kaltura players don't have a transcript widget enabled. So there's a slight possibility you won't see a transcript. But the vast majority of players have the transcript widget enabled.
Kaltura's transcripts have a lot of line breaks. It appears as though Kaltura formats the transcript file based on its appearance in the in-player widget. That means it has a lot of line breaks.
Want to edit the transcript instead of the captions? As we mentioned earlier, if you edit the captions for a Kaltura entry, the transcript will also be updated. But you can also download the transcript, edit it on your computer, and then use Kaltura's "machine alignment" feature to have it generate a caption file based on the transcript. Note that you can only edit captions or transcripts for a video if you're the entry's owner or a co-editor (see our documentation on Kaltura collaborators if needed).

Steps to Take

A screenshot of the Kaltura player with the transcript widget visible.

Click the play button to start the video. You have to do this so that the other controls become visible in the player. You can pause it immediately if you wish.
If the transcript isn't visible, click the transcript icon.
At the top of the transcript widget, click the kebab (three dots) and select Download current transcript.

The .txt file will download to your computer.

If you still have questions or need additional assistance, feel free to contact us at kaltura@ucsd.edu.