What Is an SCC File?
Everything you need to know about the Scenarist Closed Captions format, the broadcast standard for CEA-608 closed captions.
SCC (Scenarist Closed Captions) is a professional subtitle format used primarily in North American broadcast television. It stores CEA-608 closed captions as hexadecimal-encoded data, making it the standard delivery format for TV networks, streaming services, and post-production workflows that require FCC-compliant closed captions.
What Does SCC Stand For?
SCC stands for Scenarist Closed Captions, named after the Scenarist DVD authoring software that popularized the format. It was developed to carry CEA-608 (formerly EIA-608) closed caption data in a plain-text file. The format is mandated by the FCC for U.S. broadcast television and is widely used in the streaming industry for compliance with accessibility regulations.
How SCC Files Work
An SCC file encodes closed caption data as pairs of hexadecimal characters. Each line begins with a timecode in HH:MM:SS:FF format, followed by the caption data encoded in hex. The hex data contains control codes to position captions, switch channels, or send special characters, plus the actual text characters according to the CEA-608 standard. Because captions are position-aware, SCC can place text anywhere on screen and supports pop-on, roll-up, and paint-on display modes.
When to Use SCC
SCC is the right choice when you are delivering content to U.S. broadcast television, working with FCC compliance requirements, or interfacing with professional video servers and encoders that expect CEA-608 data. Major streaming platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Hulu also accept SCC as a delivery format. If your workflow involves television production, SCC is almost always required.
SCC File Structure
Scenarist_SCC V1.0 00:00:01:00 9420 9420 94ae 9420 9420 9452 97a2 e3 6c 6c 6f 80 00:00:04:00 9420 9420 94f2 9420 9420 97a2 a3 6f 72 6c 64 80
Advantages of SCC
- FCC-compliant for U.S. broadcast television delivery
- Supports positioned captions with pop-on, roll-up, and paint-on modes
- Carries CEA-608 data expected by professional encoders and servers
- Accepted by major streaming platforms for caption delivery
Limitations of SCC
- Not human-readable without specialized caption editing software
- Limited to the CEA-608 character set (no full Unicode support)
- Frame-based timecodes require knowing the exact video frame rate
- Primarily designed for English; non-Latin scripts need special handling
Players and Platforms That Support SCC
SCC Frequently Asked Questions
How do I open an SCC file?
SCC files are plain text, so you can open them in any text editor. However, the hex-encoded content is not human-readable without caption software. Use a dedicated caption editor like Telestream CaptionMaker or MacCaption to view and edit the decoded captions.
What is the difference between SCC and SRT?
SCC stores CEA-608 closed captions as hex-encoded data with frame-based timecodes and supports positioning and display modes. SRT is a simpler plain-text format with millisecond timecodes and no positioning. SCC is for broadcast delivery; SRT is for general video use.
Why does my SCC file show wrong timing?
SCC timecodes are frame-based (HH:MM:SS:FF). If the frame rate in the SCC file does not match your video, captions will drift. Make sure you know the exact frame rate (23.976, 24, 25, 29.97, or 30 fps) when converting between SCC and other formats.
Can SCC files contain non-English text?
SCC uses the CEA-608 character set, which supports basic Latin characters, accented letters, and a limited set of symbols. It does not support full Unicode. For non-Latin languages, consider converting to SRT or VTT after delivery.