What Is SDH?

Direct definition

SDH means Subtitles for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. An SDH track includes dialogue plus sound cues and speaker identification so viewers who cannot hear the audio still get that information.

The sections below explain how SDH is used in transcription and subtitle work, what people often mix up, and which VideoText workflow applies when the next step is a file or review pass.

Key takeaways

• SDH is a content profile, not a file extension.
• SDH describes who the text is written for; “closed” describes whether the viewer can toggle the track.
• Sound effects belong in SDH/captions; they are usually omitted from translation-only subtitles.

SDH vs closed captions

In practice the content goals overlap. “Closed captions” describes how the track is toggled. “SDH” describes who the text is written for. A closed SDH track is common on discs and streaming stores.

Related terms

• closed captions
• subtitles
• caption accessibility
• speaker labels
• All glossary terms

Sources

1. W3C WAI: Captions/Subtitles