What is the SCC file format?
A .scc file contains Scenarist Closed Captions, a plain-text format encoding broadcast closed-caption data derived from the EIA-608 (CEA-608) specification - the same caption codes originally transmitted on line 21 of the analog NTSC television signal.
The file is reliably identified by its first line: the literal string Scenarist_SCC V1.0. What follows is a series of timecode-and-data pairs. Each caption event begins with a SMPTE timecode (hh:mm:ss:ff), a tab character, and then space-separated two-byte hexadecimal words. Each hex word encodes two EIA-608 caption bytes with odd parity applied per the broadcast specification. Most .scc files use NTSC 29.97 fps drop-frame timecode; 23.976 fps (cinema) is also common.
The format supports pop-on, paint-on, and roll-up caption styles, a maximum of 32 characters per row, and basic formatting (color, underline, italics) inherited from CEA-608. There is no built-in checksum or error detection.
.scc originated with Sonic Scenarist DVD authoring software in the mid-1990s and remains an FCC-required format for US broadcast television and an accepted archive format for streaming platforms. For HD digital broadcasts it has been supplemented by MCC (MacCaption), which carries CEA-708 digital caption data. For web video, WebVTT and SRT are more common, but many production workflows still begin with .scc as the master caption source.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWPlain ASCII text file. No executable content. Safe to open in any text editor.
Format details
in a nutshell- Visual SourceSafe Control File - VSSVer.scc is a hidden binary file created by Microsoft Visual SourceSafe in source-controlled project directories to track local file states (VSS EOL: mainstream support ended July 2012).
Programs that open SCC files
Windows4 apps
Aegisub
Open-source File → Open Subtitles, select .scc; displays captions with timing. Can export to SRT. 
Subtitle Edit
Open-source File → Open, select .scc; converts between 300+ subtitle formats including SCC. 
MacCaption
Paid Industry-standard captioning software; opens SCC natively and converts to MCC/SRT/WebVTT. 
macOS2 apps
Linux2 apps
Technical details
deep spec| Encoding | Plain text, ASCII |
| File signature | First line is the literal string Scenarist_SCC V1.0 |
| Caption standard | EIA-608 / CEA-608 (line 21 analog NTSC closed captions) |
| Timecode format | SMPTE hh:mm:ss:ff (frame-accurate; tab-separated from data) |
| Common frame rates | 29.97 fps (NTSC drop-frame); 23.976 fps (cinema) |
| Data encoding | Space-separated 2-byte hex words; each byte carries odd parity per CEA-608 spec |
| Caption styles | Pop-on, paint-on, roll-up |
| Max characters per row | 32 |
| Formatting codes | Color, underline, italics via CEA-608 control codes embedded in hex data |
| Regulatory status | FCC-mandated for US broadcast television (NTSC); widely accepted by streaming platforms |
| Successor formats | MCC (CEA-708 HD captions); WebVTT and TTML for streaming; SRT for basic web video |
| Typical file size | 2 KB - 500 KB; feature-length captions typically 50-150 KB |
| Released | 1990s, derived from EIA-608 (CEA-608) broadcast standard for line 21 closed captions |
| Latest version | SCC V1.0 (the format has not changed substantively since introduction) |
| Open standard | Yes · royalty-free |
| Specification | www.theneitherworld.com |
SCC conversions
Community Q&A
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