New benchmark in AI-driven captioning empowers accessibility with unmatched speed and accuracy.

New York, NY – Premier Visual Voice has announced that its groundbreaking assistive technology, Caption Companion, is now the first automatic speech recognition (ASR) device in the world to receive certification from the National Captioning Standards Program (NCSP). This distinction sets a new industry benchmark for real-time captioning accuracy and accessibility.

Caption Companion is a real-time captioning device developed and supported by Premier Visual Voice. It delivers unlimited, fast, and accurate AI-powered captions via an intuitive 8-inch tablet-style device paired with a wireless microphone. Unlike most solutions on the market, Caption Companion works offline, providing reliable communication access without the need for an internet connection.

“We knew Caption Companion was fast and accurate, but when it matched the performance of novice human captioners in our internal testing—and then passed the NCSP—we realized this was a breakthrough,” said Matthew Call, Director of Technology at Premier Visual Voice. “It’s not just a device—it’s a new standard for accessible communication.”

Unlike typical ASR systems that self-report using word error rate (WER), the NCSP applies the more comprehensive NER model, which evaluates not just words, but also punctuation, capitalization, and meaning. This external validation proves what users have already experienced: Caption Companion delivers consistent, real-time captions with human-like clarity, even in noisy or unpredictable settings.

As a long-time provider of both remote CART services and live captioning, Call emphasized the importance of having a flexible solution:

“Caption Companion fills the gap between costly scheduled captioning sessions and free, but inconsistent app-based solutions. For many users, having 24/7 access to high-quality captions—whether online or offline—is a game changer. And for those who still need a human captioner, we’ve built that support into the device too.”

Real-world users are already feeling the impact:

A professional with tinnitus described the device as a “lifesaver” that allowed her to keep her job by accurately capturing conversations when her hearing faltered.

A father out to dinner with his daughter was able to follow the conversation, even in a noisy restaurant where his hearing aids failed.

A deaf engineer, accustomed to using AI captions on his iPad, was stunned by the leap in accuracy delivered by Caption Companion’s direct audio feed.

“People love to debate which app or platform has the best captions,” said Call. “The reality is that audio quality drives caption quality. Caption Companion was engineered—both in software and hardware—to get the cleanest input possible in every environment.”

With NCSP certification, Caption Companion doesn’t just raise the bar—it challenges the entire industry to back up performance claims with real, rigorous standards.

“Welcome to the new era of real-time captioning.”

About Caption Companion

Caption Companion is an industry-first assistive device developed by Premier Visual Voice, delivering unlimited, real-time AI captioning technology via a wireless microphone and tablet interface—no internet required. Built for the deaf, hard-of-hearing, and anyone in need of clear communication access, it meets the most demanding captioning standards with the flexibility to support live human captioners when needed.

About Premier Visual Voice

Premier Visual Voice is a leading provider of CART, captioning, and accessibility solutions. The company is dedicated to advancing communication access through innovative technology and certified services—whether in-person, remote, or AI-powered.

Source: https://thenewsfront.com/caption-companion-becomes-first-ever-ncsp-certified-captioning-device/