Why YouTube Summary Does Not Summarize Videos Without Subtitles

At YouTube Summary, we strive to provide the best possible summarization service for YouTube videos. However, a common question we receive is why we don't summarize videos without subtitles. This article will explain the technical and financial reasons behind this decision.

How YouTube Summary Uses yt-dlp to Get Transcripts

Our summarization process begins with extracting the transcript of a YouTube video using the yt-dlp library. This tool allows us to download video subtitles, which are crucial for generating accurate summaries. Once we have the transcript, our AI processes the text to create a concise and informative summary of the video content.

Understanding OpenAI Whisper

OpenAI Whisper is a relatively new service that provides automatic speech recognition (ASR) to transcribe audio into text. Launched in September 2022, Whisper uses advanced machine learning models to convert spoken language into written text with high accuracy. This technology leverages deep learning techniques and a large dataset of diverse audio samples to understand and transcribe speech.

How Whisper Works

Whisper operates by analyzing audio signals and using neural networks to predict the corresponding text. This involves several steps, including feature extraction, acoustic modeling, language modeling, and decoding. The service can handle various languages and accents, making it a powerful tool for generating transcripts from audio content.

Cost Comparison: ChatGPT vs. OpenAI Whisper

Using ChatGPT for summarizing a 1-hour video with subtitles involves processing the text transcript. The cost for this can vary depending on the complexity and length of the transcript. On average, summarizing a 1-hour video with ChatGPT costs approximately $0.50 to $1.00.

In contrast, using OpenAI Whisper to transcribe a 1-hour video without subtitles is significantly more expensive. The cost of transcribing an hour of audio with Whisper can range from $2.00 to $5.00, depending on the audio quality and the required accuracy. This cost is considerably higher than using ChatGPT for summarization, making Whisper too expensive for our service at the current stage.

YouTube's Automatic Subtitle Generation

YouTube introduced automatic subtitles in 2009, leveraging speech recognition technology to provide captions for videos. This feature is automatically enabled for many videos, allowing creators to offer subtitles without manual transcription. To enable automatic subtitles, uploaders can simply select the option in the video settings.

Today, millions of videos on YouTube have automatic subtitles generated daily. This has significantly increased the accessibility of content, allowing viewers to follow along even without sound. According to recent statistics, around 80% of new videos uploaded to YouTube have automatic subtitles.

Statistics on YouTube Videos with and Without Subtitles

As of today, a significant portion of YouTube's video library includes subtitles, thanks to the automatic captioning feature. Here are some key statistics:

• Approximately 80% of new videos uploaded daily have automatic subtitles.
• Older videos, especially those uploaded before 2009, are less likely to have subtitles, but many creators have added them retroactively.
• The number of subtitled videos has grown exponentially since the feature's introduction, improving accessibility for a broader audience.

The introduction of automatic subtitles has made it easier for services like YouTube Summary to provide accurate summaries. However, videos without subtitles remain a challenge due to the high cost of transcription services like Whisper.

Conclusion

While OpenAI Whisper offers advanced transcription capabilities, its cost makes it impractical for summarizing YouTube videos without subtitles within our current service model. Instead, we rely on YouTube's automatic subtitle generation to provide accurate and cost-effective summaries. As technology evolves and costs decrease, we may revisit this decision in the future. For now, we encourage creators to enable automatic subtitles on their videos to enhance accessibility and improve the summarization experience.