Feedback: guides-speaker_labelled_subtitles

Documentation Feedback

Original URL: https://www.assemblyai.com/docs/guides/speaker_labelled_subtitles
Category: guides
Generated: 05/08/2025, 4:37:35 pm

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Claude Sonnet 4 Feedback

Generated: 05/08/2025, 4:37:34 pm

Technical Documentation Analysis: Speaker Labelled Subtitles

Overall Assessment

This documentation provides a functional code example but lacks the structure, context, and completeness needed for effective technical documentation. Here’s my detailed analysis and recommendations:

🚨 Critical Issues

1. Missing Prerequisites & Setup

Problem: No clear environment setup or dependencies beyond basic pip install.

Fix: Add a comprehensive prerequisites section:

## Prerequisites
- Python 3.7 or higher
- AssemblyAI account with API key
- Audio/video file in supported format (MP3, WAV, MP4, etc.)
- Basic familiarity with Python and SRT subtitle format

## Installation
```bash
pip install assemblyai

API Key Setup

1. Sign up at AssemblyAI Dashboard
2. Get your API key from the Account page
3. Replace "YOUR-API-KEY" in the code below

### 2. **No Input/Output Examples**
**Problem**: Users don't know what to expect or how to verify success.

**Fix**: Add concrete examples:
```markdown
## Sample Input
Audio file: `meeting_recording.wav` (3 speakers, 2 minutes)

## Expected Output
File: `meeting_recording.wav.srt`
```srt
1
00:00:01,230 --> 00:00:03,450
<font color="red">Hello everyone thanks for joining</font>

2
00:00:03,680 --> 00:00:05,120
<font color="orange">Great to be here</font>

3. Unclear Structure & Flow

Problem: The step-by-step guide doesn’t actually break down steps clearly.

Fix: Restructure with clear numbered steps:

## Step-by-Step Guide

### Step 1: Install and Import Dependencies
### Step 2: Configure API Settings
### Step 3: Set Transcription Parameters
### Step 4: Process Audio File
### Step 5: Generate SRT File
### Step 6: Verify Output

📋 Missing Information

1. File Format Support

Add supported formats and file size limits:

## Supported File Formats
- Audio: MP3, WAV, FLAC, OGG, M4A
- Video: MP4, MOV, AVI, MKV
- Maximum file size: 2.2GB
- For larger files, see [File Upload Guide](link)

2. Error Handling

The current code has zero error handling. Add:

try:
    transcript = transcriber.transcribe(filename)
    if transcript.status == 'error':
        print(f"Transcription failed: {transcript.error}")
        return
except Exception as e:
    print(f"Error processing file: {e}")
    return

3. Configuration Options

Document customizable parameters:

## Configuration Options

| Parameter | Default | Description | Example |
|-----------|---------|-------------|---------|
| `max_words_per_subtitle` | 6 | Words per subtitle chunk | 6-12 recommended |
| `speaker_colors` | See code | Color mapping for speakers | Add/modify colors |
| `speaker_labels` | True | Enable speaker detection | Required for this feature |

🔧 Code Quality Issues

1. Inconsistent Comments

Problem: Comment # -1 indicates continuation is incorrect and confusing.

Fix:

# Get timing from first and last word in chunk
start_time = chunk[0].start
end_time = chunk[-1].end

2. Poor Variable Naming

Problem: sentences variable actually contains word-level data.

Fix:

# Get sentence-level segments with speaker information
sentence_segments = transcript.get_sentences()
srt_content = process_segments(sentence_segments)

3. No Validation

Add input validation:

import os

def validate_inputs():
    if not aai.settings.api_key or aai.settings.api_key == "YOUR-API-KEY":
        raise ValueError("Please set your AssemblyAI API key")

    if not os.path.exists(filename):
        raise FileNotFoundError(f"Audio file not found: {filename}")

    if max_words_per_subtitle < 1:
        raise ValueError("max_words_per_subtitle must be positive")

🎯 User Experience Improvements

1. Add Troubleshooting Section

## Troubleshooting

### Common Issues

**"File not found" error**
- Verify file path is correct
- Use absolute path if needed: `/full/path/to/file.wav`

**No speaker labels in output**
- Ensure audio has multiple speakers
- Check that `speaker_labels=True` is set
- Minimum audio length: 30 seconds recommended

**Colors not displaying**
- Test with VLC media player or subtitle-supporting video player
- Some players don't support HTML color tags

2. Performance Guidelines

## Performance Considerations

- **File size**: Larger files take longer to process
- **Speaker count**: 2-10 speakers work best
- **Audio quality**: Clear audio improves accuracy
- **Processing time**: ~1-2 minutes per hour of audio

3. Next Steps Section

## Next Steps

- [Advanced Speaker Diarization](link) - Improve speaker detection
- [Subtitle Formatting](link) - Customize subtitle appearance
- [Batch Processing](link) - Process multiple files
- [API Reference](link) - Full API documentation

📝 Structural Improvements

Recommended New Structure:

1. Overview (what this does, when to use it)
2. Prerequisites (requirements, setup)
3. Quick Start (minimal working example)
4. Complete Example (full code with explanations)
5. Configuration (customization options)
6. Output Format (what you get)
7. Troubleshooting (common issues)
8. Advanced Usage (extensions, modifications)
9. Related Guides (next steps)

🏷️ Missing Context

Add an overview section:

## Overview

This guide shows how to create SRT subtitle files with speaker-specific colors using AssemblyAI's Speaker Diarization feature. Each speaker gets a unique color, making it easy to follow conversations in video players that support colored subtitles.

**Use cases:**
- Interview transcriptions
- Meeting recordings
- Podcast subtitles
- Educational content

**What you'll learn:**
- Enable speaker detection
- Generate colored SRT files
- Customize subtitle timing and appearance

These improvements would transform this from a code dump into comprehensive, user-friendly documentation that guides users successfully through the entire process.

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