Minutitel

Minutitel is a neologism used in media production to denote a brief, minute-by-minute label appended to a video or live stream to identify the current segment. The term is not part of any formal broadcasting standard, but it appears in discussions of navigational aids, time-based metadata, and archival workflows for long-form content. Its use is generally confined to experimental or project-specific contexts rather than widespread industry practice.

Origin and interpretation: the word is a compound of minute and titel, reflecting its function as a title that marks time. As a coined term, minutitel is more common in English-language discussions about video editing than in official specifications, and its spelling mirrors Germanic-language influence on the word "title" in some contexts.

Definition and formats: in practice a minutitel may appear as on-screen text at the start of each minute, or as a timestamped caption or lower-third overlay that announces "Minute 12" or "12:00". Some implementations store minutitels as metadata tracks to aid search and navigation without requiring visible overlays.

Usage and history: the concept has appeared in educational videos, lecture recordings, and archival footage workflows since the 2010s. It is not standardized and tends to be used selectively by producers who want to facilitate quick skimming or precise memoing of content segments.

Design considerations: when designing minutitel elements editors consider legibility, color contrast, font size, placement, and duration. Accessibility concerns include ensuring compatibility with screen readers or providing an accompanying transcript so that time-based labels do not impede users with visual or cognitive differences.

See also: timecode, lower third, caption, subtitle, ticker, metadata.