dsa_shea

I'm referring to the sets that have closed Captioning but no subtitles. They dont come on by using the dvd remote, nor is there anywhere to select the CC in any of the menus. There are sets like C.S.I. that have been said to be Closed Captioned and there are other sets like Boomtown that advertise this. Can anyone help me out?

GHackmann

Turn on CC from your TVs setup menu, not your DVD player. Most DVD players won't decode them.

Crow331

I always thought that is was a button on your tv remote to display CC, not your dvd player ... but I could be wrong because I have never tried it.

dsa_shea

I tried to do it with the tv. I have a Sony Trinitron with like 4 CC options and text options. Is there something I'm doing wrong?

Mr. Salty

No, it's on the TV just as GHackmann wrote. Turn on the TV's CC decoder. I think you want Text 1.

chipmac

If I recall CC won't work through component cables. You need to be using composite or Svideo for the CC info to be fed to your TV.

acostigan

I always wondered why I couldn't view closed captions on my DVDs. I can only view the subtitles on my setup; I'm using component video cables. Not that I've really wanted/needed to view CCs, was just curious. The CCs work on regular TV.

As the others have said, I use my TV remote to toggle closed captioning, and the DVD remote to toggle subtitles.

-AC

TomOpus

I use component and CC works with DVDs

Wade Kainer

AFAIK, the source device must be outputting in interlaced for CC to work. Anytime I use a progressive signal from my DVD player, it has to be subtitles rather than CC.

DVDFreaker

Correction: CC 1, not Text 1.

chipmac

Maybe that's why I thought component didn't allow CC because almost everyone that uses component is doing so to send a progressive signal.

dsa_shea

My cables are hooked up through an s-video switchbox. what I am talking about is one of the system selection boxes (Pelican brand) that allows you to hook up four different gaming systems or audio/video components to one television. You select which component your going to use and put the t.v. on Video 1. Is this the reason why my CC is not showing up on my television? I would really like to be able to use the CC as it will allow me to watch shows late at night while my daughter is asleep. Right now we have to turn the tv down to a whisper as to not wake her while she is asleep. Any extra help would be greatly appreciated.

tonyc3742

Interesting....I have run into this as well, but never figured out what the heck the deal was. I'm going through a switchbox as well: the dvd player's component outputs are thru the switchbox, then component to the 'HD Component' input on my tv. However, I also have S-video run directly from the DVD player to the TV, in Input 3, which is not 'High Def'. I don't do anything special to the dvd player to switch between the two, but I guess S-video is inherently non-progressive.

I guess the switchbox could be 'interfering' with the closed caption data in your case....hmm , but my HD cable box is run through mine, and it shows captions fine [it has two sets of caption settings, Analog and Digital for the HD content.]
Maybe try hooking the DVD player up directly to the tv to see if you can get them at all.
Usually CC1 is the choice you want, and on some tvs its easy to access [my wife's new remote has a CC button], and on some it's not [on mine, I have to navigate through three menus--luckily a CC decoder is also built into the cable box, which is easier to use.]

Julie Walker

I can easily access CC on my laptop,thankfully since it shows up directly on the menu.

Meanwhile on my families RCA dvd player(a 1999 model),there is no CC option on the dvds menu. Meanwhile turning the captions option on,on the tv does not access the dvd captions(from what I could tell).

I then looked through our Cyberhome dvd menu and it did have a CC option. Warning it is beyond terrible though!

The captions on this player show up extremely tiny in the lower left hand corner of the screen. It is so small,you can not read the captions at all without major squinting!

Also on that tv,turning on the various caption options on the tv would not access the dvd captions at all either. Only going through the dvd menu,was I able to.


Do most players have CC options now on the menu? I would like too know,for when I buy a new player sometime,once I get my own place. My girlfriend is deaf,and I know we won't be able to depend on my laptop for captions on a regular basis

Speaking of captions versus subtitles. Why do some dvds claim too offer captions(they have the logo and everything)...and turn out too have subtitles only?

This is my problem with the Irreversible dvd from Lions Gate. While subs are nice(for those who don't know French like myself),captions that describe more of the sonics going on would be more suitable for when my girlfriend views the film.

Mr. Salty

No, it should work. As DVDFreaker wrote, on a Sony Trinitron, you want to select CC1, not Text 1 as I originally wrote. Once selected in your TV's setup menu, you then have to actually turn on the TV's decoder. On my Sony you use the display button, which scrolls through displaying the time, the closed captions, something else, then all display items off.

Check your TV's manual, as well as your DVD player's. Remember, not all DVDs have closed captioning.

It would also help if you tell us what model of TV and DVD player you have.

Mike Lowrey

I got an easier solution.

Sound proof the room in which she is sleeping, and then crank up the DTS, baby!

Mike Lowrey

Huh? You lost me, and I too have a Sony Trinitron. All you should have to do is to scroll through the menu and select CC1 for your captioning option and whoolaa. I sometimes use these for late at night Skinemax skin flicks.

Julie Walker

Since we are discussing captions. What are your opinions on some dvd companies refusal too CC their releases?

I am mainly talking about Blue Underground here(but the same goes for all those other companies). BU does fairly well with their releases in terms of sales,and budgets to afford rights to all types of films(some go as high as a few hundred thousand dollars to outbit other companies). So the fact,that 99% of the time they skip any captions or subtitles at all is disgracefull in my opinion.

Surely captions can't cost 'too' much to get done right? I'm sure it's within a reasonable price,that any company could afford them.

But I do know,I am not supporting future Blue Underground releases,and also will start not supporting many other non-CC or subtitled releases.

sleep

I'm not familiar with any of the films you've mentioned, but have experienced major disappointment recently with the lack of subtitles on A&E's releases of Homicide: Life on the Streets and Reilly: Ace of Spies, and plan to write them a letter as well.

tonyc3742

Personally, I think either English captions or subs [or both] should be standard, not a 'special feature.' Some movies/disks I can't crank up too loud because the sound levels vary so much, and I have a small child sleeping in the house as well. Plus I like to be able to read along, and it's very hearing-impaired-unfriendly.
How hard/expensive can it be to add captions/subtitles? I'd rather they spend the money on those, than a chapter list insert or that stupid cardboard slipcover.

dsa_shea

On my Trinitron I have turned on the CC1 and turned on the display for the CC but still nothing. I have a Norcent dvd player in my living room. And why is it that you have to turn up the sound level for dvds much more than you do for regular tv shows? Last night I scared the piss out of myself turning on an MGM dvd (that damn lion) after watching a few hours earlier and forgetting that it was up so loud.

Julie Walker

Frozen,since you mentioned Shriek Show. One of their releases that does have 'captions'..(I use the term loosely),is Ichi:The Killer.

They were titled "Captions for children" and were encoded as captions(could only be accessed by clicking the captions on,option on my laptops menu). But instead of showcasing the dialogue and other bits of needed information. It just had someone typing random things like "This film is weird huh?" and stupid comments like that. Very offensive and unfunny,considering they took the time to waste money on that,when they could have gotten actual captions done.


Out of the companies I have sent various emails to about this issue. Don May Jr. was the only one to reply. He basically said it was not that they didn't 'want' to 'not' include captions. Since they don't expect their releases to sell 'too' many units(ie-usually in the 10,000 if lucky range). The 'extra' cost for captions(after spending alot on rights,restoration and extras) would be 'too' much and not worth the effort,if they don't make what they spent back at the very least. Since Synapse is literally a two man crew,I can understand that I guess.

But larger indie companies like Blue Underground and Anchorbay among others,have no excuse for the lack of captions.

At least AB has started to caption their 'big' cult releases like Dawn of the Dead,Evil Dead and so forth. Now if only they would just caption all titles,even the 'smaller' ones like Evilspeak and Night of the Demons. Since today,I think their is no excuse to not include captions,unlike when they first started out and had to learn from their many mistakes.

I still can't understand why an even bigger company like Image Entertainment also does not support captions at all. Looking at the costs of the Twilight Zone season sets(+ previous box sets). The fact that my girlfriend who loves the show,along with myself,won't be able to enjoy them. Makes me purchasing them very unlikely,as much as I'd love to own them.

They are all missing out on a larger market of people who won't be purchasing their releases anytime soon. I think the slightly extra cost for captions is worth it,but they don't seem to think so at the moment.


Just imagine what will happen one day when/if they lose their hearing,and won't be able to enjoy their own releases

DVDFreaker

First, change the channel to a TV show and check if the caption shows up and if it doesn't show up, try a different TV show and if the captions show up then that means the DVD is not closed caption.

Second, check the back of the DVD case and check if it says "CC", if it doesn't, then that means it does not have closed caption.

Hope it helps!

DVDFreaker

I am deaf and one of the DVDs I wanted (Saved By The Bell: The College Years) did not have closed caption but I don't understand they wouldn't add it because they have closed caption while showing on the TV and I e-mailed the company who made Saved By The Bell: The College Years and told them they lost a customer because they didn't add subtitles or closed caption.

dsa_shea

Every dvd should have at least CC. What is irritating to me is not being able to get the dvds of mine that have CC to work on my setup. My Trinitron shows CC while watching regular t.v., but I still can't get them to work on dvds.