DVD Captions - what is going on??

I tend to watch a lot of movies and not so much TV. Why does it seem as though captions are getting worse as time goes on, even though technology is clearly getting better?

Over the last few weeks, I have rented a couple DVDs that do not give the option to turn on English captions in the menus, even though they are CC movies. I have a very recent Blu-Ray player, hooked to a very new TV model, using an HDMI cable. I am not somehow lagging behind the technology curve. But even with my CC turned on in my TV settings, no captions show for these movies, so I must resort to watching movies like this on my Macbook, which will display the closed-captions.

Is it really this difficult to put an option in the DVD menu to turn on English captions??? To add insult to injury, both of these movies had menu options to turn on foreign subtitles like Spanish and French. I'm very annoyed to be using state-of-the-art equipment on brand new movies, and still cannot see captions. *sigh*

Comments

Robert G said…
You're not alone in that observation. I've seen it also. I've seen a couple DVDs where the only way to turn on the English subtitles is to do it through the DVD player remote. There was one where it didn't even list it on the menu, but there were English subtitles. Annoying, ain't it?

Much of the time, I'm watching it on the computer using Media Player Classic, not to be confused with Windows Media Player. For closed captioning, I'll use either WMP or Cyberlink's PowerDVD.
March 28, 2009 at 9:20 PM
Anonymous said…
Does your Blu-Ray player have GG decoding logic built in as HDMI cables DO NOT transmit undecoded CC signals to your TV set. Look up your Blu-Ray player specifications. If no decoding logic in the player, return it for another Blu-Ray player WITH CC decoding logic as your TV only receives videoi and audio signals over HDMI without captions unless captions are decoded and put on video signals prior being sent over HDMI cables.
March 29, 2009 at 12:05 AM
J.J. said…
Yep, HDMI cables do not transmit CC's.

I bought a cheap Blu-Ray player...and when this happens, I switch over to component video cables instead.
March 29, 2009 at 2:25 AM
Aaron said…
I understand that HDMI may be the problem, but the bigger point is that the Movie Production company needs to put a menu item to select the captions, especially in cases where the menu item for other languages exist. We're talking an extra 3 seconds of someone's life here. by the way, neither of the movies that were missing this function were small movies from independent film houses with low budget. we're talking mainstream. the last one was Sony Pictures.

I like the fact that many companies are now specifically "captioning for SDH".
March 29, 2009 at 8:28 AM
Amy Kay said…
What?!? Why are we going backwards? What do we have to do to have our voices heard by those with typical hearing? We are constantly forced to try and hear them, why do they not have to hear us?
Who deals with these things? Is there not a hearing organization that will stand up for our rights, and needs? One with specialist, lawyers, advocates? Where are they?!?
((Sorry to get on a rant of my own,,, I just get so fired up))
:)
AmyKay
April 2, 2009 at 9:30 AM
kim said…
I can't even figure out my HDTV-- it's so complicated. Lately I've noticed a lot of DVD's flash the subtitles on way too fast for anyone to read. And it's so unnecessary.
April 8, 2009 at 2:27 PM
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