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Q. I enjoy watching captioned programming; however, sometimes the captions are garbled on some channels. What can I do about this?
Q. Why are there misspelled captions on live programs, such as news and sports?
Q. Why do white boxes or garbled words appear in the captions?
Q. Why don't the captions show up on my DVD?
Q. I bought a DVD that isn't captioned. Can NCI caption this for me?
Q. How do I turn on the caption feature on my television set?
Q. Where can I learn more about the transition to digital broadcasts and information on purchasing a digital television?
Q. I enjoy watching captioned programming; however, sometimes the captions are garbled on some channels. What can I do about this?
A. Garbled captions can be caused by transmission or equipment problems at the network, or the local affiliate station carrying the program, the cable network, or the cable/satellite service provider. Sometimes a weak television signal into the home can interfere with the captions.
If the garbled captions persist, check other channels to see if the captions are transmitting properly (or check another television set in the home). Also, check the cabling on your equipment to be sure the fittings are secure since this can affect the television reception. Next, contact a friend or neighbor and ask if they experience the same captioning problem. If you determine that the captioning problem is not caused by your equipment then contact your local service provider (your cable or satellite service company). Let them know the program’s title, the channel it was broadcast on, the date and time the program aired, and details about the captioning problem. Then contact the local network that aired the program (ABC, NBC, CBS, etc., or the cable network) and provide them with the same information above. This information is very helpful in tracing the source of the problem.
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Q. Why are there misspelled captions on live programs, such as news and sports?
A. These programs are captioned by real-time captioners using a stenograph machine similar to those used in courtrooms. The captions are created phonetically and special computer software translates the stenographic shorthand into English words. If a word is not in the computer dictionary, then the computer will select the closest phonetic equivalent. Real-time captioners must keep up with speakers talking over 225 words per minute and this fast pace can contribute to errors.
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Q. Why do white boxes or garbled words appear in the captions?
A. Captions containing white boxes instead of letters indicate a problem with the video signal and your decoder cannot properly interpret the data. Captions with missing letters are usually caused by a broadcast transmission problem or weak television reception. In this instance, a frame of video has dropped and it removed two characters at a time. The missing letters are usually in pairs where “the cat” translates into “thcat” (a space and a character) or “believe” appears as “belve.”
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Q. Why don't the captions show up on my DVD?
A. The problem may be with the DVD player or it may be with the DVD. Some DVD players do not support closed captions (CC). The problem could also be attributed to the equipment hook-up. DVD players hooked up to digital televisions using HDMI connectors will not pass captions. DVD players need to be hooked up using a component or composite video cable.
Some DVD distributors are captioning their movies using a method called Subtitles for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (noted as SDH on the DVD jacket). This method combines English subtitling with additional audio cues to resemble captioning. Other distributors are opting to use English subtitles only which do not include speaker identification or background sound effects. The subtitles or SDH do not need to pass through the decoder to be displayed the way captions do. Captions must go through the TV decoder to be displayed.
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Q. I bought a DVD that isn't captioned. Can NCI caption this for me?
A. Unfortunately, we are unable to caption your DVD. Due to copyright laws and the technical process for captioning, we cannot add captions to individual DVDs purchased by consumers.
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Q. How do I turn on the caption feature on my television set?
A. Usually, captioning is a menu option on your television set. You should be able to locate the caption option by accessing the television’s on-screen menu (by selecting the “menu” button on your remote control). Some television sets automatically turn on the captions when the "mute" button is used as well.
If you have a cable or satellite box with a tuner, then this equipment may be acting as the decoding device and overriding the tuner in your television set. Your cable/satellite provider can instruct you on activating the decoding feature in the external box.
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Q. Where can I learn more about the transition to digital broadcasts and information on purchasing a digital television?
A. Here are some helpful websites:
FCC – Digital TV – www.dtv.gov
FCC – Consumer Facts – www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/digitaltv.html
FCC – Captioning and Digital-to-Analog Converter Boxes – www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/CC_converters.html
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