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 television (DTV) broadcasts?
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
CSD – DTV Help Center for Deaf, Hard of Hearing – http://dtv.c-s-d.org