Closed captioning vs subtitling while using DVDs from different regions

April 16, 2004 10:01 AM

DVD question: I bought a European release of Frasier, season 1 - complete with subtitles etc. - but it seems like I'll have to buy seasons 2 -10 in the region 1 version.

Region compatibility is not an issue, but I wonder if "closed captioned" means that a DVD is subtitled, meaning: will I be able to get to those subtitles here in Europe, or do I need one of those hearing impaired set top boxes I've heard about (they seem to exist in UK and USA, maybe Canada as well)?
posted by NekulturnY to Technology (5 answers total)

I don't have any evidence to believe it for your particular DVD, but being pretty familiar with region 1 and 2 DVDs, I would really doubt any need to purchase a closed-captioning set top box. In one of the set-up menus on every DVD I have (not a large amount) and every DVD I've seen at friends' houses, there is an option to put closed-captioning on. I've always seen the DVD player handle it.
posted by Gnatcho at 10:31 AM on April 16, 2004

In general closed-captioned and DVD subtitles are different things. Closed-captioned (this is US-specific) refers to the captioning signal that is alongside and part of the video signal. This caption track is readable by CC devices. In previous times (in the US), you did need a seperate CC box to view the captions. However, in the past decade (two decades? can't remember), all TV's manufactered for use in the US have captioning built-in. None (almost) of the US TV's will be able to display European captions, however (see below).

In Europe, captioning is done through a different signal, teletext. Nearly all European TV's will have teletext, so displaying European captions isn't a problem. However, European TV's will almost invariably never have US-specific CC decoders (especially since the video signals are different).

DVD subtitles are a completely different beast from closed captioning, hoever. They are part of the DVD spec, and if you have a DVD player (any region), it will display the DVD subtitles fine. Once you've figured out a way to display a DVD from another region, you can access the subtitles no problem.

So, in summary: if you're trying to display the Closed-captioning tracks, you'll probably be out of luck outside the original region. If you mean the DVD subtitle track, you'll have little to no trouble (assuming you've got the DVD region and PAL/NTSC stuff out of the way).
posted by Eldritch at 10:41 AM on April 16, 2004

Eldritch, your answer finally explains to me why subtitles behave so differently when playing different DVDs.

Sometimes i can't get subtitles at all -- not by turning close-captioning on through TV's menus, not by turning hitting subtitles button on DVD remote.

Sometimes I get two sets of subtitles, one through TV and one through DVD (these often differ slightly).

And sometimes I only get one or the other.

Thanks for the very informative answer. And I hope NekulturnY got his answer as well.
posted by zeikka at 12:00 PM on April 16, 2004

zeikka- You've hit on one of those annoying things about captioning. While most movies are closed-captioned (via the traditional way with VBI), DVD subtitles are generally of a much higher quality. Upper- and lower-case captions, without a background, often in a neutral color that doesn't interfere with the image. However, DVD subtitles, I've found, are much more spotty in their coverage. I guess it's up to the producers of the DVD to decided whether or not to include Enlgish subtitles. It's always annoying (to me) to see DVDs with an array of foreign-language subtitles, but neglecting English.

For more information on the fascinating world of captioning, I recommend The Closed Captioning FAQ, which focuses on CC, but not DVD subtitles, but a little judicious googling found DVD-Subtitles.com, which appears to be a good resource for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing people to find out about which DVD's are subtitled, and how well; and DVDFile's Caption Guide, which looks like a good overview of the whole thing.
posted by Eldritch at 1:59 PM on April 16, 2004

Response by poster: Very good answers, thanks. Now I just have to guess if amazon uses the correct terminology ;)

It's always annoying (to me) to see DVDs with an array of foreign-language subtitles, but neglecting English.

I bought 'The Lavender Hill Mob' recently and sometimes the sound is so far off it's hard to understand, especially when the characters speak in some cockney argot or when there's a lot of background noises: as a non native speaker, you can really use a leg up. I gave up after ten minutes. I don't understand why they can't include at least English subtitles: surely they can't be that expensive?
posted by NekulturnY at 7:22 AM on April 17, 2004