TV and Movies

[GingerPeach]

It's been frustrating to make use of closed captions on TCM for some time now.

They frequently don't appear when the tv is in its normal HD mode, but if I switch the reception over to plain cable mode, they do appear, but then the picturre is, of course, less sharp.

I wonder if anyone else has noticed.

I wrote to TCM.  This is the only channel on which this happens.

[SharkE]

all I know is when you watch old movies there isn't as much need to have cc because there's not all that background noise and people don't talk in slang and real fast. I don't have any trouble understanding them they don't talk like they got mouth full of jelly and peanut butter like they do today.

What irks me is QVC hosts who gab over the vendor trying to present a gadget, clothing, etc. You got 2 people trying to control the situation and the person wanting to buy can't understand either one of 'em and says oh well don't need it anyway.

[Stevie Nix]

Have you ever put on CC for QVC?  It's a hoot.  Can't keep up.

[GingerPeach]

I use closed captions for pretty much every channel.

it's not a matter of not hearing them, @SharkE or @Stevie Nix , it's having that extra information right there on screen.  That's your choice, @SharkE   I prefer to have closed captions.  It's certainly OK that you don't think you want them.  No one is saying you do. My question was whether anyone noticed the cable/HD difference, not whether you need CCs or not.

I see no reason TCM, which I assume is as sophisticated a company as say, Hallmark, can't offer closed captioning on its HD broadcast.  I should not have to switch over to the cable version to see the closed captioning.

You are right about a lot of closed captions, @Stevie Nix  It doesn't keep up with the live talking, and on a lot of other shows (including but not limited to QVC), the captions are sometimes hilariously flat out wrong.

[Mz iMac]

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@GingerPeach wrote:

I wrote to TCM.  This is the only channel on which this happens.

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TCM's response?

[GingerPeach]

I only wrote to them today.  You don't seriously think they would respond immediately?

[Mz iMac]

@GingerPeach  You did not mention in your post "when" you wrote the letter.

My have been getting rusty lately. 

[GingerPeach]

I just hope someone from there actually WILL answer, @Mz iMac 

Keep your fingers crossed for me (and/or us).

All that it says on their FAQ page is that "TCM is working to provide closed captions" for all its films.  Why the captions show on regular cable (analog) but not on HD should be something TCM could remedy since clearly the CCs are already there, just not visible via HD.