Subtitles Failure



  • Put on some Farscape.

    This was helpful:

    Note that:

    1. There's no need to have a subtitle "(Rygel speaking)", since it's fucking obvious he's speaking (even if you were deaf you could see his lips moving quite clearly)
    2. The "Rygel Speaking" covers up the embedded subtitle that actually says what he's saying
    3. And before you say "well Netflix just puts it there by default", no. Not only does Netflix support changing subtitle locations, but THE SUBTITLES ON THIS EXACT EPISODE OF THE SHOW USE THAT FEATURE

    Usually Netflix subtitles are pretty good:



  • Special bonus video:

    While searching for the Pilot clip where he sends a huge loud shriek over the comms, then boredly says "oh I'm sorry I must have pushed the wrong button" (which I couldn't find, but I found the puking), I found this instead:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOHyscKL4gM

    WTF. This is kind of amazing. Also the guy's obsessed with ketchup.

    Unless that's like some kind of dada humor I don't get, that's possibly the most pathetic thing I've ever seen.

    (And yes it's number one if you search YouTube for "Farscape pilot wrong button". Huh. It also brought up this though, which is a great Pilot moment. Suck that bitch out!)


  • Winner of the 2016 Presidential Election

    @blakeyrat said:

    Usually Netflix subtitles are pretty good:

    Yeah, and they let me select the subtitle language and audio language separately. The Amazon Prime app on my TV will sometimes completely ignore the selected audio language, resets my settings when I switch to the next episode and only lets me turn subtitles on and off (in the same language as the audio track). I wasn't surprised when I found out that this app was not one from the app store (I have an Android TV), but written by Sony themselves.



  • @blakeyrat said:

    1. There's no need to have a subtitle "(Rygel speaking)", since it's fucking obvious he's speaking (even if you were deaf you could see his lips moving quite clearly)2. The "Rygel Speaking" covers up the embedded subtitle that actually says what he's saying

    You're using two video features that aren't meant to be used together. The "Why are they Godang Hle like this?" line is in subtitles; "(Rygel speaking)" is in closed captioning. Those of us who can use a little help understanding mumblish actors under loud music are aware that the two don't always include exactly the same content (sometimes one incorporates the lyrics of vocal background music while the other omits it, sometimes one gives the actual words of speech in another language while the other just says "[speaking Russian]" or whatever). Pick one or the other; turn 'em both on and they fight with one another for screen space.



  • @da_Doctah said:

    You're using two video features that aren't meant to be used together.

    No I'm not.

    @da_Doctah said:

    The "Why are they Godang Hle like this?" line is in subtitles; "(Rygel speaking)" is in closed captioning.

    OH this is pedantic dickweedery. Well, then, I'll just ignore your post entirely, you fucking idiot.


  • I survived the hour long Uno hand

    @da_Doctah said:

    You're using two video features that aren't meant to be used together.

    This often occurs when the video itself switches to subtitles for a scene or two to indicate that a character is speaking a foreign language. Closed caption has no fucking clue how to handle that. I've seen this happen before with CC like (Speaking German). It's not the viewer misconfiguring it, it's the CC not caring that there's subtitles on the screen in the video stream.



  • Why are the CCs over an ugly black image-blocking background?
    Background-less captioning (using a thin black border around the letters to solve contrast issues) would at least allow you to see the subtitles underneath mostly clearly, even if it'd still be an annoying WTF.


  • Discourse touched me in a no-no place

    @blakeyrat said:

    OH this is pedantic dickweedery. Well, then, I'll just ignore your post entirely, you fucking idiot.

    To be more descriptive, the (Rygel Speaking) is "descriptive language for the deaf" or something. I forget what it's called, or else it's called different things at different times, but it's beyond subtitles, covering what's happening in the episode in addition to just what people say.



  • I know that before digital TV converter boxes were a thing, it was quite easy to accidentally make the TV say things like Arthur walks to the other side of the room.


  • Java Dev

    @da_Doctah said:

    Those of us who can use a little help understanding mumblish actors under loud music

    Good to know I'm not the only one with that problem.

    @CreatedToDislikeThis said:

    Why are the CCs over an ugly black image-blocking background?

    These look like teletext subtitles, in which case it's a technical limitation. If this came off netflix like the post suggests, it's probably a netflix :wtf:.

    EDIT: it's not teletext cause teletext is fixed-width. Leaves broadcaster :wtf:.


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    @blakeyrat said:

    search YouTube

    Clearly Google is on to you!

    @Yamikuronue said:

    CC not caring that there's subtitles on the screen in the video stream.
    And yet, CC is COMPLETELY capable of doing this just fine, with no detriment to the user if (for a few seconds) there is no CC data coming through.
    Off-topic: Heck, I've seen on-screen text replaced with subtitles pretty effectively (so long as said text wasn't moving).

    @CreatedToDislikeThis said:

    Why are the CCs over an ugly black image-blocking background?
    Because it's being shown by the TV/app, and not through a proper subtitle renderer?

    @FrostCat said:

    beyond subtitles,
    Except when it's rendered like old-school CC.



  • @Tsaukpaetra said:

    Off-topic: Heck, I've seen on-screen text replaced with subtitles pretty effectively (so long as said text wasn't moving).

    Like this?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06olHmcJjS0


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    Yeah, basically. ;)


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