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Why are some closed captions on television so far behind the film dialogue that they are unusable?

I often used closed captions when watching films on television. It allows for a lower volume level so you can still be aware of what is being said as well as being able to understand exactly someone with a thick accent. Additionally, I have found that small nuances with words, side conversational text (off screen) or even mention of environmental sounds or events make action or plot twists and turns more understandable. There have been some times when we have turned to each other and commented how we would not have understood that sound or utterance without the caption.

There are times when the captions lag so long after the speech on screen (several lines past current dialogue) that it makes using the feature frustrating or totally unusable.

I have changed to other channels to find the captions running appropriately and have even seen the same film at another time with captioning correctly on time.

Does anyone have expertise in this area? Why does this happen?

Russ Campbell, NWEBS asked in Television 11 months ago | Report

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3 Answers

  • Spaceship_small
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    I was going to say that it has to do with what you're watching.

    If it's the live TV News at 6 p.m., the closed captioning is NOT what they are saying...it's the script that was written for them to read. As long as someone controlls the teleprompter at a regular speed, it keeps up with their lips. But if they are distracted, and aren't watching the pre-recorded story along with you, the viewer, then it can be pretty useless at times.

    But, if it's an entertainment program, that should be pretty much in synch.

    However, if it's a rapid fire movie like "Scarface" or Robin Williams Live on stage for HBO, there's no human way to keep up with the words pouring out of their mouths... and some choices have to be made what to actually include, and where to "cut corners" to make the captioning simpler or to actually fit.

    O my captain answered in Television 10 months ago | Report
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  • Bierce1_small
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    If all the other channels are fine, they've just miscalibrated the sync. Let them know and they can adjust the CC timing by a few MS. It could still be a client issue, if it's not just an over the air signal and you're getting the feed from a cable/DVR box.

    Black Beetles in Amber answered in Television 11 months ago | Report
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  • Avatar_default
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    It has to do with the formatting.

    ballardgirl answered in Television 11 months ago | Report
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