Hidden TV messages...
 I have a television set that displays the text of what
people say. How
does it work? Is it automatic, generated by a computer
with voice recognition capability? Is it typed by
someone who hears the words? Or is it prepared based
on a script? Often the text lags the spoken words by
several seconds and contains hilarious mistakes. Nancy, Albuquerque,
New Mexico
A closed-caption TV set has a device that decodes and
displays the messages. Almost all sets have such a device. The captions are called "closed"
because they are invisible unless you command the set to reveal them. Written in English,
Spanish, French, or German, they aid kids learning to read, immigrants learning a language, or the
hearing impaired.
It works like this: TV producers place captions in a video signal. The captions are hidden
because they go between video frames, in the non-displayed part of the signal.
Captions can be funny and some are better than others. The reason for the disparity lies in the
different ways producers generate captions: some easy to do without error and others difficult.
The easiest are done in a studio after the fact: post production. The captioner creates the text on
a computer, synchronizes it to the video dialogue, and inserts it into the videotape. He reviews
his work to eliminate slip-ups. Television game shows and movies use this procedure.
Live shows are more difficult. Your how-is-it-done guesses are on target for live captioning. The
captioner works as the event occurs either from a script or by typing as he listens. News and
sportscasts are examples of live events.
(Answered April 1999; updated Oct. 23, 2007) The script captioner only displays in real time. Before the show, the captioner loads the script
into a computer. As the show goes on, he presses the "next caption" button at the right moment
in the dialogue or when he sees the next prompt. The captions appear a line at a time. If the
speaker deviates from his script, the captions are wrong.
The typist captioner does everything in real time. He listens to the live broadcast and types
shorthand at 250 words per minute or higher. Computer software translates and the captions
appear a word at a time. Most stenocaptioners started as court reporters and are good. But
nobody's perfect.
Further Surfing:
Gary Robson: Closed caption FAQ
To see closed captions on your TV: Use your remote control for TVs made since 1990.
Otherwise buy an external decoder (about $100).
Readers' Comments:
- Why does the Closed Captioning go away without help. I want it back. How?
Faith, Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Reply: I can't tell you how to
get captioning back on because it seems to work differently for different
remotes. I say "tricky" because there is a time delay between when you
turn on captions and when the captions actually appear. So you can do it
right but not realize it, if you expect the captions to appear right
away. Be patient. Also some shows and movies don't have captions. Your
best bet might be to draft someone familiar with TV menus to help you.
Faith answers: This technology is a real challenge for we
older folks who did not grow up as the technology grew. This may interest
you......Cox Communications [her TV programs provider] notified this area
about a power shut down due their need to do some work on their systems.
When I resumed turning on TV's and PC's ......... guess what????????? The
Closed Captioning was WORKING!!!!
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