Is Closed Captioning available for digital television?
The television industry is in
the process of converting from traditional analog TV to digital TV (DTV),
which also includes high definition television (HDTV). A televison consists
of a display and a tuner for receiving TV signals. For DTV or HDTV,
a digital tuner is either built into the TV display or included in a
separate set top box (STB), usually provided by a cable or satellite
TV company. All TVs with a screen size of 13 inches or larger and a
built-in tuner along with all STBs must include the ability to decode
and display caption data embedded in digital TV signals. If you are
using a digital STB to select the channel you are watching, then you
must use the remote control or on-screen menu for that device to control
the display of captions for any program that is available with captions.
For more information about DTV click on the following
links.
FCC – Digital TV – www.dtv.gov
FCC – Consumer Facts –
www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/digitaltv.html
Consumer Electronics Association – Using
Closed Captions in the Digital TV Age
Will digital-to-analog converter boxes used to convert over-the-air
digital TV broadcasts for viewing on analog TV sets also convert digital
closed captioning?
Yes. FCC rules require that digital-to-analog converter
boxes be able to convert over-the-air digital closed captioning so that
analog TV sets can decode and display them. Most coverter boxes also
have the capability to decode and display the captions themselves, meaning
that the viewer could use the settings on the converter box or a button
on the converter box remote to turn on the captions. For more information,
go to
www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/CC_converters.html
or www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/converterboxfeatures.html.
Will descriptions be availabe on digital TV?
Descriptions of a program's visual elements added to the
standard sound track provide access to television and other video programming
for people who are blind or have low vision.
Programming that currently makes descriptions available
through the Secondary Audio Programming (SAP) option on analog programming
and televisions should continue to be available on the same digital
versions of the programming but this is not required by FCC rules.
If you are using a digital set top box (STB) from a cable
or satellite TV provider with a digital TV, use the STB's remote or
on-screen menu to select the described audio source.
If you ar using a digital televison with an antenna, use
the TV's remote to select the SAP or alternate audio options.
If you are using a digital-to-analog coverter box to watch
digital broadcasts on an analog TV, you should be able to use either
the remote that comes with the coverter box or the TV to access the
SAP option. See the following FCC Advisories for more information.
www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/dtvvideodescription.html
or
www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/converterboxfeatures.html
Descriptions are only available on a limited number of
programs. Check local listings and network or local station Web sites.
Keep in mind that all of this is still new to commercial broadcasters
and cable networks, so even if you activate the SAP feature, you may
encounter difficulties: 1) your local television station must be equipped
to pass along the SAP signal; and 2) if you have cable or satellite
access to programming, those companies must also pass along the SAP
signal.
Why don't the captions show up on my digital TV when I use my DVD player?
The problem may be with the DVD player, the connector,
or the DVD. Some DVD players don't support closed captions.
The problem could also be caused by the cable or cables
used to connect the DVD player to the TV. New high-end cables designed
to provide the highest quality picture and sound cannot carry caption
data from the source, such as a DVD player, to the caption decoder in
the TV. These cables include HDMI (High Definition Mutimedia Interface)
and component connectors labeled RGB or YpbPr. Connectors that deliver
lower quality video need to be used to pass through captioning to the
TV decoder. These connectors include the standard composite cable (usually
includes a yellow RCA pin connector for video) and S-Video, though S-Video
cables will not pass through captions with all brands of DVD players
and TV sets. It is unlikely that a DVD player built into a digital TV
will pass through captions because the unit most likely contains an
internal HDMI connector between the DVD player and the TV display.
Another possibility is that the DVD producer chose to
use English subtitles instead of captions. Subtitles do not need to
go through the decoder to be displayed the way captions do. Subtitles
are turned on and off using a button on the DVD player remote or by
using the remote to select subtitles from an option menu.
