Netflix Introduces a New Kind of Subtitles For the Non-Hearing Impaired (arstechnica.com)
(Friday April 25, 2025 @11:30PM (BeauHD)
from the nothing-but-dialogue dept.)
- Reference: 0177143277
- News link: https://entertainment.slashdot.org/story/25/04/25/2159253/netflix-introduces-a-new-kind-of-subtitles-for-the-non-hearing-impaired
- Source link: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/04/cant-understand-dialogue-on-tv-shows-netflix-has-a-new-feature-for-you/
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica:
> Multiple studies and investigations have found that about half of American households watch TV and movies with subtitles on, but only a relatively small portion of those include someone with a hearing disability. That's because of the trouble many people have understanding dialogue in modern viewing situations, and Netflix has now [1]introduced a subtitles option to help.
>
> The closed captioning we've all been using for years includes not only the words the people on-screen are saying, but additional information needed by the hard of hearing, including character names, music cues ("dramatic music intensifies") and sound effects ("loud explosion"). For those who just wanted to make sure they didn't miss a word here and there, the frequent descriptions of sound effects and music could be distracting. This new format [2]omits those extras, just including the spoken words and nothing else -- even in the same language as the spoken dialogue. The feature will be available in new Netflix original programming, starting with the new season of You in multiple languages. Netflix says it's looking at bringing the option to older titles in the library (including those not produced by Netflix) in the future.
>
> Traditional closed captions are still available, of course. Those are labeled "English CC" whereas this new option is simply labeled "English" (or whatever your preferred language is).
[1] https://about.netflix.com/en/news/introducing-a-new-way-to-experience-subtitles
[2] https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/04/cant-understand-dialogue-on-tv-shows-netflix-has-a-new-feature-for-you/
> Multiple studies and investigations have found that about half of American households watch TV and movies with subtitles on, but only a relatively small portion of those include someone with a hearing disability. That's because of the trouble many people have understanding dialogue in modern viewing situations, and Netflix has now [1]introduced a subtitles option to help.
>
> The closed captioning we've all been using for years includes not only the words the people on-screen are saying, but additional information needed by the hard of hearing, including character names, music cues ("dramatic music intensifies") and sound effects ("loud explosion"). For those who just wanted to make sure they didn't miss a word here and there, the frequent descriptions of sound effects and music could be distracting. This new format [2]omits those extras, just including the spoken words and nothing else -- even in the same language as the spoken dialogue. The feature will be available in new Netflix original programming, starting with the new season of You in multiple languages. Netflix says it's looking at bringing the option to older titles in the library (including those not produced by Netflix) in the future.
>
> Traditional closed captions are still available, of course. Those are labeled "English CC" whereas this new option is simply labeled "English" (or whatever your preferred language is).
[1] https://about.netflix.com/en/news/introducing-a-new-way-to-experience-subtitles
[2] https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/04/cant-understand-dialogue-on-tv-shows-netflix-has-a-new-feature-for-you/
"New kind"? (Score:2)
by Mr. Dollar Ton ( 5495648 )
The subtitles have traditionally shown only the spoken words.
The SDH kind was "new" at some point, but that was so long ago that there was no Netflix back then.
Just stop with this promotion of dumb.
Fix the actual problem! (Score:3)
by Going_Digital ( 1485615 )
The fact that this is an issue, shows that there is a fundamental problem with the audio quality. Given that Netflix produces their own content, they can start by having proper audio quality standards on those productions, and complaining to suppliers of content about the poor audio quality. It is time the producers started creating content fit for purpose, not hiding behind creative license to produce substandard audio.
Just in time for the centennial of talkies... (Score:1)
by RightwingNutjob ( 1302813 )
The Silent Movie is now being streamed to your home at 50 Mbits/sec in 4k...
Why? (Score:1)
Is Hollywood short on decent sound mixers? Why do they play music over the voice of whispering actors in the first place? Are directors egos too big to allow it or what?