Sub-titles on DVD's

[Meg888]

How is it some have them & some don't (for the hard of hearing). Some people are of the notion that all dvd's have them auto, but they don't. It drives me mad - I so wanted Lee Mack's new comedy DVD last christmas but it was no good as it didn't have them.

I just think it's unfair, I mean if it can be done why isn't it - they would never produce a dvd with no sound would they, so they're just limiting the audience. Is it a cost thing, or are there limited supplies of them with subs? I'm not completely deaf, but I cannot identify every word being said on TV so need subs on everything I watch.

[Old_Geezer]

My guess is that the potential increase in sales needs to be worth the extra cost of providing such an aid. Do they say on the box if subtitles are included ? It'd be a pain to find out after buying them. I guess encouraging a campaign from the charities for the deaf & hard of hearing, may bear fruit.

[jno]

I think it's a cost thing. Lots of old films are released on DVD without them, even though their audience is going to be mostly (like me) old folk with dodgy hearing; but because they don't expect big sales it's not worth the expense. Almost all new movies have them, mostly with two sorts of English subtitles - straight English and hard-of-hearing English which points out whenever a character coughs. I seldom go to the cinema any more because I can't hear the dialogue well enough, so I really need them.

[abstibus]

A friend and were about 10 minutes into watching 'The Kite Runner' a few years ago - we both sat wondering when the characters were going to speak in English.
We had forgotten about subtitles.

[jno]

well I hope it has them as it's top of my pile for watching next.

[Meg888]

To be fair, if it does have them, it is listed on the box. It's just so disappointing if they're not. I buy a lot of my films 2nd hand from ebay, and have to ask 1st - and I've made a couple of mistakes & still bought them. Got 'Whats eating Gilbert Grape' yesterday - been looking forward to it for ages, and then arrrghhhh! But Lee Mack's new DVD last christmas was long awaited, as his previous one was brilliant, so I don't know why they weren't on. All the other comedy stand up DVD's I've had over the past couple of years (with subs) have all ended up on the telly within months of them coming on DVD - but not Lee Mack's newest stand up. I think someone has it in for me :-(

[kloofnek]

I am hard of hearing and I know EXACTLY what you mean and how you feel.I have the same problem...really do need sub-titles.I get so frustrated when my favourite soap,suddenly has none,only one telling me that they cannot provide them at that moment...this was Emmerdale last week.Also why don`t all the channels have them...TCM used to but not any more.

Oh to have good hearing !!!!