Subtitles for More4, E4 and Film4

CambridgeChris · 26-04-2008, 13:22

Subtitles for More4, E4 and Film4 don't exist on cable TV - though they ARE there in FreeView!

I queried this with Virgin Customer Support. They confirmed that their current contact on these channels does not include subtitles.
This is, I believe, discrimination against the hard-of-hearing and elderly.
And shows like "ER" are impossible to understand without subtitles....

If enough people complain and lobby Virgin about this, perhaps something will be done.

If you're irritated by the lack of subtitles on these channels, PLEASE complain, via the website or by phone.

CambridgeChris

26-04-2008, 13:53

Virgin take these channels from Satellite which uses a different system for subtitling. Most virgin users will have to use their tv and teletext page 888 for those channels and others taken from satellite.

CambridgeChris · 26-04-2008, 14:50

Many thanks for the useful tip about "Teletext 888" subtitles.
It works!

Now why could neither the Virgin installer, nor Virgin Customer Services, give me that very useful information?

26-04-2008, 15:10

I looked after one of the headends for 6 years or so. You pick things up!

BenMcr · 27-04-2008, 23:23

Come the next code update that is happening throughout the summer this will be changed. All channels that have subtitles will then have digital subtitles

Stuart · 27-04-2008, 23:28

All the channel 4 channels already do carry digital subtitles. On the Bromley network anyway. I've always been able to watch ER with digital subtitles.

the-cable-guy · 27-04-2008, 23:35

same here in Ex-Telewest.

28-04-2008, 07:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by BenMcr

Come the next code update that is happening throughout the summer this will be changed. All channels that have subtitles will then have digital subtitles

As far as I know the subtitles themselves won't change, they will still be VBI normal teletext subtitles, what is changing is that the box will internally decode and display the teletext subtitles. You will no longer have to use your TV selected to teletext page 888. Telewest already do this I believe.
Thats unless Virgin have some transcoders to go from VBI to DVB subtitling.

BenMcr · 28-04-2008, 11:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by Losttheplot

As far as I know the subtitles themselves won't change, they will still be VBI normal teletext subtitles, what is changing is that the box will internally decode and display the teletext subtitles. You will no longer have to use your TV selected to teletext page 888. Telewest already do this I believe.
Thats unless Virgin have some transcoders to go from VBI to DVB subtitling.

Yup that's right. It is what the V+ does so that SD via HDMI gets subtitles (as VBI doesn't work over HDMI)

But didn't want to complicate things. They will be access the same as digital subtitles so there will bascially be no difference (apart from the font

)

28-04-2008, 13:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by BenMcr

Yup that's right. It is what the V+ does so that SD via HDMI gets subtitles (as VBI doesn't work over HDMI)

But didn't want to complicate things. They will be access the same as digital subtitles so there will bascially be no difference (apart from the font

)

Its also the way the Sky boxes work, they decode and display the subs, rather than the TV doing it. The font used for the DTT derived DVB subtitles was chosen by a panel including representatives from the deaf.