Comments on: Should Digital Movies Be Required To Offer Subtitles? http://davisfreeberg.com/2009/11/05/should-digital-movies-be-required-to-offer-subtitles/ Wed, 31 Aug 2011 01:39:44 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Davis http://davisfreeberg.com/2009/11/05/should-digital-movies-be-required-to-offer-subtitles/comment-page-1/#comment-214912 Davis Sun, 15 Nov 2009 13:08:07 +0000 http://davisfreeberg.com/?p=1668#comment-214912 All good points James. Where exactly do we draw the line. It's one thing to require captions on broadcast TV, quite another to require them for a YouTube video of your pet that only ten people will see. I'm not sure the best way to address the problem, but since the DMCA rules already give content companies an artificial advantage by restricting control over their content (i.e. illegal to hack the DRM out), one way to deal with this would be to say that in order for your content to qualify for DMCA protection, it must include subtitles with the content. This would let the studios decide and make sure the bigger titles comply. If they don't the deaf community could always create their own subtitles. As far as the expense goes, I think that this would be relatively minor. Already, many films include them on DVD because of foreign audiences or because they've been required to on other platforms and have them laying around. As near as I can tell, the reason why they don't do the same with online video is that the DRM that they use doesn't support it. Again, this goes back to the quid pro quo idea of requiring subtitles to qualify for DRM. I don't want to get in the habit of supporting every niche cause, but at the same time, there are people who choose to watch niche content because they tastes run that way, while deaf people aren't given the same choice All good points James. Where exactly do we draw the line. It’s one thing to require captions on broadcast TV, quite another to require them for a YouTube video of your pet that only ten people will see. I’m not sure the best way to address the problem, but since the DMCA rules already give content companies an artificial advantage by restricting control over their content (i.e. illegal to hack the DRM out), one way to deal with this would be to say that in order for your content to qualify for DMCA protection, it must include subtitles with the content. This would let the studios decide and make sure the bigger titles comply. If they don’t the deaf community could always create their own subtitles. As far as the expense goes, I think that this would be relatively minor. Already, many films include them on DVD because of foreign audiences or because they’ve been required to on other platforms and have them laying around. As near as I can tell, the reason why they don’t do the same with online video is that the DRM that they use doesn’t support it. Again, this goes back to the quid pro quo idea of requiring subtitles to qualify for DRM. I don’t want to get in the habit of supporting every niche cause, but at the same time, there are people who choose to watch niche content because they tastes run that way, while deaf people aren’t given the same choice

]]> By: James Gardiner http://davisfreeberg.com/2009/11/05/should-digital-movies-be-required-to-offer-subtitles/comment-page-1/#comment-214907 James Gardiner Sun, 15 Nov 2009 04:08:42 +0000 http://davisfreeberg.com/?p=1668#comment-214907 Interesting ideas, but if we follow the idea that niche content appears to be a major part of the future of digital Media. Niche means pin point accuracy. And if I am being that niche, why would I bother with caption data for much of that content. Its for specific people, who most likely can understand and hear. Ie Niche content for non-hearing people would be made in a way they can understand. Who is going to bother producing caption data, reasonable expensive to do, for content not aimed at those who cannot hear anyway? I feel captioning will suffer a lot in the future, especially in the niche content area. James Interesting ideas, but if we follow the idea that niche content appears to be a major part of the future of digital Media. Niche means pin point accuracy. And if I am being that niche, why would I bother with caption data for much of that content. Its for specific people, who most likely can understand and hear. Ie Niche content for non-hearing people would be made in a way they can understand.

Who is going to bother producing caption data, reasonable expensive to do, for content not aimed at those who cannot hear anyway?

I feel captioning will suffer a lot in the future, especially in the niche content area.

James

]]> By: gustavo http://davisfreeberg.com/2009/11/05/should-digital-movies-be-required-to-offer-subtitles/comment-page-1/#comment-214904 gustavo Sun, 08 Nov 2009 14:43:12 +0000 http://davisfreeberg.com/?p=1668#comment-214904 This reflects the lack of vision by content providers of how to monetize digital delivery and its potential reach. Lynda.com (software training videos) has embraced closed captioning because they know there are many users around the world whose English is not their first language and close-caption is a necessary crutch. Hulu would make a lot more money selling a subscription to a global audience interested in improving their English with entertainment, that what it makes now on 3-4 commercials per show to laptop-potatoes in the US. This reflects the lack of vision by content providers of how to monetize digital delivery and its potential reach.

Lynda.com (software training videos) has embraced closed captioning because they know there are many users around the world whose English is not their first language and close-caption is a necessary crutch.

Hulu would make a lot more money selling a subscription to a global audience interested in improving their English with entertainment, that what it makes now on 3-4 commercials per show to laptop-potatoes in the US.

]]> By: Davis http://davisfreeberg.com/2009/11/05/should-digital-movies-be-required-to-offer-subtitles/comment-page-1/#comment-214900 Davis Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:39:07 +0000 http://davisfreeberg.com/?p=1668#comment-214900 That's a good point and one that I hope the market will figure out. Using that caption data to capture search traffic and international audiences could provide an incentive for businesses to provide this on their own, but so far this opportunity seems to have been overlooked by the major providers of online video. That’s a good point and one that I hope the market will figure out. Using that caption data to capture search traffic and international audiences could provide an incentive for businesses to provide this on their own, but so far this opportunity seems to have been overlooked by the major providers of online video.

]]> By: David Bolter http://davisfreeberg.com/2009/11/05/should-digital-movies-be-required-to-offer-subtitles/comment-page-1/#comment-214899 David Bolter Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:30:14 +0000 http://davisfreeberg.com/?p=1668#comment-214899 Captions are for everyone, whether you for localization, search-ability, modal translation, ... We all win. Captions are for everyone, whether you for localization, search-ability, modal translation, … We all win.

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