Netflix Download Movies
24 01 2007I’ve been member of Netflix for about a year now. Most of the time, I never check and make sure the movie have closed captioning or subtitle in it. 99% of the time, DVD is always captioned.
Yes, I discovered couple of times that it doesn’t have CC or subtitle in it. I rarely read movie spec and see if it support CC or not. What I did is put message that it should have offer one in their comment box. Since all comment is monitored by Netflix staff and they approved my comment. Hmmm…
Anyway, Netflix announced that they now offers download movies online (Not mail version) even it is not available to all members yet. I know couple deaf bloggers mentioned it and I wanted to say it too in my own blog. The more we talk about it, the more it will spread thru Internet world. Sonny James mentioned about it, too.
The Unofficial Netflix website confirmed that Netflix Watch Now doesn’t support CC at this time. Click here.
Does Watch Now include captioning, subtitles, or DVD extras? No, not at this time.
Finally, NAD has already made comment about it. See it for yourself, click here. Many companies do read our blog site these days. You have to understand that Netflix is not alone. There are many other services that are not offering same thing.
- Xbox 360
- PlayStation 3
- AppleTV
- Amazon Unbox
- iPod / iTunes and other media portable unit & services
- Slingbox
- TIVO - To Go (computer version)
- Wal-Mart Video
- CNN and all other news video online
- Starz Vongo
- Netflix & Blockbuster
- Delta Airline Movie Online - click here
- Endless list - trust me!
I’ve mentioned about closed captioning frequently at my blog. Click here.
I’m pissed because I got Sherrybaby in the mail today with Maggie Gyllenhall which was also released today. No English subtitles or closed captions. UGH.
Annoying.
Haha… yes it sucks.
Last time I rented that don’t have CC is Hot Tamale…
Whatever.
I used to think what’s like if everybody in the world have turn their ear off and not able to hear for one day. The new experience of their would change business forever.
Grant,
Thanks for writing this Blog and for the link to the Netflix site where they acknowledge that Watch Now is not captioned. Keep up the good fight.
In regards to video games (XBox, XBox 360, PS2, etc.), my partner & I noticed that games made by Konami tend to be captioned. However, that’s not enough, we need more games to be captioned.
Not only do we need caption/subtitle availability but we also need accurancy. I order a lot from Amazon.com. I buy DVD’s from there, especially after reading that captions or subtitles are available. Once in a while, I’ll get one that isn’t captioned. But then, I’m stuck because I’ve opened the DVD and it’s not returnable. Nowadays, I find myself comparing caption information from Amazon.com with other sites before purchasing anything.
as for Apple products, mostly QuickTime take a look at this one;
http://www.apple.com/macosx/leopard/accessibility.html at bottom..
This might means that those TV shows or Movie may be captioned in the future via iTunes Store. Although there is no official answer from Apple. But it is interesting to note that the support will be in Leopard (10.5) coming out this Spring 2007 (possibly March or April 2007)
So this is “see what happens”
PS3 has some problems with the captions. It does not caption the CC had to turn the SDH caption every time the disc is played. Sony better fixes the CC issue soon.
I’ve been a subscriber to netflix for about 6 months.
I don’t often check if a DVD is closed captioned, most of them are. A few are not, I recently rented several movies that were not closed captioned.
The thing that angers me is the movies I rented that say they DO have closed captions, but when I get the DVD there are neither closed captions or subtitles.
This is an response received from an excutive of Vongo regarding CC:
From: Eric Becker [mailto:Eric.Becker@starz.com]
Sent: Monday, April 02, 2007 10:45 AM
To: Mac
Subject: RE: Vongo Re: Closed Captioned movies.
Mac –
Vongo does not support closed captioning for its movie download service, and there are no plans at this time to add it. In fact, I am neither aware of any movies download service currently offering it, nor have ever read of any plans industry-wide to do so.
While I completely understand why such a feature would be of great interest to you, I ask you to understand that (while I am not a technologist), it’s not simply a question of adding closed captioning to the service as we do for a television signal with our commercial-free movie channels.
As the whole digital download space is in its infancy, my supposition is that companies are probably waiting for a much larger audience to embrace digital downloads before investing in what would be a whole separate digital “encode†of the movie for those wanting closed captioning. Either that, or perhaps a technology change that allows one the ability to (in a TV-like fashion) simply ‘turn-on’ the closed captioning.
Hope those thoughts help – I appreciate your interest and the fact that you took the time to trial the service.
Eric W. Becker
Executive Director of Corporate Communications
Starz Entertainment
8900 Liberty Circle
Englewood, CO 80112
(720) 852-4065 (direct)
(720) 852-8555 (fax)
(303) 638-3469 (cell)
(720) 852-7700 (switchboard)
eric.becker@starz.com
http://www.starz.com
My response:
It’s a shame that your company does not go this route. There are many hearing impaired people in today’s world who does not go to the regular movie theater but rents the DVD or buy them cause no one appears to care whether they are catered to. This is a whole world of customers that your industry is missing. The hearing impaired society has embraced the internet since it’s an easier way for them to communicate, but yet your industry is failing to provide. Perhaps your company needs to do some research to see what impact this segment would have on your industry.
With your permission I will forward this email to different hearing impaired groups as well as the Senator of my state, Harry Reid, to see if we can do something about encouraging your industry to recognizing the importance of providing for a class of citizens of the world. Even though it appears you company has no interest in them.
Thank you.
I C Mc Neill
I’m not deaf, but after several years working on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier I’m very hard of hearing in the voice frequencies, so [CC] and subtitles are a Godsend to me. I am actually pissed when I get a disc that has no ability to do captioning. A lot of BBC stuff doesn’t have captions on the DVD menu, but if you turn on the captions on the television, they have them encoded into the video stream anyway. I’d probably not mind buying TV episodes from itunes etc… if they had captions. I occasionally miss viewing an episode of a favorite show when it airs, but can’t be bothered to buy a d/l of it when I can’t use captions. I also don’t like to go to theaters because of the background noise and the high volume of the musical backgrounds/sound effects I cannot hear the dialog very well, and miss a lot.
Hopefully, the industry will pay attention and fix this hole in customer support.
Paul
It’s sad to hear Netflix don’t offer captioning if movies download to computer. I agree with y’all that captioning is a must for all shows, movies, on demand etc. :=) Let’s fight for our rights.
I have used Netflix for about 5 years now and really enjoy it. It is very annoying to me though that it is not easily discernible as to whether a DVD has captions or subtitles before you order it. I have emailed Netflix to complain about this but of course get no response atall. Oftentimes I get a movie and there is no captioning, but with the program I use to view it I can see secondary subtitles anyway. This is great. Also annoying to me is when the movie has subtitles but ONLY in French or Spanish. Get with the program!!! This is America and the language here is English!
I am deft but I have been MAKING my family learn english and the captions really help them to learn more, but with out those is really crape, who ever company makes a download with captions I will go immediately with them I don’t care what I pay for it.
they stink for skipping that possibility.
Alex
in Internet - free movie download. I notice without closed caption.
I need how to step Dvd movie with closed caption.
Can you find it for me, Please
Hello, I am long time movie freak and videogamer avid…I must tell ya…this issues about online movies and video game software with no subtitles was nothing new…for example, Resident Evil Series intend to not include subtitles…and I did complained to capcom several time and i just get one merely replied…rep said “just follow the storyline of this game” the rep was referring to based on action adventure where u collects the journal and dairies all info in there…but sadly no subtitle during cutscene! Seems we are returning to our old time where there is not complete accessible for Deaf and Hard of Hearing…all I can say Hearing people is beginning to witness their own beginning of stupdity!