|
I've been doing some research on this question. According to some dictionaries, closed captions and subtitles are often one meaning outside the U.S.
Within the the U.S., technically speaking, subtitles are just "captions," part of the media being projected, and they may be selected or not.
Again technically, "closed captions" are a code in the cassette or disc requiring a special TV set. Closed captions are now usually standardized with white letters on a black background. Some early users are so used to the medium that they are uncomfortable if words are presented any other way.
The new subtitles selections and SDH on DVDs are overprinted on the picture itself (when it fills the screen) without a blocked background. In newer SDH formats, the letters are outlined for contrast and are not lost as some older subtitles were.
I like SDH much better, as they block out less of full-screen features, but it's purely preference.
My research isn't complete and it's only with DVDs, but I'm noticing that DVDs marked "SDH" (rather than "English subtitles" or "CC") seem to have the better qualities of both. For instance, with some, you don't have to turn off your TV's "CC" decoder to view SDH, as you did when selecting English subtitles.
|