Closed Captioning and HDTVs

If you have an HDTV and if you need to use closed captioning, or you simply enjoy having them running at the bottom of your screen, you may have noticed some problems with getting the closed captioning to show up. If so, the problem is likely caused by the way you have your HDTV set up.

When a television receives over-the-air digital signals, it is able to easily receive and display closed captions. Many people, however, prefer to hook their HDTVs up through a cable box with an HDMI cable because it provides the best sound and picture quality. When you do this, you may no longer be able to get closed captioning because it cannot be sent to your television in the same way.

“If you’re using a cable box, it’s the cable box’s job to open up the captions,” says Tim Taylor, who is vice president of engineering and facility operations at VITAC. “HDMI doesn’t pass the closed caption data.”

Unfortunately, getting your closed captioning isn’t as simple as turning it on through the cable box rather than through the television. In fact, many cable boxes no longer even offer the option to turn on closed captioning through the box. Or, if they do, the process may be a bit complicated. So, if you are having trouble getting closed captioning through your HDTV, you might need to contact your cable company in order to determine how to set it up through your box. Unfortunately, there are still some HD channels that aren’t even transmitting closed captioning. Therefore, you may have to go without for a little while until all of the wrinkles are ironed out.