Subtitles and language options

[Anonymous User]

so...no subtitles in most of the catalogue and if there is a subtitle option it basically doesn't work as they are scrambled, late or they simply stop appearing. Also, no audio language options? How is possible that in 2020 the most expensive streaming service is so lacking in basic stuff?

[Anonymous User]

@Anonymous User 

We know subtitles are an important part of the TV experience for many of our members, and we’ve worked hard to increase the amount of subtitles across the NOW TV Passes and devices.

• Cinema Pass – 1000s of on demand movies now come with subtitles. All new movies added will also have subtitles available.
• Entertainment Pass – 100s of on demand shows have subtitles available, and all new shows added will come with subtitles, where available. We’ll be adding subtitles to more shows on the Entertainment Pass back catalogue soon too.
• NOW TV Box and Smart Stick apps – You can also view subtitles on apps including BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, All 4, Netflix and YouTube.

[Anonymous User]

that still doesn't help with the fact that they are all out of sync/not working...nor does it say anything about other audio languages...

[Anonymous User]

I use to watch through Ipad app player.I watched German TV show and it was on German language although there was English language only in options.

[Anonymous User]

It is true that the lack of languages puts you off a lot.

I am Spanish but I watch most of the stuff in English... unfortunately my family isn’t and if they come to visit or if I wish to teach my kids any other language while watching tv... you have no choice at all....

you mentioned Netflix... you can maybe find Polish and Turkish most of the times but the 3rd most spoken language in the world doesn’t even appear for subtitles.

I really believe that if you offer HD, you have the Blu-ray file which includes many languages... so if you don’t give the option it might be another reason that you don’t want to mention like region block which I find almost racist.

For example... in Netflix Spain you will find TV shows like Big Bang theory in many languages with many subtitles options, but in UK Netflix you can choose English and subs on/off...

Sorry for the long post, I just hope that this region blocks and lack of languages comes to an end soon.

[gavs82008]

@Anonymous User 

Definitely have to agree with you, my parents who live in Spain had a trail to HBO. Where you can select the audio to English, however and very annoyingly when there is embedded subtitles they remain in Spanish. It makes you think, what is the point in having audio in another language but when there are subtiles in the content it remains Spanish.

One would have assumed with Netlfix and now Disney+ this will hopefully come to an end sooner than later. 

There is also Paramount+ which is now in the Nordics and South America, plus with HBO Max launching in South America in June. 

[Felipe]

Absolutly correct, is very dissapointed that in 2022 NowTV can not simply upload a simple text file of 2Kb  in every content to be ble to watch with spanish subtitles.... very and very bad streaming service considering that UK is a quite cosmopolitan country.

I had subscriber to the 7 days trial and I cancelled because of that

[RoyB]

@gavs82008 

A problem with subtitles, which we had in Spain, and just encountered again with Borgen - the Power and the Glory on Netflix, is that they serve two purposes; to make programmes with the audio in a foreign language comprehensible by showing subtitles in your native language, and to augment native language audio for the hard of hearing.

To save people who don’t need the latter from having to turn subtitles on for foreign language audio programmes, the presumed default native language subtitles are usually embedded in the video stream.

Thus, Borgen was shown with English subtitles for the many foreign languages being spoken - except for English, where they didn’t appear. We have subtitles turned on by default with Netflix unlike Now, which still steadfastly refuses to remember the setting from session to session - so we presume there was no separate subtitles track for this programme.

So we had to strain to hear the English 😢 Obviously, any separate subtitles track would have just had to show during the English bits, so as not to overwrite the embedded subtitles, but it could have been done - Netflix missed a trick there.

But when considering subtitles, you have to think about whether they have been embedded for translation purposes, for people who wouldn’t normally need them, or are on a separate subtitles track, for the hard of hearing, or for those who need another language.

[LB3]

Any update on this? I find it incredible that things like Game of Thrones only have English subs and no other language options whatsoever, yet things like Netflix you can basically choose subs and dubs on major things like that to your hearts content 😐

[redchiz1]

Be incredulous. Subscribe to your provider of choice.