Subtitles

[Anonymous User]

 Morning,

I think something missing!!!

Like other provider such as Netflix, they offer movies with subtitle at a lower price! 

Now TV should be able to offer that service for must of their movies and, this should normally help deaf people watching films...

Thanks,

Guy

[SeeMoreDigital]

Providing subtitles via the DVB-T or DVB-S platforms is very different to providing them over the internet. As they use very different protocols.

Indeed, as far as I'm aware not even the BBC offer subtitles with their 'live streams' content. 

'Catch-up' content - yes... 'Live streams' content - no

[Anonymous User]

I don't think it'd be that difficult. They must have some service that outputs the live subtitles and sends them to the broadcasting service, so they'd just need to engineer a way of making that available to a NowTV service that transmits subtitles on a per-programme or per-channel basis. Ideally those subtitles should be stored too so live subtitles can persist if those programmes are available after airing. However it's done there'll be a solution — if anybody cares to address it.

Seeing as NowTV has no existing platform for subtitles it could be developed to support streamed subtitles from the outset. It might be more challenging for the likes of iPlayer and Netflix with a subtitle platform only designed for pre-packaged subtitles — not that they lack the resources to make it happen.

Of course we ARE talking about Sky here, whose lethargy when it comes to developing this functionality is truly impressive. Given the appropriate subtitle data I could probably have engineered subtitles into the NowTV application about 20 times over in the time this suggestion thread has been running. Even if some things lack subtitles we'd be a lot better off than we are now.

[Anonymous User]

It is different, yes, but not technically any more difficult than providing
subtitles for catch up content. All it is is overlaying some text on the
video, so whether that text has been provided all in advance or whether it
is being fed line by line as part of the stream, it is no more difficult -
you just replace the input stream from a file to the live subtitle source.
So if they have this live subtitle source for live TV, then I don't see why
they can't use this for the online stream either. If Sky are somehow
finding this difficult technically then maybe I should apply to be a NowTV
software engineer...

[SeeMoreDigital]

Like I said befor, if it was that easy to provide subtitles to 'live streams' the BBC would have done it. But they haven't!

Indeed, I've just checked out the latest 'beta' version of BBC iPlayer on my LG television and none of their 'live streams' offer subtitles (image quality has improved though. I've just watched a bit of BBC4 and it's now HD)...

Cheers

[Anonymous User]

It is interesting that the BBC haven't done it yet for their live streams,
I guess because anyone who needs it does at least have the option of using
a TV to get the subtitles. As long as the subtitle data is there then all
they need to do is convert it to the format they use for the pre-recorded
subtitles and include this formatted data in the stream. I guess they have
decided it just isn't worth the additional effort to do this, when they
could spend the development time elsewhere. My general point is that in all
these cases it is not any technical difficulty that is preventing
Sky/BBC/etc. from implementing subtitles (on both pre-recorded and live
streams), but rather a business/commercial decision over resource
allocation.

[Anonymous User]

I'm not sure why you're talking of BBC iPlayer like its some kind of paragon of online streaming. It's technologically behind Netflix and others in a number of ways so what they have or haven't done is of no consequence.

Instead of playing catch-up wouldn't it be nice for Sky to figure this out and set an example? We know they have the data because they do it with Sky broadcasts — they just need to engineer ways of using it. Not an easy task, but hardly beyond a skilled developer. Of course, basic subtitle support would be a good start.

[Anonymous User]

And yes, Alex is right. It's beyond obvious that any and all lack of progress with this functionality is down to business decisions. I'd put money on them having software developers (or contractors) who could put this together in a week if they were given the opportunity.

[SeeMoreDigital]

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@Anonymous User wrote:

I'm not sure why you're talking of BBC iPlayer like its some kind of paragon of online streaming. It's technologically behind Netflix and others in a number of ways

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BBC iPlayer is being mentioned because unlike Netflix and others, it offers 'live streams'. Which, as I've said before use very different service protocols...

[Anonymous User]

Again, what the BBC has or hasn't done is not pertinent here. The only thing that matters is whether or not NowTV commit the resources to making it happen, and the same applies to the BBC.

The non-live parts of both platforms also use different web-based methods for handling subtitles compared to aerial/cable/satellite television. It wouldn't have been an overnight job for the BBC to make that happen either, which is probably why as yet NowTV hasn't seen fit to invest in it. These are problems to be solved, but as somebody who builds web services for a living I'm fairly confident that this isn't beyond the abilities of a competent engineer.

[Anonymous User]

I am shocked that people have been asking for subtitles since 2012 and here we are in 2016 and they are still not available. I got my Now 6 months subscription as an offer with a mobile phone deal so ok I'll make the most of it bu my mother is deaf and relies heavily on subtitles so when the time comes for renewal I shall spend my money with a service that considers people with hearing disabilities such as Netflix