In-theater closed captioning

Submitted by fungimama t3_11dr4pw in movies

Curious about experiences using the in-theater closed captioning devices. Lots of places offer them now, most seem to be a device you put in your cup holder that has a gooseneck screen on it. Wondering how well they work, are there any options that are better than others, etc? My wife is hard of hearing and we haven’t been to a proper movie in years, but thought if cc was an option we might give it a go. If it’s a hot mess I’d prefer to avoid the frustration and disappointment on date night though.

r/movies…what say you?

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SharksFan4Lifee t1_jaaenwr wrote

Cup holder devices works pretty well. You might want to also look for "Open Caption" screenings. These are screenings of a movie that will have captions on the screen that everyone sees.

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fungimama OP t1_jaaie96 wrote

I was looking for an open captioning option originally, but none of the theaters in my area offered it that I could find. Lots have the cup holder devices though, but if it’s super laggy or mis-translates a bunch i would probably just skip it. Another poster said that they seem to work pretty well though so we might give it a shot

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bookwormaesthetic t1_jablcpm wrote

Theaters are struggling right now, it couldn't hurt to ask them to offer open captioning. Maybe check for groups in your area that use captioning and see if they want to book a screening together.

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VastFaithlessness999 t1_jaamkt0 wrote

I use the cup holder CC. If she uses, try to sit in the middle section so she doesn't break her neck trying to read and keep up with the action at the same find.

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Lord_Muramasa t1_jaadhir wrote

I used to work at a movie theater. We did not have CC but we did have hearing assist headphones. If she is just hard of hearing and not actually deaf then that is the way to go. Just tell the person at the box office and they will get you a set or call the manager to get you a set.

You can also call ahead and ask your local theater what they have for hearing impared people.

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fungimama OP t1_jaahrpy wrote

She actually has an auditory processing disorder, so that would help for sure but cc would be better for her.

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durx1 t1_jaavge2 wrote

i too have auditory processing disorder. going to the movies in theaters is super hard. after getting the diagnosis, it made lots of sense as to why I preferred being at home and need CC

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bmcthomas t1_jaaobzb wrote

Being hard of hearing isn’t just about volume. It’s also about clarity. Some HoH people can’t hear certain pitches, or they hear low tones so well that they can’t hear anything else… it’s really not enough to just use headphones.

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bmcthomas t1_jaaozan wrote

My boyfriend is hard of hearing and his experiences with CC devices is hit or miss. Often they aren’t charged, and die before the movie is over. Most theaters don’t test them to make sure the movie came with a caption file, is the projection system reading it and sending it to the transmitter, is the reader receiving it from the transmitter? If any part of this process fails - no captions.

Your best bet is to go to a smaller theater, ask to talk to the manager upfront, educate them about the devices and how they work, and build a relationship with them.

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rosebud5054 t1_jabeqqt wrote

As someone who is HoH I prefer renting the movie on my own TV screen at home but doing the whole movie experience with my hubby. So, we go out buy snacks or have dinner before/after the movie so we feel like we are still going out on a date. I find the CC almost always works with movies rented at home and that way I can put the TV volume as high I need it without worrying about anyone else.

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robotmask67 t1_jabyu2z wrote

I worked at a movie theater and over time we had 2 different types of devices. The first was the one you mention that fits in the cupholder, but the second one which I think was better were a pair of glasses you wore where the movie captions would appear on the lenses. Much less awkward and easier to watch the movie and read the captions simultaneously.

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