# TivoHD subtitles - on/off command?



## guptasa1 (Mar 22, 2005)

Hey all,

Considering switching to cable with a TivoHD - been spoiled by my DirecTivo until now (and can't upgrade to the new DirecTV HD stuff because of a pesky tree). I have one question about the TivoHD's - is there an easy/quick way to turn on subtitles for programs, like a one-button solution, at all?

I watch a lot of things on BBC America and find myself needing subtitles fairly often, but not to the point of wanting to have it on all the time - just when I'm having difficulty working a line or two out (yeah, I'm a bit OCD that way with my favorite programs).

My biggest single issue with the DirecTivo is that it takes 10 minutes (not literally, but a lot of menus and button presses...probably at least 20-30 seconds worth) to turn on and off subtitles, whereas, say, with a DVD player it's simply a matter of two button presses. 

My question is, is this any faster, easier on a TivoHD? Certainly not a dealbreaker either way, BUT, it'd definitely be something significant in TivoHD's favor.

Thanks all!


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## bkdtv (Jan 9, 2003)

There is still no single button to turn subtitles on and off, but TiVo has made it easier / faster than it was.

You press the right arrow once to bring up the channel banner, press the down arrow to highlight the subtitle tab, then hit select to toggle subtitles on (or off). It takes about 5 seconds.


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## guptasa1 (Mar 22, 2005)

Thanks! That's *much* better than the DirecTivo method - sounds about the same as my DVD player (have to hit the subtitles button, then arrow over to on [and then usually hit another button to get the dispaly to go away lol]). So definitely a pro towards the TivoHD (though I still wish they'd incorporate a one-button solution eventually).


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## jjeff (Feb 21, 2009)

I do the same thing, most notably for the BBC program _Last of the summer wine_ many times I don't know what the word means but at least I know how it's spelled
Instead of the right arrow key I push the INFO button followed by about 3 down arrow pushes to highlight CC, then SELECT and finally INFO again to get rid of it. Agreed I'd rather have just one button (probably can be done with a Harmony?) but as dkdtv said 5 seconds tops, much easier than it sounds like it is with your Direct DVR.


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## guptasa1 (Mar 22, 2005)

Cool. Yeah, that sounds much easier. With the DirecTivo, you essentially have to go into the menu, then the settings, then the display settings, then the closed caption display settings, then turn it on, and then exit back to whatever you're watching (via Exit if live TV or List and then selecting your show if you're watching something recording). Then do the same thing to turn it off. So, for the TivoHD it's much better!


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

bkdtv said:


> There is still no single button to turn subtitles on and off, but TiVo has made it easier / faster than it was.
> 
> You press the right arrow once to bring up the channel banner, press the down arrow to highlight the subtitle tab, then hit select to toggle subtitles on (or off). It takes about 5 seconds.


Still a PITA....you make it sound like two button pushes. It's more like 5.


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## 911medic (Mar 17, 2009)

To the OP: having come from DirecTV myself not too long ago, I can tell you the TiVo method bkdtv describes is WORLDS easier than DirecTV's. I mean, it's night and day.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

Bierboy said:


> Still a PITA....you make it sound like two button pushes. It's more like 5.


While it is more than I'd like, nowadays it is about the same as turning on closed captioning on my (old Sony Trinitron) TV.. a few fewer keypresses with the Tivo, actually.


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## jjeff (Feb 21, 2009)

jjeff said:


> Agreed I'd rather have just one button (probably can be done with a Harmony?)


I don't have a Harmony but isn't this something a Harmony could automate? Although because the number of down arrow pushes varies by program type maybe it wouldn't work with a Harmony Although maybe Tivo has a discrete code(that could be programmed into the Harmony) that would toggle CC...


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

What do you mean it varies by program type? I think it's always (confirm when you're in front of a Tivo):

right arrow
down arrow
down arrow
down arrow
down arrow
enter

to toggle..


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## wmcbrine (Aug 2, 2003)

I use "Info" to pull up the info, rather than right arrow.

Two downs during playback from the NPL, four from LiveTV.

I have a macro to toggle it mapped to the "CC" button in my software remote (see sig).


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## 59er (Mar 27, 2008)

mattack said:


> What do you mean it varies by program type? I think it's always (confirm when you're in front of a Tivo):
> 
> right arrow
> down arrow
> ...


Not true. The number of down arrows varies under different circumstances. I find it's most often two or three down, but sometimes more.


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## bkdtv (Jan 9, 2003)

59er said:


> Not true. The number of down arrows varies under different circumstances. I find it's most often two or three down, but sometimes more.


As noted above, less clicks are required when watching recorded programs.


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

bkdtv said:


> As noted above, less clicks are required when watching recorded programs.


Correct. When I said 5 that's when watching live (I know, I know....what's "live" TV!).

I do have the CC sequence programmed into my Harmony One which gets me down to two button pushes -- one for the macro to get me to the CC option, then "enter" to toggle the CCs.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

bkdtv said:


> As noted above, less clicks are required when watching recorded programs.


<TivoMyth>
But everyone ONLY watches recorded shows with a Tivo.
</TivoMyth>

(*) Though for me it's *almost* not a myth, except when using LiveTV as background noise for CNN as I go to sleep.


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## DoctorNorm (Jun 9, 2010)

I love how people rationalize incompetence. The fact is that turning subtitles/closed captions on and off is very commonly used. Every TV I've owned has a button for it. Why? Because it's a basic viewing function.

Yet here, in TiVo land, apologists either describe a clunky way of doing it or say, "Well, it's better than XXXXX".

There is absolutely no firmware reason why subtitling could not be designed into a single button. But we are talking about the TiVo design and software team.

Pathetic.


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## LynnL999 (Oct 7, 2002)

Why doesn't someone suggest it to @tivodesign, or in one of the surveys? It probably won't show up on series 3/HD's, but it could show up on the future on the Premiere models.


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## astrohip (Jan 7, 2003)

LynnL999 said:


> Why doesn't someone suggest it to @tivodesign, or in one of the surveys? It probably won't show up on series 3/HD's, but it could show up on the future on the Premiere models.


I've suggested it many times over the years. Just did it as recently as the last Advisor's Survey.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

DoctorNorm said:


> I love how people rationalize incompetence. The fact is that turning subtitles/closed captions on and off is very commonly used. Every TV I've owned has a button for it. Why? Because it's a basic viewing function.


Every TV *you* have owned has a button. But it is not true that every TV (since CC has been required) has a button for it. In fact, it's in the menus for my LG TV.

Also, on my DVD player, as I think I explained, it's a multi-button-press process there too.

It's not rationalizing, it's living in the real world.

(I too would like an easier way of turning it on/off..)


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## wmcbrine (Aug 2, 2003)

DoctorNorm said:


> Yet here, in TiVo land, apologists either describe a clunky way of doing it or say, "Well, it's better than XXXXX".


I don't see where you get that from this (necro'd) thread. Describing how to do it is describing how to do it, not being an apologist. Also, pointing out that it's less clunky (by a LOT) than it used to be, is not denying that it's still clunky.

It's interesting to note that there are already discrete CC_ON and CC_OFF codes in the TiVo's network remote interface, which are now used by my remote program (instead of the macro described above). I don't know if there are corresponding IR codes for them. (There are IR codes for other functions that aren't on the remote, like Standby, and List (found only on DirecTV remotes).)


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

You mean both standby & list were on the directv remotes right? I seem to remember one in the past had a direct standby command too.


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## spicefrenzy (Oct 27, 2012)

mattack said:


> You mean both standby & list were on the directv remotes right? I seem to remember one in the past had a direct standby command too.


My Sony S1 remote had those buttons. When I finally took a crowbar to my wallet and got an S3, I was rather irritated that they were missing. After discovering the shortcuts, pressing the tivo button twice for the NPL was almost as good and I just gave up on the idea of putting the unit into standby.


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