# Fix The Closed Captioning Problem Caused By Tivo Upgrades



## syounger64 (Aug 13, 2004)

Hi everyone,

First off, I'm a huge TIVO fan and can't imagine life before TIVO. 
I would appreciate it if TIVO checks to see why the captions are being dropped on many tv shows since the last upgrade. I have TIVO software version 7.2.2.b and before that upgrade I never had any problems with captioning. 

As a deaf person, I depend on closed captions to enjoy my shows. Without closed captions for me is like suddenly no sounds on the tivo recordings for any hearing person. So it can be frustrating!

Listed below are the shows that are dropping captions:
SHOWS THAt DROP CLOSED CAPTIONING OR HAVE NO CAPTIONS*:

TV Show / Channel

Chappelle's Show / Comedy Central
Who wants to be a superhero / Sci Fi
Monk / USA
Stargate Atlantis / Sci Fi
Rescue Me / FX
The Dead Zone / USA
The 4400 / USA
Eureka / Sci Fi
Nightmares & Dreamscapes / TNT

This is way too many shows that I'm missing or have to record again!

Thanks.


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## annenoe (Oct 19, 2003)

syounger64 said:


> I have TIVO software version 7.2.2.b and before that upgrade I never had any problems with captioning.
> 
> Listed below are the shows that are dropping captions:
> SHOWS THAt DROP CLOSED CAPTIONING OR HAVE NO CAPTIONS*:
> ...


Just curious... I'm currently running 7.2.2b myself and also depend on CC (not totally deaf but need the help). I'm seeing my CC on both Monk and Eureka (the two I share from your list). Do you mean they're gone completely or somehow corrupted?


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## ppace (Feb 16, 2002)

As I mentioned in another thread,I think this is a Cablevision problem. I have a TV with Tivo and one without. This happens on the non tivo tv too. As you mentioned, I noticed this seems to happen right at a commercial change and as with you, I see this problem with the scifi channel, travel channel, and usa among others . The movie channels don't seem to have a problem. There is something in the transition to commercials that is causing this. If you want to make sure it really is a tivo problem, may I suggest you try connecting one tv straight to the cable box and watch monk or any of these other problem shows. Wait till the end around 3/4 through after a commercial break, if the captions go out, it will confirm it's cablevision. 

I would try this a couple of times (I had monk go through all the way to the end with no problem this week) At least this way, if it truly is tivo, you will have more proof. Like I said, I think this is really cablevision and they don't want to admit it. I was hoping it was a software issue that would get fixed in the next update, now don't think so.....


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## syounger64 (Aug 13, 2004)

Hi - I totally agree about playing around with the equipment first before making accusations. Smile. Ill test it tmrw without the tivo.

Just to let you know that PeteEMT thinks that TIVO has a weaker CC decoder than the tv and he had a workaround solution in which he Pick up a External Caption Decoder and installed it between the Cable Box and the Tivo. He says its been working fine since.

I appreciate all your suggestions. :up:


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## megazone (Mar 3, 2002)

I didn't think the TiVo had a CC decoder at all - it just records the CC signal and passes it on to the output on playback, no?


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## syounger64 (Aug 13, 2004)

I apologize for taking so long to get back to this issue.  Ok I had set up a tv that didnt have TIVO and a second tv hooked up with TVIO. Both had closed caption option turned on and also have the same Cablevision cable box. 

BOTH dropped captions at the same time and usually after the commercials or sometimes 1/2 or less into an movie broadcast. I called Cablevision and the service representative who came blamed it on TIVO but got red-faced when I showed him the second tv with no TIVO attached. He didnt really have any solutions except for trying some tinkering with audio settings in both cable box. Rolled eyes. I really do not think TIVO is to be blamed but it'd be nice if they did more to address this issue especially for TIVO TO GO. 

I have several other friends who have cablevision in different parts of the city and they both complain about captions being dropped. Hmm!

A side note - my supervisor who happens to be deaf and a Time Warner customer had similiar captioning issues for years. She even went into the Time Warner office to demand answers. They showed her some schematics ofin how different captioning systems knock off each other and blamed what seems to be lack of standards in closed captions.

I can't comment on this last part as I dont know enough about captioning. I'm only suprised that after all this time you would think captioning isnt a complicated business. Maybe I'm wrong to say this but it SHOULD be simplified.

Why we dont have a choice in what size or even color of the captions we want? Why isn't there an option that allows you to select open or closed captions?
I'm sure there's other options we could want but again even though Ive been using closed captions from almost the first days in the 80's...I dont know too much about this issue.


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