-
Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.
-
We have made minor adjustments to how the search bar works on ResetEra. You can read about the changes here.
Subtitles Yay or Nay
- Thread starter Stalker
- Start date
If it's for something that's not English, yes always. If not, no. The poll doesn't really give those options though.
I generally prefer them off. But my wife likes them on, so I've gotten use to it. If I'm watching stuff on my own, they're usually off. Unless I can barely hear the audio, then I'll turn them on.
The one thing that annoys me though, is if I'm watching on my Vizio and HDR or Dolby Vision, the subtitles will brighten the whole screen. I need more local dimming zones.
The one thing that annoys me though, is if I'm watching on my Vizio and HDR or Dolby Vision, the subtitles will brighten the whole screen. I need more local dimming zones.
I'll use subtitles when I need them, and not when I don't—which means I use them for non-English-language content, occasionally when I'm trying to watch something at a too-low volume, or... recent Nolan movies. I'd rather not have the visual distraction otherwise, if I'm not actively reading them—I'd rather not have my focus divided between the dialogue as it's being spoken or reading it (perhaps faster than spoken).
Anecdotally, it does seem I have an easier time with accents, mumbled or obscured dialogue, and just generally inferring dialogue from context than other people I've watched movies with, and so am less concerned about my comprehension or missing something important.
Anecdotally, it does seem I have an easier time with accents, mumbled or obscured dialogue, and just generally inferring dialogue from context than other people I've watched movies with, and so am less concerned about my comprehension or missing something important.
Last edited:
I use them in case I miss something since my hearing is not the greatest. That means they will usually be on but I'm not always focusing on them.
I turn it on only if I'm not sure about a word or two. Most of the time is when an actor is mumbling. Then I turn it back off.
Always on for foreign movies though, obviously.
Always on for foreign movies though, obviously.
Sometimes. I'll use subtitles when:
- Audio is not in English. (Either opting not to listen to the dub, or no dub is available.)
- Listening environment is not ideal.
- Dialog is heavily accented/harder to understand.
- Dialog is hard to hear in the mix/background sounds too loud.
For most movies and shows, I like the subtitles on. I usually can't understand actors that have a thick regional accent for example, or if they talk too fast and the dialogue is speedy. A lot of dialogue flies over my head, especially in action movies where the explosions and music blast away everything else in the mix lol.
That being said, I think subtitles can be distracting and kind of ruin the experience for things like sitcoms like Seinfeld or Stand up comedy. You see the flow and punchline of the joke before it's said haha. These kinds of experiences are much less cinematic and don't require much visual assistance at all.
Conversational comedy shows and movies are also mixed for general TV speakers and headphones, so you don't need amazing surround speakers or subwoofers to understand what the producers were going for (Tenet and most Nolan films are a good example of the phenomenon of movies made by audiophiles and made for audiophiles who have the fancy gear to actually appreciate the sound design)
That being said, I think subtitles can be distracting and kind of ruin the experience for things like sitcoms like Seinfeld or Stand up comedy. You see the flow and punchline of the joke before it's said haha. These kinds of experiences are much less cinematic and don't require much visual assistance at all.
Conversational comedy shows and movies are also mixed for general TV speakers and headphones, so you don't need amazing surround speakers or subwoofers to understand what the producers were going for (Tenet and most Nolan films are a good example of the phenomenon of movies made by audiophiles and made for audiophiles who have the fancy gear to actually appreciate the sound design)
Last edited:
I keep em on for the most part. I do disable them for comedies though since they tend to ruin punch lines.
Subtitles can sometimes ruin the emotional impact of a scene if you read surprising or important dialogue before it is even delivered by the actor.
Sometimes. Because of my CAPD, how likely I need subtitles is strong function of audio mixing; games are almost always terrible and I need subtitles, but I find it unnecessary for, e.g., dubbed anime. This is assuming I'm watching in a quiet environment, otherwise, yep, subtitles go on.
Always on. Always & forever. When I have to watch anything with a friend or family member who doesn't want to use them I die a little inside.
It blows my mind how incredibly shallow people can be about the most asinine shit. Their self-esteem must've hit zero for moronic stuff like this to matter.
As for the poll: most always unless it's a rerun of a show. I don't want to miss anything.
As for the poll: most always unless it's a rerun of a show. I don't want to miss anything.
Games, all the time.
Movies or shows, typically no unless I'm really struggling to make out lines due to bad mixing or something.
Movies or shows, typically no unless I'm really struggling to make out lines due to bad mixing or something.
If I need to watch quietly or if the audio is simply hard to understand for whatever reason, sure. There are reasons, they have their use cases. Obviously it makes sense for those that are hearing impaired or when the content is not in their primary language and they need the help. Sometimes it is a necessity.
But otherwise if you have them turned on without a specific need, you're distracting yourself from the frame, reading dialogue before it happens, spoiling the timing and delivery, missing visual subtlety or outright missing the frame altogether, encouraging a lack of attention and overall lessening your own experience. (Obviously that's talking with new content in mind, not something you've already seen)
A lot of people turn them on because they listen to content using a TV's built-in potatoes and to you I say please at least get a sound bar for your primary viewing device. Even cheap ones are better than the built-ins. A lot of media accused of poor mixing is in reality you trying to play sound out of a vegetable.
It makes more sense for games because the mix is dynamic and can often get drowned out by whatever is happening. And because you're actively playing rather than passively watching, it can be harder to give the dialogue your full attention. If given the option in settings, I usually turn dialogue volume up and the rest slightly down to try and combat that. However sometimes depending on the game they will need to be on.
I pretty much assume that anyone voting for "always" without a specific reason like hearing or language or baby or whatever is the type of person who cant sit through a movie without checking their instagram
I think the poll would be more informative if given options "always just because" and "always because reasons" in addition to the others
But otherwise if you have them turned on without a specific need, you're distracting yourself from the frame, reading dialogue before it happens, spoiling the timing and delivery, missing visual subtlety or outright missing the frame altogether, encouraging a lack of attention and overall lessening your own experience. (Obviously that's talking with new content in mind, not something you've already seen)
A lot of people turn them on because they listen to content using a TV's built-in potatoes and to you I say please at least get a sound bar for your primary viewing device. Even cheap ones are better than the built-ins. A lot of media accused of poor mixing is in reality you trying to play sound out of a vegetable.
It makes more sense for games because the mix is dynamic and can often get drowned out by whatever is happening. And because you're actively playing rather than passively watching, it can be harder to give the dialogue your full attention. If given the option in settings, I usually turn dialogue volume up and the rest slightly down to try and combat that. However sometimes depending on the game they will need to be on.
I pretty much assume that anyone voting for "always" without a specific reason like hearing or language or baby or whatever is the type of person who cant sit through a movie without checking their instagram
I think the poll would be more informative if given options "always just because" and "always because reasons" in addition to the others
Last edited:
I only use subtitles when I can't understand the dialogue, which is pretty rare for English-language films.
Subtitles can't really match the timing of the spoken performance, and often I feel like I end up reading the subtitle only to have to wait for them... to... say... ...it.
Subtitles can't really match the timing of the spoken performance, and often I feel like I end up reading the subtitle only to have to wait for them... to... say... ...it.
I can understand dialogue fine so no, I've never thought to put subtitles on an English language show or movie.
Never by choice in English movies or shows
Edit: Didn't think about video games. I'll use them quite a bit in video games if they're not hugely distracting. I tend to miss a lot of dialogue because of so much shit going on
Edit: Didn't think about video games. I'll use them quite a bit in video games if they're not hugely distracting. I tend to miss a lot of dialogue because of so much shit going on
Prefer them off. I feel an image without subs is more visually and aesthetically pleasing. Never use them when watching content in the language I speak. That said, they are great for accessibility and watching content outside your language.
In games it's a completely different situation, always keep them on because games can be very dynamic and sometimes you got cases where two characters are speaking to each other, and one of them is far in another room and you can't hear them, but you can read the convo in the subs.
In games it's a completely different situation, always keep them on because games can be very dynamic and sometimes you got cases where two characters are speaking to each other, and one of them is far in another room and you can't hear them, but you can read the convo in the subs.
Most of the time, yes. If I'm watching a comedy for the first time, I find it best to not have the subtitles on as it can spoil joke timing. But if you're watching a comedy a second time, it's actually great to have subtitles on because you might catch things you missed the first time around.
If it's a game, sometimes. But for TV or movies never. If I wanted to read I would read a book.