the bblog

streaming video and captions

Golly, I love streaming video. Hulu, Netflix, (pretty much the only reason I pay for xbox live gold) etc. They're all great.

Except for captioning. Neither of the streaming video services I just named have captioning.

On Netflix, this instantly, instantly!, cuts their selection in half, since I would rather cut off my dick than watch dubbed anime. And then for anything else, it makes it impossible to understand without cranking the volume to ear-bleed levels (antisocial) or using headphones. With Hulu, this is more whining than an actual valid complaint, but watching a television with headphones on obviates the point.

There is a reason television has captions, and DVDs have subtitles. It's so freaks like me, with their piles of disposable income and mild difficulties with the spoken word can actually enjoy the experience.

Now, if I want subtitled downloaded movies, I have to hit up The Pirate Bay for a dvdrip, rather than give the copyright owners money. This is known as "failing your customer", and is the reason old media is dying.

And good riddance.