Nearly half of all Americans use subtitles when they watch TV, a recent study showed, so Netflix is making them even better.
In a blog post this week, Netflix announced a new subtitle option — dialogue only.
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Right now, if you turn on subtitles, you’ll see not just words that are spoken, but other audio cues like [cell phone rings] or [dog barks] ([or squelching noises] for Stranger Things fans). You’ll also see the names and titles of songs that play.
With the new setting, captions will only display spoken words. No background sounds will appear.
It’s a small change, but it’s an improvement for the many people who turn on captions to make sure they catch every word over the bustle of kids, dogs, or other family members around them, or people watching with lower volume at night.
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It’s not just background noise causing difficulty, though, as a New York Times report indicates the issue stems largely from the way audio is mixed for cheaper televisions and phones.
Which Netflix movies and shows have the new subtitles?
The new subtitles are available now, but unfortunately, they’re not available for everything. They’re only on You Season 5 for now, but Netflix says they’re coming to all new originals in every language (and a few reports say they’re coming to older content too).
How to turn on Netflix’s new subtitles
To find the new subtitles, press down on your remote while watching something. You’ll see options for audio options for subtitles. Look for “English.” “English (CC)” is the current method that includes audio cues. The new option is available on the mobile app, desktop version, and TV version.
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Like existing subtitles, you can change the font, size, shadow, and background color of dialogue-only subtitles.
This announcement comes just a few weeks after Netflix significantly expanded its language options for subtitles and dubbing. Previously, you could only choose from around seven relevant languages based on your location and language settings. Now, you can choose from up to 30 languages.
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Source: Robotics - zdnet.com
