Shortcut to Closed Captioning?

[steverichmond]

New to Dish and love the 722k. There is no comparison to D*'s HRs. There is one feture I find myself missing a shortcut to toggle on/off closed captioning. I have the 21 remote and am interesested if anyone has come up with or knows of a shortcut to toggle CC.

Thanks,
Steve

 

[CowboyDren]

Nope. If you memorize the menu option numbers, it can be done in no fewer than 11 clicks. I'm just as pissed off about this as anyone, and I'm NOT hearing impaired. I have kids, and I work nights (TV time is often at 3AM), and I want to read what they're saying, but I can't do it quickly.

Menu - 8 -7 -1 - Left -Sel - Right - Select - Cancel - Cancel - Cancel; disable is the same as enable. Makes me wish I had a remote that did macros...

 

[retiredTech]

I just let my tv do CC.
I set TV is muted , CC is on.

 

[GravelChan]

Nope. If you memorize the menu option numbers, it can be done in no fewer than 11 clicks. I'm just as pissed off about this as anyone, and I'm NOT hearing impaired. I have kids, and I work nights (TV time is often at 3AM), and I want to read what they're saying, but I can't do it quickly.

Menu - 8 -7 -1 - Left -Sel - Right - Select - Cancel - Cancel - Cancel; disable is the same as enable. Makes me wish I had a remote that did macros...

You can cut that by 2 clicks, after the last Select press View rather than 3 Cancels...... actually "View" will exit back to live TV from almost anywhere in the menus, may not save a change if you exit too soon (before pressing Select for "done") but exit it will!

 

[CowboyDren]

I just let my tv do CC.
I set TV is muted , CC is on.

Doesn't work on my TV for some reason. Which is odd, because it works for my DVD player with this TV, but not the 722.

You can cut that by 2 clicks, after the last Select press View rather than 3 Cancels.

Good catch. Takes 11 down to 9, or a 19% reduction in work.

 

[GravelChan]

Doesn't work on my TV for some reason. Which is odd, because it works for my DVD player with this TV, but not the 722.

I stand to be corrected but I think an HDMI cable connection only shows CC if it is combined with the video by whatever receiver is decoding the original signal, be it ATSC or a Dish digital signal.


Bet your DVD is hooked to your TV via coax or composite (analog signal).

 

[DishSubLA]

I share your pain. The short answer is NO there is no real shortcut. However, if you have a sophisticated universal remote, you can program the steps as a Macro to turn on and off the CC by pressing one button on the universal remote.

The TV will not handle CC via HDMI from any box (the new standard); it is a task for all boxes, not the TV, via digital. The TV will handle CC via analog connections and direct OTA to TV. But, HDMI is really preferred and makes more sense in most set-ups.

Dish should really come up with a short-cut or at least assign one of the color keys on the "K" remotes as a start. Somehow it just doesn't seem right that CC on/off is so cumbersome. I, for one, do have to set it on and off for various reasons. It really is the only "major" peeve I have with the Dish DVR's. TiVo's solution isn't a one-button solution, but it is extremely easy to access the CC control very quickly and intuitively, so turning off/on CC with TiVo is quite easy and quick.

 

[CowboyDren]

Sorry, guys, I'm hallucinating. My TV only enables the CC option on the antenna. I need this to work, though.

 

[Elkview]

I need closed caption to work easy. What a process to go through 3 or 4 times a day.

 

[GravelChan]

Elkview, I don't know if this will work for you but I use a Sony remote (RM-VL600), around $20 at Walmart/Target, not sure where I bought it. It has macro capabilities, I use the bottom/right button for the CC macro. It's a fairly decent remote for it's price but I use it only for the CC toggle. Hopefully Dish will at some point put a one button toggle or a macro learning capability on it's remotes.

 

[TheKrell]

The TV will not handle CC via HDMI from any box (the new standard); it is a task for all boxes, not the TV, via digital.

Aha! That explains my observations since moving to HDMI everywhere. But what the h... Why has CC become so cumbersome with digital?

Having CC come on automatically when you mute your TV makes a lot of sense. I've done most of my experiments with a 612 connected to a Vizio via HDMI. I can struggle with the Vizio menus and get it to come on, but then it is on all the time and isn't affected by the TV's mute. I blame the Vizio for this. Or should I be blaming some arcane rule? Obviously the CC info is there over HDMI if the TV can display it at all.

 

[steverichmond]

Glad to know I'm not the only one to think this is an issue. I think D* has E* beat on this one. (2 clicks) Hopefully Dish will add it. Is there a customer feedback mechanism that E* monitors?

Steve

 

[DishSubLA]

I need closed caption to work easy. What a process to go through 3 or 4 times a day.

AMEN!!!!

 

[DishSubLA]

Aha! That explains my observations since moving to HDMI everywhere. But what the h... Why has CC become so cumbersome with digital?

Having CC come on automatically when you mute your TV makes a lot of sense. I've done most of my experiments with a 612 connected to a Vizio via HDMI. I can struggle with the Vizio menus and get it to come on, but then it is on all the time and isn't affected by the TV's mute. I blame the Vizio for this. Or should I be blaming some arcane rule? Obviously the CC info is there over HDMI if the TV can display it at all.

I really don't know how this decision/standard was arrived at, most likely an industry group panel decided this was the best of all options. Perhaps, I'll research it. All I know is that the standard is for digital output (HDMI) CC is handled by the BOX ONLY. The TV is not designed to handle an incoming digital STB CC. It may have to do with the various resolutions and manipulations for interlaced and progressive conversion and display of the lines for digital resolution conversion that it was decided that the BOX ONLY MUST handle the CC for digital STB sources. Many set-top-boxes have more options for the color and appearance of CC than a lot of HDTV's. However, this means that the CC via digital is "essentially" superimposed on the video, or, in other words, if you record the video to a DVD recorder or VHS, the CC will also display as it is part of the video displayed--even via the analog outputs.

For all the analog outputs the TV may be used for the CC instead of the box (just as it has been), with the line 21 for CC recorded to DVD or VHS (and you can view the CC during recording because it is not part of the video output; your TV displays the CC on top of the video, not as part of the video), but CC won't display until the TV option for CC is turned on. The HDTV, obviously must handle OTA (ATSC/digital broadcast) connected directly to the TV (not via an STB). And that's the way it is.

 

[KyDave]

It amazes me that they DID think to have this available on their OTA ATSC tuner boxes (such as the TR40) but not their sat boxes.

 

[n0qcu]

I need closed caption to work easy. What a process to go through 3 or 4 times a day.

Just leave the CC on. You will soon get to where you won't even notice it (unless you want to) most of the time.

 

[CowboyDren]

During my late-night sessions when everyone else in the house is asleep, that's what I do. But in the morning or afternoon, when I can crank up the volume a bit to get over the noise floor, it continues to annoy me. And for those times when the actor is too muffled or the script is just too clever, it takes 18 clicks to turn it on and then turn it back off...that's not cool.

 

[Elkview]

I need CC on when I watch ( I also use a head set to pickup some words) but others in the family don't use CC. It would be helpful to just have a button to turn it on or off. I may try another remote as was suggested.

 

[DishSubLA]

It amazes me that they DID think to have this available on their OTA ATSC tuner boxes (such as the TR40) but not their sat boxes.

OTA tuner boxes must meet specific FCC requirements, especially for CC. I would guess it is so with the TR40 because it was mandated by the FCC since it is a STB designed to receive OTA exclusively and not a satllite box. Dish satellite boxes are under no such specific mandate, and in fact, have a different mandate regarding CC since it is a satellite STB NOT designed primarily for the purpose of receiving broadcast OTA.