Frequently asked questions
If the questions below do not answer your query please contact Media Access Australia via phone (02) 9212 6242, fax (02) 9212 6289, TTY (02) 9212 6461 or send us an email.
How do I get captions on my television?
How can I tell if my television has teletext?
I've got a teletext television. What do I do now?
My television does not have teletext. What can I do?
The captions on my television are scrambled. What's going on?
How can I fix the problem of scrambled captions?
Why do the captions not always match the audio?
Why are there different types of captions?
Why do captions sometimes jump around the screen?
Why are there sometimes spelling mistakes or incorrect words in the captions?
How can I record captions on TV?
Can I get captions on subscription TV?
What do I need to watch audio description?
How do I get captions on my television?
In order to access captions on your television you need either an analogue TV with teletext, an analogue TV connected to a digital set-top box, or a digital TV. Watch videos on:
- How to display captions on subscription TV
- How to display captions on digital TV
- How to display captions on analogue TV
What is teletext?
Teletext is an information system that is built into some analogue television sets. There used to be a service called Austext which ran on teletext and contained news stories, stock market figures, etc, but this was discontinued in 2009. The only page of teletext is page 801, which carries captions.
How can I tell if my television has teletext?
If your television is already equipped with teletext it should have a 'text' button on the remote control. Other abbreviations are sometimes used such as 'txt' or 'tv/txt'. It also should say 'teletext' on the frame of the television or in the manual. If you are still unsure contact the television manufacturer and quote them the model number.
I've got a teletext television. What do I do now?
If you have teletext you will be able to access captioned television programs right away. Look in your local television guide for programs with an S, ST or CC after the program name. These are the programs with captions on them. Next select the channel which the program is on, then press the 'text' button on your remote control, followed by 8-0-1. Wait a few seconds and the captions should appear.
My television does not have teletext. What can I do?
You can buy a digital set-top box, which you connect to your existing analogue TV, or you can replace it with a digital TV. Before purchasing digital equipment, you must note that it will only work in 'digital' areas, that is an area that receives a digital transmission. Most areas of Australia receive digital reception. To get the captions to appear when you have connected the digital set-top box to your TV, just press the caption button on the remote control (this may be labelled S, Sub-t, CC or be a coloured button). On some models you can enter the set-up menu and turn the closed caption function ON.
The captions on my analogue television are scrambled. What's going on?
When captions come up on the screen as mumbo-jumbo, i.e. letters missing, misspellings and sticking of captions, it is usually the result of a reception problem. The teletext signal that is sent is a very delicate one and if your reception for a particular channel is even slightly poor your captions may suffer as a result. Purchasing a digital television or digital set-top box will generally solve the problem.
How can I fix the problem of scrambled captions on an analogue TV?
In order to solve a reception problem, try fine-tuning your television to see if you can pick up a stronger signal of a particular channel. If this does not work, you may want to try and reposition your outside antenna (it may have been moved slightly during a storm or strong wind). If this still does not solve the problem, you may need to fit an antenna booster to your aerial. If you find yourself in this situation, though, the easiest and cheapest way to fix the problem is to buy a digital set-top box.
Why do the captions not always match the audio?
There are a few reasons why the captions may not match the audio of a program. Firstly prerecorded captions may be edited to a rate of 180 words per minute, which is considered to be an average reading speed for caption users. When a program is captioned live, either by a stenocaptioner or a captioner using speech recognition software, the captions will appear one word at a time, and lag behind the dialogue, although a skilled operator can keep the time lag down to 3-5 seconds.
Why are there different types of captions?
Captions are either prepared before a program goes to air, in which case they will appear one or two lines at a time (sometimes called 'block captions') are they are created as the program goes to air by a stenocaptioner or captioner using vice recognition software. Live captions appear one word at a time (sometimes called 'scrolling captions') and there is an inevitable delay between the words being spoken and the corresponding captions appearing on the screen.
Why do captions sometimes jump around the screen?
As well as being positioned to indicate who is speaking, captions must also be positioned so they don't cover any important on-screen information.
Why are there sometimes spelling mistakes or incorrect words in the captions?
In general, captions which a pre-prepared should have been edited before they go to air so they should be free of errors. With programs captioned live, while stenocaptioners and captioners using voice recognition software aim for high levels of accuracy, like anything done by a human being, live captioning may produce "typos" and incorrect words. Unlike normal typing, stenocaptioners can write entire words or phrases with a single hand motion (known as a 'stroke'). A "misstroke," can therefore produce an incorrect word or phrase. Each stenocaptioner has a 'dictionary' incorporated in their stenographic equipment which they can update with new words, phrases or names. If the dictionary fails to recognise a word, it can appear as a string of random letters. Captioners using speech recognition also make use of dictionaries, but with this method if a word is not recognised, a word or words that sound like it will usually appear instead.
When you see dropped letters, especially if those letters are dropped in pairs, word sticking to the page, or symbols appearing where letters should be, that usually indicates transmission problems or bad television reception rather than errors on the part of the captioner.
How can I record captions on TV?
You cannot record captions with a teletext TV and a standard VCR or DVD recorder. You can record TV captions connected to a digital set-top box and a standard VCR or DVD recorder, or using a hard disk recorder that displays captions. Note though that not all hard disk drive recorders and DVD recorders will record captions.
Can I get captions on subscription TV?
Yes. Due to a decision of the Australian Human Rights Commission, subscription TV providers are required to provide captioning across a minimum of 40 digital channels. An initial 20 channels that began captioning in October 2004 had to achieve captioning on 25% of programming by 2009, while a further 20 channels that began captioning in 2006 had to achieve 15% by 2009. These amounts had to increase by 5% each year. Read more about captions on subscription TV here.
What do I need to receive audio description?
Audio description (AD) on broadcast television programs is not available yet on Australian television, although the Federal Government's Media Access Review has recommended that a trial of audio description will take place on ABC1 during the second half of 2011. This will encompass 14 hours a day of receiver-mixed audio description broadcast over 13 weeks. ('Receiver-mixed' means that the AD is broadcast as a second audio stream which is mixed into the program's soundtrack within the digital receiver. To receive this you will a digital television or set-top box which is AD receiver mix enabled. For more information see the Audio description on television page.
Currently, the opportunity to listen to audio description on your television is only available via audio described DVDs. To access audio described DVDs, just a standard DVD player is required. Check our Audio Described DVD Database for titles currently available with audio description.
