Subtitles Playback Problems - Sky+ HD

NFLNut · 10-11-2009, 13:28

I am a partially deaf viewer and rely heavily on subtitles to understand programs on sky.

When i watch subtitled programs as they happen the subtitles work perfectly but when i record a program and play it later, the subtitles run a few seconds ahead of the onscreen audio/picture and about half of them either do not appear or show so briefly that there is no time to read them before they disapear.

Recordings from some channels are fine with the subtitles running perfectly but most do not including all the sky movies channels.

This is causing great misery because i rarely watch progs at the time of braodcast, i tend record them to watch later at a more convenient time but right now i cant enjoy most of my recordings because of it.

How do i solved this problem?

technologist · 10-11-2009, 20:27

Perhaps it may help if you list the channels where it is oK -e.g all BBC ITV etc
and those where is is obviousily always wrong - you say Sky Movies

No need for a long list but It may help....

bpone · 10-11-2009, 21:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by technologist

Perhaps it may help if you list the channels where it is oK -e.g all BBC ITV etc
and those where is is obviousily always wrong - you say Sky Movies

No need for a long list but It may help....

G.O.L.D. is one of the faulty ones..

FusionLad · 10-11-2009, 22:55

I have this problem too. If you pause a programme and try to watch subtitles, it's pretty impossible sometimes. Pretty much all channels I would say.
Amstrad box.

NFLNut · 11-11-2009, 09:48

My box is Amstrad had it a few weeks ago.
The channels the problem occurs on are basically all the Sky Movie channels (not that i have checked them all) Five, C4.
ITV seems fine though.

I am going to have to ring sky on my text phone which a pain in the arse cos of all the menus and options and long it takes.

Adam Law · 11-11-2009, 10:19

My Mum is deaf and we had this problem with both a Pace and a Thomson HD box, in the end Sky fitted a Samsung box and they run perfectly (Even on the new EPG), maybe worth trying to get a Samsung box?

NFLNut · 12-11-2009, 09:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by technologist

Perhaps it may help if you list the channels where it is oK -e.g all BBC ITV etc
and those where is is obviousily always wrong - you say Sky Movies

No need for a long list but It may help....

Same problem recorded these last night on SCI-FI/HORROR (HD338), CHANNEL 4 (117) DISTURBIA, OUTPOST, COUNTRY HOUSE RESCUE, TRUE BLOOD.

Sub running so far ahead that by the time the actors speak them they have disapeared also some dont appear at all or do so very briefly with no chance of reading them.

I have send an email to sky detailing the problems. It took all the self controll i had not to be abusive believe me.

Peter_D · 12-11-2009, 14:47

Our Amstrad box had the same problem. Unplugging the box and plugging it back in usually cured it for a couple of days. Often had to do this before watching a film.
Have a Samsung box now and no problem.

NFLNut · 13-11-2009, 13:36

Finally snapped and rang Sky this morning about this and was told that they are aware of this issue and ARE working hard to fix it as soon as possible.
They also said that it does not matter which model box i have so they wont swap my Amstrad for a Samsung.

I dont want to cancel Sky+HD so i going to give them a couple of weeks to get this sorted then if they still havnt i dont know what i am gonna do..

FusionLad · 13-11-2009, 13:42

Maybe it will be fixed when the new EPG arrives? I guess they're using this opportunity to fix bugs, as I heard the Amstrad contrast bug was sorted.

NFLNut · 13-11-2009, 15:13

You have to laugh. I just came off a long (textphone) call to sky the end result being as above - wait while we sort it form our end. Now i get an email from their disability team whom i emailed about this days ago and they say they are sending an engineer on sunday to try to fix the problem.

i replyed saying yes please but can you bring a samsung box with you cos i heard it does not have any problems with subtitles lol.
Will report on what happens here.

NFLNut · 15-11-2009, 13:32

Engineer came this morning and after i showed him how unreliable the subtitles are on recordings as opposed to live pictures he said sky are having the same problems with ALL models basically and that they are working on this bug as fast as possible. I told him about how someone else with same problem had it solved by swaping his for a samsung box but he said he only had a Pace box in the van .
He said when sky have fixed the bug they will send software upgrades to all boxes and it will solve the problem.

His mother is deaf as well and is in the same boat so if he had the solution he would he told me how.

So basically if u have this problem its a matter of be patient and waiting for the bug fix to come automatically.

carlosfigueira · 15-11-2009, 16:02

Finally I have more people with the same problem. I asked around on this forum some months ago and no one seemed to have the problem or cared to share their views.
I thought I was the only one.
One week ago I had an installer here swaping the almost a year old Amstrad for another one, but the problem is the same.
This box is a 4f3006 I don't know what the previous was.
I hapens on all channels. If there is a single person speaking then you won't notice the subtitle skipping but as soon as there dialogs, mores people speaking so that sky changes the colour on the subtitles the whole thing goes belly up. Some titles will display way out of sync and other show for a fraction of a second only.
I hope this will be fixed with the new EPG.

Maybe if the ones with the new EPG can do a test for us all without it?
Can you go on a channel with loads of people speaking so that the colour in the subtitle changes constantly, record it and whenplaying back check if this problem happens.
If not I guess that I will wait for the new EPG even eagerly.

zom414 · 17-11-2009, 14:17

My wife is hard of hearing and also relies heavily on subtitles. I've had HD for 3 weeks now and had 3 boxes! First one (Amstrad) had the subtitles in front or not at all. They swapped it for a refurbed Thomson (not happy) and that bugger crashed twice and we lost all our recordings. Got another Amstrad last week and same problems with the subtitles again.

I rang Sky and told them I want a Samsung box and a sky engineer but was told (by 2 different reps) that the calls just go to a sub-contractor who in my case is First Line Digital. I called them and they said they only get Amstrad boxes. Called Sky back and was told that the only way I could get a Samsung box would be to go to another retailer and buy one! Sky HD is not really winning us over and now wishing we'd stayed with Sky+.

carlosfigueira · 17-11-2009, 19:32

just be a bit more patient and wait for the new EPG. this might sort it out. I have asked above if the new EPG would make a change for the better but no one seems to be interested in helping, at least not on this subject.

You did like me complaint and now you have a refurbished box, which isn't very good. who knows what was originaly wrong with it?!

10-11-2009, 13:28	#1
NFLNut Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 71	Subtitles Playback Problems I am a partially deaf viewer and rely heavily on subtitles to understand programs on sky. When i watch subtitled programs as they happen the subtitles work perfectly but when i record a program and play it later, the subtitles run a few seconds ahead of the onscreen audio/picture and about half of them either do not appear or show so briefly that there is no time to read them before they disapear. Recordings from some channels are fine with the subtitles running perfectly but most do not including all the sky movies channels. This is causing great misery because i rarely watch progs at the time of braodcast, i tend record them to watch later at a more convenient time but right now i cant enjoy most of my recordings because of it. How do i solved this problem?

10-11-2009, 20:27	#2
technologist Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: London Services: All Digital platforms Posts: 1,126	Perhaps it may help if you list the channels where it is oK -e.g all BBC ITV etc and those where is is obviousily always wrong - you say Sky Movies No need for a long list but It may help....

10-11-2009, 22:55	#4
FusionLad Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Plymouth, Devon Services: Sky+ HD, Sky Broadband Posts: 1,165	I have this problem too. If you pause a programme and try to watch subtitles, it's pretty impossible sometimes. Pretty much all channels I would say. Amstrad box.

11-11-2009, 09:48	#5
NFLNut Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 71	My box is Amstrad had it a few weeks ago. The channels the problem occurs on are basically all the Sky Movie channels (not that i have checked them all) Five, C4. ITV seems fine though. I am going to have to ring sky on my text phone which a pain in the arse cos of all the menus and options and long it takes.

11-11-2009, 10:19	#6
Adam Law Forum Member Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: London, England, UK Services: Sky+ HD & Multiroom, PS3, Xbox 360, PSN: Xign, Xbox Live: X1gn Posts: 1,080	My Mum is deaf and we had this problem with both a Pace and a Thomson HD box, in the end Sky fitted a Samsung box and they run perfectly (Even on the new EPG), maybe worth trying to get a Samsung box?

12-11-2009, 14:47	#8
Peter_D Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Stockport Services: Sky / Sky+ / NTL Broadband Posts: 10	Our Amstrad box had the same problem. Unplugging the box and plugging it back in usually cured it for a couple of days. Often had to do this before watching a film. Have a Samsung box now and no problem.

13-11-2009, 13:36	#9
NFLNut Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 71	Finally snapped and rang Sky this morning about this and was told that they are aware of this issue and ARE working hard to fix it as soon as possible. They also said that it does not matter which model box i have so they wont swap my Amstrad for a Samsung. I dont want to cancel Sky+HD so i going to give them a couple of weeks to get this sorted then if they still havnt i dont know what i am gonna do..

13-11-2009, 13:42	#10
FusionLad Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Plymouth, Devon Services: Sky+ HD, Sky Broadband Posts: 1,165	Maybe it will be fixed when the new EPG arrives? I guess they're using this opportunity to fix bugs, as I heard the Amstrad contrast bug was sorted.

13-11-2009, 15:13	#11
NFLNut Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 71	You have to laugh. I just came off a long (textphone) call to sky the end result being as above - wait while we sort it form our end. Now i get an email from their disability team whom i emailed about this days ago and they say they are sending an engineer on sunday to try to fix the problem. i replyed saying yes please but can you bring a samsung box with you cos i heard it does not have any problems with subtitles lol. Will report on what happens here.

15-11-2009, 13:32	#12
NFLNut Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 71	Engineer came this morning and after i showed him how unreliable the subtitles are on recordings as opposed to live pictures he said sky are having the same problems with ALL models basically and that they are working on this bug as fast as possible. I told him about how someone else with same problem had it solved by swaping his for a samsung box but he said he only had a Pace box in the van . He said when sky have fixed the bug they will send software upgrades to all boxes and it will solve the problem. His mother is deaf as well and is in the same boat so if he had the solution he would he told me how. So basically if u have this problem its a matter of be patient and waiting for the bug fix to come automatically.

15-11-2009, 16:02	#13
carlosfigueira Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Wilts Services: Sky+ HD / Sky Broadband sync speed 4.5 Mb Posts: 189	Finally I have more people with the same problem. I asked around on this forum some months ago and no one seemed to have the problem or cared to share their views. I thought I was the only one. One week ago I had an installer here swaping the almost a year old Amstrad for another one, but the problem is the same. This box is a 4f3006 I don't know what the previous was. I hapens on all channels. If there is a single person speaking then you won't notice the subtitle skipping but as soon as there dialogs, mores people speaking so that sky changes the colour on the subtitles the whole thing goes belly up. Some titles will display way out of sync and other show for a fraction of a second only. I hope this will be fixed with the new EPG. Maybe if the ones with the new EPG can do a test for us all without it? Can you go on a channel with loads of people speaking so that the colour in the subtitle changes constantly, record it and whenplaying back check if this problem happens. If not I guess that I will wait for the new EPG even eagerly.

17-11-2009, 14:17	#14
zom414 Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Chippenham Posts: 41	My wife is hard of hearing and also relies heavily on subtitles. I've had HD for 3 weeks now and had 3 boxes! First one (Amstrad) had the subtitles in front or not at all. They swapped it for a refurbed Thomson (not happy) and that bugger crashed twice and we lost all our recordings. Got another Amstrad last week and same problems with the subtitles again. I rang Sky and told them I want a Samsung box and a sky engineer but was told (by 2 different reps) that the calls just go to a sub-contractor who in my case is First Line Digital. I called them and they said they only get Amstrad boxes. Called Sky back and was told that the only way I could get a Samsung box would be to go to another retailer and buy one! Sky HD is not really winning us over and now wishing we'd stayed with Sky+.

17-11-2009, 19:32	#15
carlosfigueira Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Wilts Services: Sky+ HD / Sky Broadband sync speed 4.5 Mb Posts: 189	just be a bit more patient and wait for the new EPG. this might sort it out. I have asked above if the new EPG would make a change for the better but no one seems to be interested in helping, at least not on this subject. You did like me complaint and now you have a refurbished box, which isn't very good. who knows what was originaly wrong with it?!