I can't not read them. My eyes read the subtitles against my will, and I miss whatever else is going on on the screen. Sometimes I spoil emotional moments because I read them first and miss the actor's delivery.

Other times subtitles are necessary, like if we're watching while the kids are asleep, and we need to keep the volume lower in case there's an action scene. Plus how else would I know if the music is "upbeat" or "somber" or whatever?

[–] SkaveRat@discuss.tchncs.de 23 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (4 children)

There seems to be a trend on YouTube where people ~~hardcore~~ hardcoded subtitles for the whole video

It's fucking infuriating

[–] ozymandias@sh.itjust.works 12 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Fucking hardcore subtitles... and theyll be dead center over the video, and auto-transcribed wrong.
I think it helps avoid copyright though

[–] NigelFrobisher@aussie.zone 13 points 1 week ago (1 children)

And a moving highlight like it’s goddam karaoke. Absolute nightmare.

[–] Jesus_666@lemmy.world 11 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Or, even worse, the video shows them one word at a time.

[–] Whats_your_reasoning@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Another reason not to use TikTok. I don't use it, but I've seen clips from it. I'm not sure what the point is of the subtitles when they zip by, a few words at a time, before you can read them (and I'm a pretty fast reader, so that's saying something.)

[–] conartistpanda@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

To get your attention. I know cause when I find one of these videos the captions feel like a flashing light telling you something important is happening, it's worse than youtube's shitty clickbait because is baked into the video so you can try looking away, but it's so distracting it genuely feels you're fighting the video by ignoring them.

They are also pointless. One word at a time doesn't have any benefit over normal captions, it's just distraction.

They turned an accessibility feature to an inaccessibility one.

[–] GreenCrunch@piefed.blahaj.zone 7 points 1 week ago

I think it's crossed over from the "attention grabbing" subtitles fashion prevalent in short form video... Subtitles are great as an accessibility feature, and I hope everything can have them, but forcing them on and making them flashy and obnoxious sucks.

[–] SeductiveTortoise@piefed.social 6 points 1 week ago

And they're always AI generated and that fucking thing misinterprets EVERYTHING!

[–] jtrek@startrek.website 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

i am too old to understand "hardcore" as a verb in that sentence. what?

[–] SkaveRat@discuss.tchncs.de 7 points 1 week ago

typo'd "hardcoded"

[–] SeductiveTortoise@piefed.social 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I've watched something in English, with German subtitles (because Netflix adds them without asking and I was too lazy to turn them off). I can't not read them, but I can't not listen and compare as well. Those translations sucked so much, I had to turn them off.

[–] Witchfire@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

I'd rather have no subtitles than subtitles in different languages. I hate watching Amélie on streaming because the subs are always in English