Software that you can customize closed captions?

[thinredline]

Hello.
I have some DVDs that have closed captions only, not subtitles.
Right now, in VLC and PowerDVD they look like this:



Is there a player, in which you can customize the look of the closed captions?
I remember I think that VLC did that, but I can't do it anymore.
I want to get rid of the black background, and maybe change the font style, add shadow etc.
Given that closed captions aren't picture format like DVD subtitles, I bet it could be done, couldn't it?

[Subtitles]

Hello.
I have some DVDs that have closed captions only, not subtitles.
Right now, in VLC and PowerDVD they look like this:



Is there a player, in which you can customize the look of the closed captions?
I remember I think that VLC did that, but I can't do it anymore.
I want to get rid of the black background, and maybe change the font style, add shadow etc.
Given that closed captions aren't picture format like DVD subtitles, I bet it could be done, couldn't it?

You can try to extract the closed captions using CCExtractor, open it in Subtitle Edit and create a new *.srt file the way you want it.
If you know the name of the movie search for the subtitle file searching the usual websites. This can save you a little time but watch out for the audio and subtitle timestamps sunchronization.

[thinredline]

Hello.
I have some DVDs that have closed captions only, not subtitles.
Right now, in VLC and PowerDVD they look like this:



Is there a player, in which you can customize the look of the closed captions?
I remember I think that VLC did that, but I can't do it anymore.
I want to get rid of the black background, and maybe change the font style, add shadow etc.
Given that closed captions aren't picture format like DVD subtitles, I bet it could be done, couldn't it?

You can try to extract the closed captions using CCExtractor, open it in Subtitle Edit and create a new *.srt file the way you want it.
If you know the name of the movie search for the subtitle file searching the usual websites. This can save you a little time but watch out for the audio and subtitle timestamps sunchronization.

Well, it's not a movie. It's a series, and I can find ready srt subtitles, but I didn't want to have to do that.

[Subtitles]

Is that a scene from "Bewitched"?
Perhaps watching it on Amazon Prime Video might have better options how to set the subtitles (or Closed Captions).
I understand that you have the DVD's and want to use them, but I don't know if there is a DVD player that can change the way the CC looks.

[thinredline]

Is that a scene from "Bewitched"?
Perhaps watching it on Amazon Prime Video might have better options how to set the subtitles (or Closed Captions).
I understand that you have the DVD's and want to use them, but I don't know if there is a DVD player that can change the way the CC looks.

It's from the 80s series Beauty and the Beast.

[usually_quiet]

Hello.
I have some DVDs that have closed captions only, not subtitles.
Right now, in VLC and PowerDVD they look like this:



Is there a player, in which you can customize the look of the closed captions?
I remember I think that VLC did that, but I can't do it anymore.
I want to get rid of the black background, and maybe change the font style, add shadow etc.
Given that closed captions aren't picture format like DVD subtitles, I bet it could be done, couldn't it?

Yes, it should be possible to change the font, text color, and background color used for displaying North American closed captions when using a software player that supports them but in practice, it seems that not many software players allow it. PotPlayer is the only software player that I have tried that allows some control over North American closed caption formatting but I have only used the feature for a file that has them, not a DVD.

[thinredline]

PotPlayer is the only software player that I have tried that allows some control over North American closed caption formatting but I have only used the feature for a file that has them, not a DVD.

Thanks, I downloaded it but unfortunately I can't even figure out how to display the closed captions, let alone change them.

[Subtitles]

Is that a scene from "Bewitched"?
Perhaps watching it on Amazon Prime Video might have better options how to set the subtitles (or Closed Captions).
I understand that you have the DVD's and want to use them, but I don't know if there is a DVD player that can change the way the CC looks.

It's from the 80s series Beauty and the Beast.

Yeah that was a good series.

I checked where this show is available for streaming. Paramount+ has it. Perhaps their CC (if available) has better control than the DVD.

[usually_quiet]

PotPlayer is the only software player that I have tried that allows some control over North American closed caption formatting but I have only used the feature for a file that has them, not a DVD.

Thanks, I downloaded it but unfortunately I can't even figure out how to display the closed captions, let alone change them.

Maybe this will help.

Open the Potplayer app. Click on the word "PotPlayer" in the top left-hand corner of the screen Select Subtitles->Subtitles Style. You use the Subtitles Style menu to adjust the position of the closed captions, the font used, and the color. ("Font Settings" allows changing the font and color.)

Put the DVD in the computer's DVD drive.

Click on the word "PotPlayer" in the top right-hand corner of the screen and then click on the word "Open" in the resulting drop-down Menu. Select "Open DVD" in the next menu that appears and start playing the episode that you want to watch.

Press the L key on your keyboard. Click on "Enable Closed Captions" on the pop-up menu. Then select the closed caption stream that you want to use.

[thinredline]

PotPlayer is the only software player that I have tried that allows some control over North American closed caption formatting but I have only used the feature for a file that has them, not a DVD.

Thanks, I downloaded it but unfortunately I can't even figure out how to display the closed captions, let alone change them.

Maybe this will help.

Open the Potplayer app. Click on the word "PotPlayer" in the top left-hand corner of the screen Select Subtitles->Subtitles Style. You use the Subtitles Style menu to adjust the position of the closed captions, the font used, and the color. ("Font Settings" allows changing the font and color.)

Put the DVD in the computer's DVD drive.

Click on the word "PotPlayer" in the top right-hand corner of the screen and then click on the word "Open" in the resulting drop-down Menu. Select "Open DVD" in the next menu that appears and start playing the episode that you want to watch.

Press the L key on your keyboard. Click on "Enable Closed Captions" on the pop-up menu. Then select the closed caption stream that you want to use.

Thank you very much!
That did the trick and I can see now the closed captions as I want them.
A strange thing happens though now.
A subtitle doesn't go away if the next one doesn't appear.
So, if you have eg. 2 minutes of silence, you will still see the last subtitle for all this time.
Do you by any chance know a workaround for that?

[usually_quiet]

PotPlayer is the only software player that I have tried that allows some control over North American closed caption formatting but I have only used the feature for a file that has them, not a DVD.

Thanks, I downloaded it but unfortunately I can't even figure out how to display the closed captions, let alone change them.

Maybe this will help.

Open the Potplayer app. Click on the word "PotPlayer" in the top left-hand corner of the screen Select Subtitles->Subtitles Style. You use the Subtitles Style menu to adjust the position of the closed captions, the font used, and the color. ("Font Settings" allows changing the font and color.)

Put the DVD in the computer's DVD drive.

Click on the word "PotPlayer" in the top right-hand corner of the screen and then click on the word "Open" in the resulting drop-down Menu. Select "Open DVD" in the next menu that appears and start playing the episode that you want to watch.

Press the L key on your keyboard. Click on "Enable Closed Captions" on the pop-up menu. Then select the closed caption stream that you want to use.

Thank you very much!
That did the trick and I can see now the closed captions as I want them.
A strange thing happens though now.
A subtitle doesn't go away if the next one doesn't appear.
So, if you have eg. 2 minutes of silence, you will still see the last subtitle for all this time.
Do you by any chance know a workaround for that?

I'm sorry but I don't know how to prevent that from happening.