Subtitles and Caption Closed Captions vs Open Captions 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the primary distinguishing feature of closed captions compared to open captions?
- Closed captions can be turned on or off by the viewer (Correct answer)
- Closed captions are always in color
- Closed captions are only for foreign language content
- Closed captions require internet access to display
Correct answer: Closed captions can be turned on or off by the viewer
Closed captions are encoded separately from the video and can be toggled on or off by the viewer, unlike open captions which are always visible.
Question 2: Which type of caption is best suited for public display screens where viewer control is not possible?
- Closed captions
- Hidden captions
- Open captions (Correct answer)
- Teletext captions
Correct answer: Open captions
Open captions are burned directly into the video and are always visible, making them ideal for public displays where viewers cannot control caption settings.
Question 3: Which US federal law mandates closed captions on broadcast television?
- The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
- The Television Decoder Circuitry Act of 1990 (Correct answer)
- The Communications Act of 1934
- The Digital Millennium Copyright Act
Correct answer: The Television Decoder Circuitry Act of 1990
The Television Decoder Circuitry Act of 1990 requires all televisions with screens 13 inches or larger sold in the US to include built-in closed caption decoders.
Question 4: What is the main drawback of open captions for online video platforms?
- They are harder to read than closed captions
- They cannot be turned off and may be unwanted by some viewers (Correct answer)
- They are not supported by modern browsers
- They reduce video quality significantly
Correct answer: They cannot be turned off and may be unwanted by some viewers
Open captions are permanently embedded in the video, so viewers who do not want captions cannot turn them off, which may reduce viewer satisfaction.
Question 5: Which caption type is more commonly used in movie theaters in the US for accessibility compliance?
- Open captions on the main screen
- Closed captions via personal devices or specialized glasses (Correct answer)
- Teletext-based captions
- No captions — lip reading is assumed
Correct answer: Closed captions via personal devices or specialized glasses
US movie theaters typically provide closed captions through personal caption devices or glasses (like CaptiView or Sony Access Glasses) so as not to disturb other viewers.
Question 6: What technology is used to encode Line 21 closed captions in analog US television broadcasts?
- HDMI metadata packets
- Vertical Blanking Interval (VBI) data embedded in the video signal (Correct answer)
- Audio description track encoding
- Digital watermarking
Correct answer: Vertical Blanking Interval (VBI) data embedded in the video signal
Analog US closed captions are encoded in Line 21 of the Vertical Blanking Interval (VBI), which carries caption data invisible within the video signal.
Subtitles and Caption Closed Captions vs Open Captions 1
What is the primary distinguishing feature of closed captions compared to open captions?