Rear Window Caption Display System
Updated January 14, 2015.
My first experience with the rear window caption display system for movie theaters, at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. was not a good one.
I am aware how much work went into developing this system, but I am sorry to report that I did not like it and neither did my companion and son.
When we entered the theater, I spotted the large rear window display at the back of the theater.
The words were reversed just like in a mirror. Finding a seat was a bit difficult as only a few seats were equipped with holders for the display equipment.
We were handed two display pieces. The piece was heavy, a rectangular piece of plexiglass attached to a long piece of coiled metal.
As the film started, I missed part of the beginning because I was trying to adjust the equipment so I could see the captions comfortably. At first the captions were on the top of the screen, then I found that I could bend the metal part to move the rectangular piece around. I found I could adjust it all the way down so that the captions would appear at the bottom of the screen, but it wasn't comfortable bending over to see them. It took a bit more adjusting before I finally found a position that enabled me to see the captions and to sit comfortably.
The captions were quite small while the rear display terminal was quite large!
I soon found that I did not like that rectangular piece interfering with my view of the screen.
It was impossible for me to look at the captions and the screen at the same time. I had a choice - I could look at what was on the screen, or I could read the captions and know what was being said. After awhile I chose to read the captions, but I missed a lot of what was going on on the screen. For the entire film, I alternated, shifting my eyes from the captions to the screen and back.
My companion tried the equipment too, and his reaction echoed my experience. He stated, "The problem is, I can't look at the screen and the words at the same time."
Not only that, my preteen deaf son absolutely refused to try the equipment and would not even allow us to adjust it for him. He too complained that he could not see the screen and look at the caption display at the same time.
The only good thing that I have to report is that this system does not bother hearing people sitting in the theater. Maybe the experience would have been better in a real movie theater instead of a museum large-screen theater. I'd be interested to hear from others who have experienced it in real movie theaters about whether they liked it or disliked it.
Based on my family's experience, I feel strongly that until new technology is developed that permits comfortable viewing of both the captions and the screen simultaneously (perhaps through special large adjustable goggles?) we should stick with open captions. With open captions, the words are large and run basically the length of the screen, making it possible to watch the film and read the captions at the same time.
Perhaps if this system were installed in local movie theaters I would grudgingly accept it as better than nothing. But based on my son's adamant refusal to even try the equipment, I have to say that I think the system would be a poor choice for deaf children and teens. I myself am disappointed that I did not have a better experience with this system which supposedly holds so much promise for the future.
The second experience was a more positive one.
Related About.com site: Movies
My first experience with the rear window caption display system for movie theaters, at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. was not a good one.
I am aware how much work went into developing this system, but I am sorry to report that I did not like it and neither did my companion and son.
When we entered the theater, I spotted the large rear window display at the back of the theater.
The words were reversed just like in a mirror. Finding a seat was a bit difficult as only a few seats were equipped with holders for the display equipment.
We were handed two display pieces. The piece was heavy, a rectangular piece of plexiglass attached to a long piece of coiled metal.
As the film started, I missed part of the beginning because I was trying to adjust the equipment so I could see the captions comfortably. At first the captions were on the top of the screen, then I found that I could bend the metal part to move the rectangular piece around. I found I could adjust it all the way down so that the captions would appear at the bottom of the screen, but it wasn't comfortable bending over to see them. It took a bit more adjusting before I finally found a position that enabled me to see the captions and to sit comfortably.
The captions were quite small while the rear display terminal was quite large!
I soon found that I did not like that rectangular piece interfering with my view of the screen.
It was impossible for me to look at the captions and the screen at the same time. I had a choice - I could look at what was on the screen, or I could read the captions and know what was being said. After awhile I chose to read the captions, but I missed a lot of what was going on on the screen. For the entire film, I alternated, shifting my eyes from the captions to the screen and back.
My companion tried the equipment too, and his reaction echoed my experience. He stated, "The problem is, I can't look at the screen and the words at the same time."
Not only that, my preteen deaf son absolutely refused to try the equipment and would not even allow us to adjust it for him. He too complained that he could not see the screen and look at the caption display at the same time.
The only good thing that I have to report is that this system does not bother hearing people sitting in the theater. Maybe the experience would have been better in a real movie theater instead of a museum large-screen theater. I'd be interested to hear from others who have experienced it in real movie theaters about whether they liked it or disliked it.
Based on my family's experience, I feel strongly that until new technology is developed that permits comfortable viewing of both the captions and the screen simultaneously (perhaps through special large adjustable goggles?) we should stick with open captions. With open captions, the words are large and run basically the length of the screen, making it possible to watch the film and read the captions at the same time.
Perhaps if this system were installed in local movie theaters I would grudgingly accept it as better than nothing. But based on my son's adamant refusal to even try the equipment, I have to say that I think the system would be a poor choice for deaf children and teens. I myself am disappointed that I did not have a better experience with this system which supposedly holds so much promise for the future.
The second experience was a more positive one.
Related About.com site: Movies
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