Do you worry about subtitles in your own language?

[Gaco]

Do you ever worry about buying your Blu-ray/HD DVD movies with subtitles in your native language? I'm asking because I can buy all these cheap Blu-ray movies on Amazon UK using the 3 for 2 offer, but none of them have danish subtitles. Now I certainly prefer watching movies with english subtitles, but I know some people who would like danish subs. However buying the danish release of Blu-rays is like 60-80% expensive (130-160 DKK on Amazon using 3 for 2, 230-300 DKK buying in retail). I'm having second thoughts about my order from Amazon UK and I'm thinking about cancelling it and buy less movies in the stores, but it just seems silly somehow. What do you do?

[Ilka]

Originally Posted by Gaco

Do you ever worry about buying your Blu-ray/HD DVD movies with subtitles in your native language? I'm asking because I can buy all these cheap Blu-ray movies on Amazon UK using the 3 for 2 offer, but none of them have danish subtitles. Now I certainly prefer watching movies with english subtitles, but I know some people who would like danish subs. However buying the danish release of Blu-rays is like 60-80% expensive (130-160 DKK on Amazon using 3 for 2, 230-300 DKK buying in retail). I'm having second thoughts about my order from Amazon UK and I'm thinking about cancelling it and buy less movies in the stores, but it just seems silly somehow. What do you do?

Well, after having been to Denmark several times, I am sure you cannot rely on getting English translations. Dittor for flying SAS. OTOH, if various subtitles really matter, check out the various BD disks. For example, Harry Potter disks had only 3 audio tracks for HD DVD, but like 12+ on Blu-ray.

Do the math!

[Gaco]

Originally Posted by Ilka

Well, after having been to Denmark several times, I am sure you cannot rely on getting English translations. Dittor for flying SAS. OTOH, if various subtitles really matter, check out the various BD disks. For example, Harry Potter disks had only 3 audio tracks for HD DVD, but like 12+ on Blu-ray.

Do the math!

I ALWAYS want the original audio track, I'm only concerned about the subtitles.. well a little bit. "I am sure you cannot rely on getting English translations", what do you mean by that?

[dioh10]

I'm Must speak Loudly.

I hate when BD movies don't have subtitles (specially in spanish).

It restricts me to not buy those titles, not because of me, but because of my relatives that don't speak the language. I can't give my mother "The curse of the golden flower" because it doesn't have subtitles. My brother bought Halloween and it doesn't have the subtitles which pissed my mother off.

Jesus Christ!!! A BD can hold up to 50gb. Why not put the damn subtitles?

PUT THE SUBTITLES!!!

Rant Over.

D

[Banjo]

Since I'm deaf, so it's a must for any DVD and Blu-ray Disc to contain English subtitles.

[MouseRider]

Originally Posted by dioh10

I'm Must speak Loudly.

I hate when BD movies don't have subtitles (specially in spanish).

It restricts me to not buy those titles, not because of me, but because of my relatives that don't speak the language. I can't give my mother "The curse of the golden flower" because it doesn't have subtitles. My brother bought Halloween and it doesn't have the subtitles which pissed my mother off.

Jesus Christ!!! A BD can hold up to 50gb. Why not put the damn subtitles?

PUT THE SUBTITLES!!!

Rant Over.

D

Well, if subtitles wrote themselves I'm sure they would include them but it does cost the studios money to have subtitles done and properly translated into their various languages and synced.

Believe me, there's nothing funnier than badly translated subtitles. I saw a China version of Star Wars that had subtitles that translated "Jedi Temple" to "Presbyterian Church".

The more popular and mainstream movies will have more subtitle languages because they target a wider international market. Sometimes you'll also see more languages choices on video releases outside the US.

It all boils down to marketing and bottomlines.

[Caligula]

I, as a Deaf Blu ray customer would prefer SDH (english 2, it tells background noises) over english 1 subtitles . Few liongate movies doesnt have SDH, Saw 3 movie didnt..

[Bluhorizon]

I must say the subtitling of movies is very inconsistent, ranging from a minimum of 3 to more than 29 on some BD titles. The few movies I have with 29 subtitles however did not include Chinese, which my wife needs as she is not fluent in understanding English when spoken with the miriad accents you get in movies. In particular I do not understand why US releases mostly do not carry Chinese S/T, even though the US Chinese population is over 3 million.

Even for retail bought BD movies here in Taiwan, Chinese subtitles are sometimes missing, and you can guarantee that every DVD in Asia always carries Chinese subtitles. Every news programme on cable TV also always carries Chinese subtitles.

So how about it studios, can we get these subtitles added.

BTW altough there are very few BDs in Taiwan, I never see any HD DVDs and there is always an ad for Blu-ray as the first item in locally rented DVDs. So Blu-ray will catch on here. The only company advertising however is Sony.

[Banjo]

Originally Posted by Caligula

I, as a Deaf Blu ray customer would prefer SDH (english 2, it tells background noises) over english 1 subtitles . Few liongate movies doesnt have SDH, Saw 3 movie didnt..

Yes, Liongate don't use SDH which is disappointing. I also hate it when they don't put in the lyrics from a song. They even do this with some movies with SDH which is annoying.

I'll like to know what they're singing!

[Gaco]

Originally Posted by MouseRider

Well, if subtitles wrote themselves I'm sure they would include them but it does cost the studios money to have subtitles done and properly translated into their various languages and synced.

Believe me, there's nothing funnier than badly translated subtitles. I saw a China version of Star Wars that had subtitles that translated "Jedi Temple" to "Presbyterian Church".

The more popular and mainstream movies will have more subtitle languages because they target a wider international market. Sometimes you'll also see more languages choices on video releases outside the US.

It all boils down to marketing and bottomlines.

Ah gimme a break! For a billion dollar business (if it isn't already then it's a "soon to be") how big of a role can it be to pay for a translation? It's a drop in the ocean, it's nothing. I think the guy has a point, every release should actually feature as many as possible subs on release.

Anyway I made up my mind! I might buy a very few BD's off Amazon UK taking advantage of the good 3 for 2 offer, but I'll hold myself back with the big number of title purchases until price drops to something I'd see myself spending in Danish online retailers. Perhaps 85% af the people I know understands english just fine, 75% may even prefer english subs, but for the unlikely few who doesn't really get the full meaning of the film because they're not that good at english, it's nice to have danish subs. I mean as I mentioned before the whole idea of buying a movie instead of renting it is the have a set number of titles at your disposal for times where you have guests and feel like watching a good movie and then it's always nice to know that nobody ever will be held back in their understanding of the movie. I'll simply wait for the prices to drop on the domestic releases here and only buy movies that aren't likely to be released in denmark anytime soon or have been released without danishi subs in any version. Thats' the best solution for me when I think about it