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We provide subtitles on Channel 4HD and E4HD on Freeview, Sky and Virgin.
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For information on our current Ofcom provision for the broadcast of programmes featuring audio description, please click here
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For more details please consult the Audio Description for TV document issued by the RNIB. You can find details of the programmes that we audio describe here
If you would like further information or advice call the RNIB audio description helpline on 0303 123 9999.
Audio description is currently supported on the channel4.com website, a number of Android mobile and tablet apps, as well as on the iPhone and iPad. Where available there will be an AD button displayed on the player.
We are looking to roll this service out on to more of our platforms as soon as possible.
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There is often a short delay of a few seconds between the soundtrack and the subtitles when programmes are subtitled live, but this should not be the case with programmes for which subtitles are prepared in advance. In this case, it may be that you are experiencing reception problems. In which case please contact Viewer Enquiries and we will look into the problem for you.
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For pre-recorded programmes, subtitlers edit the speech and make a careful decision about where to place the subtitles on the screen in order that no vital part of the picture is hidden. However, because the visual images that programme makers use tend to fill up the whole screen, there are inevitably occasions when the subtitles, wherever they are placed, end up covering a part of the picture that a viewer might wish to look at. We generally place our subtitles at the bottom of the screen because they are less obtrusive there and it is at this level that they are most comfortably read. However, for some programmes we deliberately choose to place the subtitles in a different position to avoid covering vital information. We do aim to avoid people’s mouths so that viewers who lip-read can do so. However, subtitles can appear at slightly different levels depending on whether you are watching on analogue, DTT or satellite.
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For information on programmes featuring signing, please click here to visit our access services web page.
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Visit our listings page with details of our audio described programmes
You can also find information on programmes featuring audio description on demand
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Our aim is for the listings to be as accurate as possible and we do not want to disappoint our viewers. We send out a list of the programmes we intend to subtitle to the magazines, newspapers, television electronic programme guides and text services. The information we supply to the listings organisations is up to date when it is issued and should be accurate. We also issue updates when there are schedule changes.
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Our aim is for the listings to be as accurate as possible and we do not want to disappoint our viewers. We send out a list of the programmes we intend to subtitle to the magazines, newspapers, television electronic programme guides and text services. The information we supply to the listings organisations is up-to-date when it is issued and should be accurate. We also issue updates when there are schedule changes to ensure the Electronic Programme Guide is as up-to-date as possible. Very occasionally, we are not able to subtitle the programmes we had hoped to. This may be due to a number of reasons such as technical problems or the unexpectedly late delivery of a programme. We do appreciate that this causes great disappointment.
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Occasionally we are not able to subtitle the programmes we had hoped to. This can be due to technical problems with our transmission or the unexpectedly late delivery of a programme. We do understand how frustrating this is and we always try to fix the problem as quickly as possible.
If you continue to have subtitle problems across all of your channels (and not just one), make sure your receiver is set up correctly.
Most problems with subtitles used to be caused by poor reception. However, now that all TV is digital, if there is a reception problem, it will affect the video and the audio and the subtitles equally.
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