If you are not getting captions on your HD channels at all, you may need to inspect your cable/satellite receiver box or your cabling system:
- If you use satellite or cable TV, the most common HD cable connecting your network box to the TV is called an HDMI cable. The HDMI cable cannot transfer closed caption data. Therefore, if you wish to use closed captions, you may have to use a different type of cable to ensure that captions can be transferred from the network box. First, check with your provider to make sure that the cable/satellite box you have is actually set to perform that function. You may either need the box to be replaced or change its settings to activate the process.
- Most DVD players do not pass through captions, so if you run the cabling through your DVD player, it may be stripping the HD captions. Consider re-setting the cables so they do not run through the DVD player. If you must run the cables through the DVD player, or if you are trying to play an HD DVD, use standard component cables (red and white jacks) or an "S" cable rather than the HDMI cable.
If you want to learn more, the CEA (Consumer Electronics Association has written a nice, in-depth article about why captioning works differently in hi-def and other digital television setups.