Have you ever noticed a small black rectangle appearing on your TV screen from time to time, regardless of what channel or program you are watching? If you have, you are not alone. In fact, this mysterious black box appearing on the screen is known as the Closed Captioning (CC) Box.
Closed Captioning is a useful feature for people who are hard of hearing or deaf, as it converts the audio information into text that appears on the screen. This feature has been a legal requirement in the United States since 1990, and many other countries have also mandated it.
The CC system works by encoding the script into a specific format, then transmitting it over the TV signal, with the help of a decoder, called a set-top box. To satisfy the regulations set by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), all TVs sold in the United States since July 1, 1993, including digital TVs, must include a set-top box built into the TV.
When the set-top box is activated, the closed captioning appears on the screen, usually in the form of two lines of text at the bottom of the screen, as well as speaker identifications and sound effects. The black box you see on the screen is the background for the text to appear on.
If you are seeing the CC Box even though you do not have deafness or hearing impairment, your TV might still be set to display closed captions. To turn off the Closed Captioning, you can access your TV menu options and choose the CC option to disable it.
In conclusion, if you spot a black box to the bottom center of your screen, it is not an issue that requires concern, but an essential feature that your TV offers to the millions of people who rely on closed captions to understand the content of TV programs. |
