The paradox of going to a theater and keeping a pocket computer in the visual field to exploit real-time transcription applications.

(Which with current state of technology would not work: the automated decryption of mumbling is not yet superhuman.)

I've noticed especially for movies that they really mix for center channel of at least 5.1 audio and if that's not properly down mixed for stereo speakers you get the situation where everything else is crazy loud and dialogue is whisper quiet so I'm turning the volume up and down on movies that my old receiver doesn't play nice with. that and there is some awful audio compressor streaming studios use that makes voices sound "tin can" like but I am told I'm one of the few bothered by it.

Exactly. I find myself constantly switching to non 5.1 audio when watching something on Netflix. I wish they made a setting to make it the default.

I will not avoid watching a show just because it does not have captions/subtitles, but I will enable captions/subtitles if they are available.

(However, last time I have seen a movie, it did have subtitles, but there was also an entire orchestra in front of the picture and the subtitles were difficult to see because the musician's head blocked the view. If I was sitting higher up then I could probably see it better.)