MAA launches new DVD complaints form

Tuesday, 25 November 2008 10:09

What do people really want on a DVD?  Besides the main feature, do they want French subtitles, a blooper reel, or the director’s commentary?  Or maybe it’s audio description, captioning, and a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film? 

Whatever the extras are, it’s a major question for the DVD industry.  But one thing is for sure – they want to hear from consumers so they know what extras will help them sell a DVD. 

For the last couple of years Media Access Australia has been working with the DVD industry, consumer groups and the Australian Human Rights Commission to increase DVD accessibility through the use of captions and audio description.  One of the outcomes of this working group was the release of a specific email address for consumers to voice their disappointment over the lack of access on DVDs they wished to watch. 

MAA has taken this one step further, and has now gone live with a designated, easy-to-use complaints form, similar to the television complaints system for captioning that has been running for a number of years. The new page can be found under the DVD main menu link, or alternatively click here.  

The idea behind this page is primarily for consumers to make their comments, but also for MAA and the DVD industry to be able to gain better knowledge of the general public’s issues with DVD accessibility.

For more information on DVD accessibility read this article.

It is highly important that the DVD industry hears directly from consumers about issues concerning DVD accessibility.  This provides them with the knowledge of what people really want, which ultimately makes the decisions on what extras to put on a title a little easier.