TV & video

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At home in the caption lab

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BBC senior engineer Mike Armstrong works with caption viewers in a replica of an everyday lounge room to try and get the most realistic reactions to his research and development into better ways to caption BBC television.

Multiple screens across different devices displaying captioned content. Screenshot from 'Advanced Subtitles at BBC R&D' video


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iTunes Australia offering audio described movies

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There has been a quiet, small development in the availability of audio described movies from Apple iTunes in Australia.

Australian flag in the shape of Australia next to the iTunes logo

Digital media and technology: 

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New research looks at caption speed

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A long-standing issue for caption watchers and producers is how fast should captions be? Some people have problems reading the captions if they display too quickly and others complain if captions are edited from the full speech so that there is enough time to read them.

Right hand holding a remote control in front of a TV with captions displayed

New research into caption speed by the BBC aimed to try and answer the question or see if it is really that important?


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Audio description trialled on Thai TV

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Audio description has reached television in Thailand, with a trial of the service commencing on the Thai PBS channel earlier this year.

Right hand pointing a remote control towards a TV screen


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European group looks at the accessibility possibilities of HbbTV

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HbbTV (Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV) is a digital platform which provides seamless integration of traditional broadcast TV and content delivered over the internet. It also offers opportunities for improving the accessibility of TV, and these are being explored by a European consortium, HBB4ALL.

HBB4ALL: Connected TV accessibility logo


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Audio description on TV campaign launched

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A campaign calling for a permanent audio description service on Australian television was launched at Parliament House in Canberra on 8 September 2015.

Woman wearing headphones while watching TV. She is sitting on a couch, looking over her left shoulder and smiling.


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US cable company launches talking TV guide

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The cable television company Comcast has added a ‘talking guide’ to its new X1 set-top box, allowing blind and vision impaired viewers to easily find content.

"A" hot button highlighted on X1 remote. Image credit: Comcast

The ‘talking guide’, which features a female voice, reads out program titles and other information, network names, time slots and settings. It will be made available to all Comcast customers in the next few weeks.


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UK catch-up TV service ramps up audio description

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UK television network ITV has announced an increase in the amount of programming available with audio description on its ITV Player service for Android.

ITV Player logo


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DVD and Blu-ray

Access to DVDs and Blu-ray for people with a sensory impairment has increased dramatically in recent years. Closed captions are now available on the majority of DVDs released in Australia while audio description is available for a significant number of titles.

Programs and movies released by major international distributors such as Universal Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, 20th Century Fox, and Warner Bros are more likely to have captions and audio descrtipion than smaller, independent releases.

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Audio description – three ways

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Audio description for television, streaming video and cultural events is a major conversation topic among access advocates for people who are blind or vision impaired. At a recent Blind Citizens Australia NSW meeting, three experts gathered to provide updates and insights into what is happening with audio description in Australia.

Three colourful speakers on a dark background


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