[dbaust] Media Access Australia Update on TV access 22 April 2012
- From: Erika Webb <erikaweb@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: Erika Webb <erikaweb@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 22 Apr 2012 19:14:12 -0700 (PDT)
Media Access Australia Update on TV access 22 April 2012
http://www.mediaaccess.org.au/audio-description-on-radio/update-on-tv-access
Each Sunday we present a segment on Vision Australia Radio where we talk about
tech and media for people who are blind or vision impaired.
http://www.visionaustralia.org.au/info.aspx?page=749
Yesterday, TV access guru, Chris, sat down and gave an update on talking TVs,
set top boxes and the upcoming audio description trial.
Read the transcript below or listen via MP3
http://www.mediaaccess.org.au/sites/default/files/120422cm.mp3
TRANSCRIPT
Roberta: With us today is Chris Mikul, Project Manager of Media Access
Australia, and Chris is going to tell us about some talking televisions, which
have been released in the UK, and also give us an update on the audio
description trial. Welcome, Chris.
Chris: Hey, Roberta.
Roberta: Now, first up, what are these talking televisions all about?
Chris: Okay, well, this is quite an exciting new development, I think.
Essentially, Panasonic in the UK, have just announced that they’re going to be
releasing 50 new models of digital TV onto the market in the first half of this
year which will have a feature called Voice Guidance on them. Now, this has
been developed in association with the RNIB in the UK. Essentially, it means
that they’re talking televisions, which means that they’re accessible for blind
and vision-impaired people.
So the way they work is they speak the onscreen menus. They will tell you what
program is on at the moment, and what channel you’re on at the moment, read out
the electronic program guides and will also read out a few other things that
are in the various menus on the TV. Now, the cool thing is although they don’t
– they’re going to improve it apparently – but although they don’t absolutely
cover everything that’s on the screen, you know, text on screen, if you do
wander into a place where the information is not spoken it will actually tell
you that and tell you how to get back to normal TV viewing.
So it all sounds pretty cool and these are the first TVs like this that have
gone on sale anywhere in the world. So it’s pretty exciting, I think.
Roberta: But that little function about “wrong way, go back” sort of thing,
that’s a good thing because then people won’t get totally lost.
Chris: Yeah, exactly, well that’s the problem, obviously. If it’s not
completely supported then people can get stuck but they’ve thought of that. So
these are the only digital receivers apart from this one set top box, available
in the UK, and there’s the Bush Australia Box, which is available here. Apart
from that, this is the world first.
Roberta: And what about the talking televisions, will they be available here,
do you think, Chris?
Chris: Well, I’m not sure yet. I think it’s quite possible. Now, I’ve spoken to
Panasonic here. They’re not quite sure. They just say, “Oh, we don’t know
anything. They just bring them in and we sell them.” The thing, though, is the
way electronics works is pretty well everything that goes on sale here is, you
know, a slightly modified version of something that’s been developed overseas.
So, obviously, we’ve got the slightly different TV system, so they have to
modify them but when they do bring things in they usually keep the features.
So, you know, I would say it’s highly likely that some of them will make it out
here and the thing to remember is once these things have been developed, I
mean, they just start to be part of … people just put them in anyway. Once
they’re developed, the costs are done. So once these features exist they tend
to just be a standard feature, eventually. So I think that will definitely
happen.
Roberta: Yeah, well, maybe by the time we get it any little tweaks will be
tweaked out, yes?
Chris: Yeah, well, that’s right. Well, as I say, they are saying they are going
to improve to extend to absolutely everything that can be read onscreen. So,
yeah, I think it’s …
Roberta: Well, that’s something to look forward to.
Chris: … a very good development, yeah.
Roberta: Now, let’s look at the trial. Do we have any more information about
the audio description trial?
Chris: We do have a little bit. It’s sort of coming in, in dribs and drabs.
It’s been confirmed that it will start in August and that it will be
nationwide, which is good because at one point they were saying it might only
be the eastern states. But, no, apparently, it will cover all of Australia. I
was speaking to someone from the ABC last week and they said they’ve just
started to do the initial sort of testing of it, integrating it into the ABC’s
broadcasting system, and that’s all going okay.
And I also know that it will be a mix of overseas and Australian programs. So
one of the things that the trial is aimed at is looking at issues to do with
importing overseas audio description files because it’s something that’s sort
of just starting to be done in the world but it hasn’t been done much. So there
are a few issues to sort out there but, obviously, that means that there’s
going to be a lot more audio description available.
Roberta: That will be really good. Now, do you know if they are going to
broadcast the hours that they said they were going to?
Chris: Yes, it’s still going to be 14 hours a week.
Roberta: Oh, that’s good as a start, anyway.
Chris: Yeah, so two hours a day.
Roberta: And of course the feedback is important too, isn’t it?
Chris: Yeah, and the other thing that we should be getting soon is, in the run
up to it, the Government commissioned this company to do a survey of TVs on the
Australian market at the moment and find out which ones will pick up audio
description because we do believe there’s actually probably quite a few that
will. They finished their report at the end of last month and that is due to be
released fairly soon, I believe. So as soon as that is released people will
actually … if they want to hear the trial, and they’re looking to upgrade their
TV, they’ll know which one to buy.
Roberta: Well, thank you for all of that today, Chris. Now, if you want to know
more about audio description, Media Access Australia have a website,
www.mediaaccess.org.au, or you can also contact them at
<info@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> or the one I love, because I like to chat, 02 9212
6242. I’ve been speaking with Chris Mikul, Project Manager of Media Access
Australia, and Media Access Australia are supporters of this program.
Vision Australia
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/VisionAustralia
Media Access Australia
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/mediaaccessaustralia
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