[Blindtlk] Audio Description

Fri Jun 15 16:25:15 UTC 2012

O geeze. . . so I'll have to call out Charter cable company then
because my parents have no idea how to figure that junk out and
neither do I. Lol.

On 6/15/12, Ray Foret Jr <rforetjr at att.net> wrote:
> the trick is to find where your audio setup menu is on your cable box.
> That's how you access it; if it's even there.
>
>
> Sincerely,
> The Constantly Barefooted Ray!!!
>
> Now a very proud and happy Mac user!!!
>
> Skype name:
> barefootedray
>
> On Jun 15, 2012, at 10:05 AM, Michelle Medina wrote:
>
>> So my question is HOW do I access this?
>> I'll phone into Newsline and it'll tell me that something is audio
>> described, but according to my family I don't have the button required
>> on my TV, or cable box to gain access. So do I need to buy some
>> special TV and if so where would I obtain it?
>>
>> On 6/15/12, David Andrews <dandrews at visi.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> Beginning July 1, ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC, plus the
>>> top five cable networks will begin providing
>>> audio descriptions of some of their programming
>>> for blind or sight-impaired viewers. The shows to
>>> be described range from ABC's Modern Family to
>>> CBS's NCIS to Nickelodeon's Dora the Explorer to USA's Royal Pains.
>>>
>>> For now, stations in the top 25 markets and cable
>>> systems with 50,000 or more subs will be required
>>> to offer about four hours a week of the new
>>> service. The number of stations and hours will gradually increase.
>>>
>>> Starting July 1, the country’s 21.5 million
>>> visually impaired people will be able to enjoy TV more than ever before.
>>>
>>> On that day, the Big Four broadcast networks and
>>> the top five-rated cable networks will begin
>>> offering four hours a week of so-called video
>>> descriptions that clue in blind and partially
>>> sighted viewers on what's going on when the
>>> characters aren't talking. The descriptions,
>>> audible only to viewers who want them to be
>>> audible, are squeezed in between the dialog.
>>>
>>> Video descriptions have been part of
>>> broadcasting, cable, home video, but never to the
>>> extent on TV as they will be beginning next month.
>>>
>>> It's not altruism driving the surge in
>>> descriptions. They were mandated by Congress in
>>> the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010.
>>>
>>> According to the FCC's implementing rules, the
>>> Big Four O&Os and affiliates in the top 25
>>> markets will have to air 50 hours each quarter 
>>> or roughly four hours a week  of described programming.
>>>
>>> Cable and satellite systems with at least 50,000
>>> subscribers have to offer the same amount of
>>> described programming for the top five-rated
>>> cable networks  currently Disney, Nickelodeon, TBS, TNT and USA.
>>>
>>> And with just weeks to go before the deadline,
>>> the described programming plans of nine affected networks are shaping
>>> up.
>>>
>>> ABC’s plan is to provide descriptions on some of
>>> its Tuesday and Wednesday shows. This summer,
>>> those shows include sitcoms Last Man Standing,
>>> The Middle, Suburgatory, Modern Family, Happy
>>> Endings and Don't Trust the B---- in Apt. 23.
>>>
>>> In the fall, ABC will likely include most of
>>> those shows and new sitcom The Neighbors and new drama Nashville.
>>>
>>> CBS has been providing audio descriptions for
>>> several programs since 2002. The lineup is CSI,
>>> Criminal Minds, NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, plus movies and miniseries.
>>>
>>> NBC has broadcast a slew of shows with
>>> descriptions, including the Betty White reality
>>> show Off Their Rockers, drama Grimm and the
>>> summer series Saving Hope. Described sitcoms
>>> include The Office, Up All Night and Parks and Recreation.
>>>
>>> At Fox, The Simpsons has been audio described for
>>> several years. Beyond the animated sitcom, Fox
>>> isn't prepared to say what it would be offering.
>>>
>>> Disney Channel's described shows will include hit
>>> sitcoms Jessie, A.N.T. Farm and the animated Phineas and Ferb.
>>>
>>> Nickelodeon will offer descriptions for some of
>>> its biggest hits, like the long-running animated
>>> Dora the Explorer and preschool educational show Team Umizoomi.
>>>
>>> Turner Broadcasting will have described movies as
>>> well as TV series. Among the series: TNT’s The
>>> Closer and TBS’s Tyler Perry comedies House of Payne and For Better or
>>> Worse.
>>>
>>> USA’s described programs will include off-network
>>> shows NCIS and Law & Order: SVU, plus originals like Royal Pains and
>>> Suits.
>>>
>>> “My hope is that more and more networks will
>>> embrace these accessibility initiatives,” says
>>> Joel Snyder, president of Audio Description
>>> Associates. He serves as director of the American
>>> Council of the Blind’s audio description project and is an adviser to
>>> the
>>> FCC.
>>>
>>> “If they do it right, they'll find ways to make
>>> money from it. If they make their shows
>>> accessible to these folks, there is a bigger
>>> market for advertisers to sell their products.”
>>>
>>> For the most part, video-described programs won't
>>> include live shows or news. The networks, which
>>> are providing most of this content to their
>>> affiliates, need time to write description scripts for voice artists to
>>> record.
>>>
>>> “It takes longer to get that done than closed
>>> captioning,” says one network executive. “It also
>>> requires us to look at how our post-production
>>> schedules are set up. We have to work very
>>> closely with the folks at the post-production
>>> houses to make sure we get the programming to our
>>> vendors with sufficient time to get the video description correct.”
>>>
>>> Producing the descriptions costs between $2,000 to $4,000 per hour.
>>>
>>> The networks and some associations for the blind
>>> are helping to ensure that people with vision
>>> problems know that descriptions are coming.
>>>
>>> “It’s great for the networks to comply, but
>>> what’s more important is getting the information
>>> out to folks,” says Helena Berger, EVP-COO of the
>>> American Association of People with Disabilities.
>>> She is also a member of Comcast-NBCUniversal’s joint diversity council.
>>>
>>> “What we can do on our end at AAPD is to use our
>>> communication channels, like our newsletter, our
>>> website and social media to get the word out to the community.”
>>>
>>> Some of the networks are creating logos and audio
>>> tones so that people with vision problems know
>>> when a program has audio descriptions. So far,
>>> there isn't an industry standard.
>>>
>>> And TV listing providers like Tribune Media
>>> Services will provide data to programming
>>> services to let them know if a program is
>>> audio-described. Then, it’s up to individual
>>> cable systems to add symbols or sounds to their on-screen listings.
>>>
>>> These described programs are the culmination of a
>>> 12-year battle by the FCC and groups such as the
>>> Audio Description Institute. They thought they
>>> had won the battle in 2000 when the FCC adopted
>>> rules similar to the 2010 act, but a court agreed
>>> with broadcasters that the agency had overstepped its authority.
>>>
>>> Now backed by law, the new FCC rules gradually
>>> expand the description obligations to other TV
>>> stations. By July 1, 2015, major network
>>> affiliates in the top 60 markets will have to
>>> broadcast the descriptions. The FCC may require
>>> additional stations to air descriptions at a rate
>>> of 10 markets a year if it deems the cost is reasonable.
>>>
>>> According to broadcasters, it costs stations
>>> anywhere from $10,000 and $25,000 to install the
>>> gear necessary to handle the extra audio channel.
>>>
>>> Just because someone has a disability doesn't
>>> mean they don't want to be included in life,”
>>> says Debra Ruh, chief marketing officer at SSB
>>> Bart Group, a firm that helps companies make
>>> their computer services and websites fully
>>> compliant and accessible to people with
>>> disabilities. “Part of participating in life is
>>> being able to experience television. TV is a very
>>> important part of our culture.”
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
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>>
>>
>> --
>> "Like the sun we will live to rise,
>> Like the sun we will live and die!
>> And then. . . ignite again!"
>> "Live to Rise"--Christopher Cornell/Soundgarden, from The Avengers
>> Soundtrack
>>
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-- 
"Like the sun we will live to rise,
Like the sun we will live and die!
And then. . . ignite again!"
"Live to Rise"--Christopher Cornell/Soundgarden, from The Avengers Soundtrack