[NFBMT] audio description on PBS programs

Rik James rixmix2009 at gmail.com
Mon Jan 9 20:39:08 UTC 2023


Hello Montana folks, and beyond
Top of the morning to you all.
Some of you may be listening to the state legislature hearings during the weekdays? 
Others of you may be watching television entertainment in the evening hours. Which is more entertaining? Oh, a subject for another time.

How about you and your use of Audio Description? This is getting better and better. I am getting picky. I try to find the shows and movies with A D.

My great interest last night, was how to watch "All Creatures Great and Small" season 3 premiere using Audio Description. Or to find out if there was A D available on these programs. 
After making a donation to PBS a couple years ago, I started to enjoy the on demand programs using the PBS passport app.
But thus far, I had not found how to get any A D going, or if it was available.
Today I had success. And this show is so great to have the feature, I'm a happy camper. Even the cows and sheep sound better!  (smile)

I also have an Amazon Prime account and subscription.
And when I discovered last night that the very same episode of All Creatures show had Audio Description on Prime Video, I was obsessed with finding out if I could get the PBS Passport to have this much appreciated feature for blind TV viewers.
Maybe some among you already know?  If so, please post or write to me with instructions of how to turn it on with the passport.

Today I made notes on my discovery that I can log in using a browser and turn on the audio description on PBS.
So here it is below. 
I am hopeful I can get this turned on to the Passport using my other fire stick device.
Thanks.  May you all be having a good new year so far.

Rik James
Bozeman

AUDIO DESCRIPTION (AD)
On Amazon Prime Video version of PBS Masterpiece the Audio Despcription is ON.
But not on the Passport. Passport - how to turn on the A D?
If you have a PBS online account, and have activated your account with a donation, you can utilize the programs using the Passport application. Or you can log in and view programs using a web browser.
As an aside, I also have discovered that you can change PBS stations. You enter in different Zip Codes and look at programs on other PBS stations.
Many of these PBS affiliates have original programming which is worthwhile. Not news to most of you, I am sure. 

Turn on Audio Description on PBS.org while viewing online.

1) Begin playing the episode. And then go to the Audio Settings, and turn on the A D.

When viewing Masterpiece (All Creatures Great and Small, Season 3 season episode 1) Online PBS.org - after log in, and navigating to the episode and starting it, I was able to turn ON the Audio Description. 
Here is how. I tabbed forward until I heard AUDIO menu. The graphic icon is a set of headphones. I hit ENTER on it. Then arrowing down through the options there was AD audio description. I hit ENTER, and the description was then part of the broodcast audio.





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