>
Shot in the arm for audio description
- 31 Jul 07, 08:15 PM
has recently announced that all their digital TVs in the Bravia Range will now provide access to audio description on Freeview as standard. This follows in the wake of , who made a similar move earlier in the year.
Audio description is an extra narrative voice added to a programme to help explain what is happening on screen for visually impaired viewers.
After years of waiting, there are now several ways to receive audio described TV at home. Satellite and cable set-top boxes provide this functionality as do specialist devices, such as the . But if your old analogue TV has gone to the great junkyard in the sky, then an IDTV 鈥 which is a digital television with a set-top box integrated into it - is an option to think about.
What is quite exciting about this is that audio description is being provided as standard with these televisions 鈥 in the same way that closed captioning has been for 25 years or more. This means that no expensive special boxes need be purchased and no one will be financially penalised for being visually impaired; that isn鈥檛 always the case.
Additionally, we鈥檙e not talking one or two token TVs here. You can pick from dozens of TVs from Sony and Panasonic to get the one that suits you best.
Sony also indicated that they will be seeking to raise awareness of the issues, and will be campaigning across Europe to spread the word to consumers, broadcasters and legislators about audio description.
quotes a figure of almost 30 million people throughout Europe who could benefit from audio description, a figure provided by the . That is a lot of potential customers to target. But who cares if Sony and Panasonic are after the disability dollar? If more companies chased that market, then there would be more accessible TVs, gadgets and websites in the world.
The 大象传媒 is not responsible for the content of external internet sites
颁辞尘尘别苍迟蝉听听 Post your comment
Super, yes, but we need more audio described content. Only a tiny percentage of programmes are audio described. Far less than are subtitled.
Complain about this post
Great!! I love audio description but...sadly the choice of programmes is extremely limited. Sometimes the programmes are listed as audio described when they are not. Please can we encourage the 大象传媒 and other broadcasters to provide more
Regards
Sue
Complain about this post
We found out about these TV鈥檚 some time ago and was extremely pleased. However, obtaining spec info is impossible. Searching Panasonic and Sony websites gives zilch info or instruction so approaching a large retail establishment to physically see how it all worked, no staff member knew about it so I had to give them an overview of what audio description was 鈥 at least the next person who queries it will think they are more 鈥渋n the know鈥! They obtained the TV leaflet to find no instruction on the audio use or what it did or what it was for, only that the TV supported it and the audio could be turned off and on. Next visiting the Sony Centre and pulling them away from their very absorbing noisy TV screen game, they looked blank and denied that it was ever possible on a programme let alone on a TV.
My partner had already emailed Panasonic due to their lack of website info prior to our shop visit and received a one line statement - all of their current LCD units, which have Freeview, will all have support for audio description.
Disgusted further in the lack of knowledge in the Sony Shop, plus no info on the website, my partner then emailed Sony. Their reply - I can confirm that the current range of Sony Televisions, the Bravia, do support the audio description feature. You may visit the link
below for information on one such TVs:
Exactly what are they providing? Just current AD programmes available, or extras such as EPG menu speech stating current and next programmes, current programme announcement when changing channel or turning on the TV??? It seems finding out what you are getting for your money is not an easy task. Neither Sony nor Panasonic have taken the time to offer this information.
Complain about this post