[dbaust] Fw: [bca-npdc] Newsflash: Government funded audio description trial to start in August 2012
- From: Erika Webb <erikaweb@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: Erika Webb <erikaweb@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2012 19:58:18 -0700 (PDT)
From: Jessica Zammit <jessica.zammit@xxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [bca-npdc] Newsflash: Government funded audio description trial to
start in August 2012
Received: Thursday, 19 July, 2012, 9:23 AM
Hi everyone,
Please find below a media release which has just been
released by the Hon Stephen Conroy, Minister for Broadband, Communications and
the Digital Economy regarding the government funded trial of audio description
which will start in August – in just over two weeks!!
Below the Minister’s release is an advanced
copy of the ABC trial article from July News which provides more information
about what you can expect. We have been deliberate in delaying the production
and
release of July News as we wanted to include the most up to date information
for all of our readers. July News is at the printers as we speak and will be
coming out in the next few weeks.
Information below.
Jessica
***
Joint media release
Senator the Hon Stephen Conroy
Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy
Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate
Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on Digital Productivity
Senator the Hon Jan McLucas
Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister
Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Carers
Government-funded
audio description trial to start in August 2012
The Minister for Broadband,
Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy, and
Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Carers, Senator Jan McLucas, today
announced that a trial will begin next month that is expected to provide a
richer television experience for Australians with a visual impairment.
The audio description trial will:
Take place on ABC 1 and
start on 5 August;
Run for 13 weeks
between 5pm and midnight;
Use technology to
explain to people with vision impairments what is happening during the
program, while they also listen to the soundtrack;
Provide a greater understanding
of the technical and consumer issues associated with providing audio
description services; and
Test what is required
to commission, transmit, and distribute these services.
“This audio description trial
is an Australian first. It is being funded by the Gillard Government and will
cover drama, documentaries and other content broadcast on ABC1,” Senator
Conroy said.
“I encourage anyone interested
in taking part in the trial to check their televisions or set top boxes against
those listed in the user guides on my department’s website. The user
guides identify which digital televisions and set-top boxes can receive audio
described programs and how this function can be activated.”
Mark Scott, Managing Director of the
ABC, said, “The ABC has worked collaboratively with the Government,
service providers and other stakeholders to deliver this trial and looks
forward to presenting the findings to the Minister.”
The ABC will provide a report to the
Government in late 2012. The Government will consider the outcomes of the trial
carefully, and these will inform consideration of future requirements for audio
description.
Senator McLucas said the Gillard
Government is working hard to break down barriers that people with disabilities
may face in the community.
“Watching TV is something many
of us don’t think twice about, but the fact is there are many Australians
who haven’t been able to enjoy this popular past time or take advantage
of this source of news and information,” said Senator McLucas.
“The trial is another step the
Government is taking to improve access to television for people with a
disability.”
For people with hearing impairments,
the Government recently passed legislation that introduces new and boosts
existing requirements for captioning on commercial, national and subscription
television. The legislation also ensures better access to televised emergency
warnings.
“We are also delivering a
range of community participation initiatives including improving access to
cinemas for people who are deaf, blind, or visually or hearing impaired, and
providing playback devices in public libraries to improve access to print
material,” Senator McLucas said.
People who have a visual or hearing
impairment and want more information about the audio description trial or other
Government initiatives can contact the Department using the following services:
TTY users phone 133 677 then ask for 02 6271 1000; Speak and Listen
(speech-to-speech relay) users phone 1300 555 727 then ask for 02 6271
1000; Internet relay users connect to www.relayservice.com.au
and then ask for 02 6271 1000.
***
NEWSflash: ABC 1 trial
of audio description – it’s here!
Robyn Gaile
On 22 February
2012, Senator Stephen Conroy, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the
Digital Economy (DBCDE) announced that a technical trial of audio description
(AD) will take place on ABC1 in the second half of 2012. The limited technical
trial is intended to generate a greater understanding of the technical and
consumer issues associated with establishing and delivering AD services. The
trial will run for 13 weeks and will be comprised of 14 hours of AD per week in
primetime viewing.
We have just received confirmation
that the trial will take place in early to mid August. Programs with AD will
air between 5pm and 12am every night of the week, with an average of two hours
of programming per night. This may vary depending on the program content
scheduled for the night. For example, Monday night programming may only be one
hour because this is a high news content night and Friday night may have three
hours of AD content because there are more drama programs scheduled on Friday
evenings.
The types of programs with AD will
include a variety of drama, documentary and news. There will also be a mix of
local and international programs. The ABC will commission the narration of AD
content locally and internationally. They will also purchase programs that
already have AD tracks provided. As this is a trial only, there will be a
minimum of news or live to air AD. The provision of live AD or short turnaround
AD requires greater resources than the ABC currently has available.
AD will be provided via a closed
service. This means that in order to access the trial you will need to turn on
the AD track. As there are many digital televisions and set top boxes on the
market, there is no standard mechanism by which you can activate the audio
description button. If you have a Bush or Hills talking set top box, locate the
audio description button to activate the AD track. Most other set top boxes and
digital televisions will have an audio description button.
Unfortunately, at the time of
writing this article BCA has not received confirmation from Australian Digital
Services about which televisions and set top boxes are audio description
enabled. We will publish the list via our website and email lists as soon as
the information is available. You can also call the BCA office or your local
BCA director, National Policy Development Council representative or Branch
President for the list.
Note that you can only access AD
program content via the ABC 1 channel. You will not be able to access AD via
pay TV services such as Foxtel or Telstra T box.
AD will be delivered through receiver
mix content. This means that you, as the end user, can control the volume level
of the AD track. You can also choose to use headphones so that other people in
the house don’t have to hear the AD track as they listen to the TV
channel.
There will be an AD logo on the TV
screen whenever a program is being broadcast with AD. The ABC has also stated
that programs with AD will be announced at the time they go to air. An online
TV guide for programs with AD content will be posted on the ABC website at
www.abc.net.au. The AD TV guide will be
posted one screen level down from the ABC homepage and will be provided as text
only content.
During the trial period (early to
mid August through to October) you can call the ABC customer service feedback
line on 13 99 94 Australia wide to report any technical problems you may have
locating the AD track. The ABC has been running technical tests on a range of
televisions and set top boxes in order to determine how to activate the AD
track so there is some gathered intelligence on locating the correct button.
The customer feedback line phone number will also be voiced throughout the
pilot during the airing of AD programs.
Once the trial has been completed
the ABC will be required to report back to Government regarding the outcomes of
the trial. The ABC will commission a survey of consumers in order to administer
a short questionnaire. At this stage, it has not been determined whether or not
the survey will be online or via phone. BCA has recommended that the survey be
made available over the phone in order to enable the maximum number of people
who are blind or vision impaired to provide feedback. Note that you can also
provide feedback throughout the trial by calling the ABC, posting an email on
their website, or letting us know at BCA.
The Department of Broadband,
Communications and the Digital Economy (DBCDE) has published a frequently asked
questions document on its website to inform consumers about the trial. The page
will be updated to reflect further questions that have been received by
consumers. You can read the FAQ listing by visiting
www.dbcde.gov.au/television/audio_description_trial.
We are encouraging members to speak
out loud about the need for audio description on television to help secure the
future of AD in Australia. If you want to let someone know that AD on
television is important to you, talk to your local member or get in touch with
DBCDE. Alternatively, you can speak to staff at BCA who will ensure that your
comments are passed on to the Department on your behalf. Contact details for
DBCDE are as follows:
Broadcasting and Switchover Policy
Branch
DBCDE
GPO Box 2154
Canberra ACT 2601
Free Call: 1800 254 649
Let’s use this as an
opportunity to encourage as many of our blind or vision impaired colleagues to
participate in the trial and give feedback on our experience. Let’s hold
AD parties and watch audio described programs together!
End of article
Kind regards,
Jessica
Zammit
National Policy Officer
Blind Citizens Australia
Ross House, Level 3, 247-251 Flinders Lane, Melbourne VIC 3000
Phone: 03 9654 1400
Mobile: 0437 355 985
Fax: 03 9650 3200
Toll free: 1800 033 660
Web: www.bca.org.au
ABN: 90 006 985 226
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