Note

This archival content is maintained by WebAIM and NCDAE on behalf of TEITAC and the U.S. Access Board . Additional and up-to-date details on the updates to section 508 and section 255 can be found at the Access Board web site.

Audio Video

Contents

LATEST DRAFTS, COMMENTS AND EDITS


Definition of SYNCHRONIZED MEDIA Revision introduced at 10-31 meeting

4. Additional Provisions for Audio-Visual Content or Players/Displays


6. Electronic Content Provisions
6.3 If Audio and/or Video content
6.3.1 A. Synchronized Alternatives
6.3.2 B. Captions and Transcripts
6.3.3 C. Audio Description and Full Text Equivalents
6.3.4 D. Open or Closed Captions/Descriptions:
6.3.5 E. Interactive Elements
http://teitac.org/wiki/EWG:Draft_May_30#.5B6.3.5D_If_Audio_and.2For_Video_content



from Whitney Q (EWG):
4. A. Caption Playback
<http://teitac.org/wiki/EWG:Draft_May_30#A._Caption_Playback>

4. B. Supplemental Audio Playback
<http://teitac.org/wiki/EWG:Draft_May_30#B._Supplemental_Audio_Playback>


Committee Workscope and Goals

This subcommittee will consider such issues as:

- selection of chair and co-chair - Larry Goldberg (WGBH), Tony Jasionowski (Panasonic) - named co-chairs

- review of 508 multimedia standards

- sense of level of compliance

- how do 508 audio/video issues effect 255 parameters?

- what 508 standards need to be changed due to technology advancements (I.e., addition of digital TV standards for captioning and description, hardware requirements for DTV, web-based media streaming capabilities)?

- consideration of "equivalent access" opportunities in analog and digital media

- open or closed captioning and description - should one or the other be required?

- harmonization with WCAG 1.0 and 2.0 and other media standards

Meeting Agendas

Agenda for June 6, 2007

1) Discussion of fitting A/V standards into Format #2 and #3.

Links:

http://teitac.org/wiki/EWG:Draft_May_30

http://teitac.org/wiki/General_Committee_Recommendation_for_Reorganization_Format_3

http://teitac.org/wiki/General_Committee_Recommendation_for_Reorganization_Format_2

June 20, 2007

Links:

http://teitac.org/wiki/Audio_Video:moving_standards_to_linear_format

http://teitac.org/wiki/EWG:Draft_May_30

Co-chairs

Larry Goldberg (WGBH), Tony Jasionowski (Panasonic) - named co-chairs

Participants

A complete list of this sub-committee participants can be found below and at Audio Video Subcommittee Participants.

Meeting times

Meeting Schedule

NEXT PHONE MEETING:

Wednesday, October 31, 2007, 3:00 - 4:30pm ET

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Alternatively, dial into a local office and transfer to x69900
353-1-433-6790 (Dublin)
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FEDERAL RELAY CONFERENCE CAPTIONING FOR Wednesday, October 31, 2007:

At the start time of the event, please login to your event by clicking on the link below: http://www.fedrcc.us//Enter.aspx?EventID=861886&CustomerID=321

Alternately, you can visit http://www.fedrcc.us/ and input your event confirmation number, 861886.

TOHRU

The Hand-Raising Tool will be used and can be found at: http://teitac.org/tohru/. Use “AV subcom” as the meeting name.

Meeting notes

Transcript of first meeting: Teleconference Oct. 18, 2006 AV Oct. 18 06 Teleconference Transcript

Mailing list

Subscribe to the Audio/Video Subcommittee mailing list at http://list.teitac.org/mailman/listinfo/teitac-video or by sending an e-mail to teitac-video-request@list.teitac.org with the word 'SUBSCRIBE' in the SUBJECT line. Messages to the list should be addressed to teitac-video@list.teitac.org.

Relevant provisions of the Section 508 Standard (and link to page with proposed changes to sections c, d, e)

Section 508 - Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Standards

Subpart B -- Technical Standards

§ 1194.24 Video and multimedia products.

(a) All analog television displays 13 inches and larger, and computer equipment that includes analog television receiver or display circuitry, shall be equipped with caption decoder circuitry which appropriately receives, decodes, and displays closed captions from broadcast, cable, videotape, and DVD signals. As soon as practicable, but not later than July 1, 2002, widescreen digital television (DTV) displays measuring at least 7.8 inches vertically, DTV sets with conventional displays measuring at least 13 inches vertically, and stand-alone DTV tuners, whether or not they are marketed with display screens, and computer equipment that includes DTV receiver or display circuitry, shall be equipped with caption decoder circuitry which appropriately receives, decodes, and displays closed captions from broadcast, cable, videotape, and DVD signals.

(b) Television tuners, including tuner cards for use in computers, shall be equipped with secondary audio program playback circuitry.

(c) All training and informational video and multimedia productions which support the agency's mission, regardless of format, that contain speech or other audio information necessary for the comprehension of the content, shall be open or closed captioned.

(d) All training and informational video and multimedia productions which support the agency's mission, regardless of format, that contain visual information necessary for the comprehension of the content, shall be audio described.

(e) Display or presentation of alternate text presentation or audio descriptions shall be user-selectable unless permanent.


§ 1194.22 Web-based intranet and internet information and applications.

(b) Equivalent alternatives for any multimedia presentation shall be synchronized with the presentation.

First Stab at Changes to 1194.24c-e Audio Video c-e proposal

Linearized Report

Composite of:

Links to Live Captioning and Live Description Discussions

What to do about live captioning

What to do about live description

Audio Description

Definitions-Verbiage

Latest definitions of captions/descriptions

Captions
Captions are synchronized text equivalents of audio information. They are in the same language as the audio and convey not only speech content, but also non-speech information such as sound effects, music, laughter, and speaker identification and location. Captions shall not obscure or obstruct relevant visual information. Captions are sometimes referred to as subtitles in other countries, or may be designated in packaged media as "subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing (SDH)."

Video Descriptions
Video descriptions, also known as audio descriptions, make visual media (such as broadcast programming or videos found on Web sites or DVDs) accessible to people who are unable to see the video. They provide information about movements or actions which are important to the comprehension of the content but which are not discernible from the audio track alone, such as facial expressions, background visuals, sets, or on-screen text. Video descriptions may be inserted in the natural pauses of the sound track or, in some cases, the timing of the content may be lengthened for the description to be inserted.

Previous definitions and discussion

Closed Captioning
- FCC definition for closed captioning (47 CFR Sec 79.1(a)(4)):
"The visual display of the audio portion of video programming pursuant to the technical specifications set forth in part 15 of this chapter."

- Media Access Group at WGBH definition:
Closed captions are same-language subtitles designed for deaf and hard-of-hearing people. Closed captions display spoken dialogue, on- and off-screen sound effects, music, and laughter as printed words on the television screen and are placed in regions of the screen to identify speakers and sound location.

Closed captions are hidden as data within the television signal, and they must be decoded in order to be displayed on your TV screen. With either a set-top decoder or a caption-ready TV set, you can switch captions on or off with the touch of a button.

- W3C/WAI definition:
captions - text presented and synchronized with multimedia to provide not only the speech, but also sound effects and sometimes speaker identification

Note: In some countries, the term "subtitle" is used to refer to dialogue only and "captions" is used as the term for dialogue plus sounds and speaker identification. In other countries, subtitle (or its translation) is used to refer to both.



Video description
- FCC defintion of video description (47 CFR Sec. 79.3(a)(3)):
"The insertion of audio narrated descriptions of a television program's key visual elements into the natural pauses between the program's dialogue."

- Media Access Group at WGBH definition:
[Video description] offers blind and visually impaired viewers a carefully crafted narration, woven between program audio, that provides access to non-verbal information such as on-screen action, settings, costumes and character expressions.

- W3C/WAI definition
narration added to the soundtrack to describe important visual details that cannot be understood from the main soundtrack alone

Note 1: Audio descriptions of video provide information about actions, characters, scene changes, and on-screen text.

Note 2: In standard audio description, narration is added during existing pauses in dialogue. (See also Extended audio descriptions.)



User input for equivalent access
from Karen Strauss
The Section 255 requirement for working with people with disabilities is contained both in 47 CFR Sections 6.7 and 7.7, both of which state:

"(a) Manufacturers and service providers shall evaluate the accessibility, usability, and compatibility of equipment and services covered by this part and shall incorporate such evaluation throughout product design, development, and fabrication, as early and consistently as possible. Manufacturers and service providers shall identify barriers to accessibility and usability as part of such a product design and development process.

(b) In developing such a process, manufacturers and service providers shall consider the following factors, as the manufacturers deems appropriate:

(3) Working cooperatively with appropriate disability-related organizations; and (4) Making reasonable efforts to validate any unproven access solutions through testing with individuals with disabilities or with appropriate disability-related organizations that have established expertise with individuals with disabilities."

The last section is one that we should pay particular attention to. If "closed captioning" is generally provided in a certain way - e.g., on the same screen as the video being shown - and an agency comes up with a novel way of providing the captions - for example on a teleprompter-like screen next to the video, the agency should at least validate this "unproven access solution" with people with disabilities (i.e., the audience) who will be using that access solution.

Resources

  • DoD Instruction 5040.9, "Department of Defense Productions" May 1st, 2006; 504009p.PDF

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