WebAIM - Web Accessibility In Mind

E-mail List Archives

RE: audio-only alternatives for video?

for

From: Andrew Kirkpatrick
Date: Oct 24, 2001 6:47AM

Carol,
1) What kind of video? Real, QT, WMP?
2) What is ideal, from the user's perspective, is to be required to download
only the data that is useable to them. If a user is blind, the program
audio and audio descriptions are the pieces that are useable, so a version
with no program video will be a faster download. You are right about people
who are visually impaired wanting the video as well as the audio
descriptions (or a blind user sitting with a non-blind user), so these
people need all three parts. People who don't need the audio descriptions
only need the program audio and video, and shouldn't need to download the
extra data.
Compounding this problem is the fact that not all players provide
functionality to allow the user to turn audio descriptions on and off. The
new RealONE player does, but it is a beta. QT does, but all tracks need to
be downloaded and a toggle inserted into the movie just turns the audio
description track on or off.
There are different strategies for dealing with this situation depending on
the type of video you are serving up. Let us know what you are using...
Andrew
On 10/23/01 4:51 PM, Carol Foster ( <EMAIL REMOVED> ) wrote:
> Hello,
>
> We are looking at our first attempt to add audio descriptions of visual
> information to a video clip. The question came up about whether or not
> it would be okay to make a separate audio-only version of the clip and
> add the extra descriptions to that, rather than having to combine
> everything and have to pause the video to fit in all the extra words.
> The only drawback I could think of off the top of my head would be for
> people with low vision who would need the enhanced audio but may want to
> also see the synchronized video. I have never seen any examples of this
> being done. I think the only examples I've seen of audio descriptions
> are the WGBH ones where everything is combined, including the Pivot
> project where the video is stopped. Our multimedia person thought it
> might be easier to edit just the audio on its own, but we are all pretty
> new to making multimedia accessible.
>
> What do you all think?
>
> Thanks,
> Carol
>
> --
> Carol Foster, Web Developer
> Internet Publishing Group, Information Technology Services
> University of Massachusetts, President's Office
> (413) 587-2130
> <EMAIL REMOVED>
> http://www.umassp.edu/uis/ipg
> http://www.umassp.edu/uis/ipg/accessibility
> --
>
>
>
>
> ---
> To subscribe, unsubscribe, or view list archives,
> visit http://www.webaim.org/discussion/
>
-- Andrew Kirkpatrick, Technical Project Coordinator
CPB/WGBH National Center for Accessible Media
125 Western Ave.
Boston, MA 02134
E-mail: <EMAIL REMOVED>
Web site: ncam.wgbh.org
617-300-4420 (direct voice/FAX)
617-300-3400 (main NCAM)
617-300-2489 (TTY)
WGBH enriches people's lives through programs and services that educate,
inspire, and entertain, fostering citizenship and culture, the joy of
learning, and the power of diverse perspectives.