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65-1180: Media Access Australia (M.A.A.) is an Australian charitable organization that works to improve digital accessibility for people with disabilities. The organization also offers a university-accredited online degree called the Professional Certificate in Web Accessibility (P.C.W.A.), which is taught in six-week modules. M.A.A. provides information about technological solutions, such as audio description and captioning , to make audio-visual media, including streaming services , TV , cinema , DVDs and new media , accessible to people with disabilities. M.A.A supports improvements in media access in Australia towards international best practice by identifying mainstream technological solutions and cost-effective ways to promote and implement them. M.A.A. works with consumer organizations ; Government and industry in Australia and internationally. Media Access Australia, originally known as

130-480: A multitrack recording device used in an outside broadcast production truck , or other destinations. Most professional stage in-ear monitor systems use wireless technology to send the mix to the IEMs. This type of system consists of a stationary offstage transmitter and an onstage receiver (about the size of a deck of cards) that is worn by the performer. There is generally a transmitter for each monitor mix and there

195-515: A Spanish SAP dub for Jane the Virgin through the series' entire run, and audio description is available and passed through for their Saturday morning One Magnificent Morning E/I block, which is done for all of the blocks produced for the major broadcast networks by Litton Entertainment . In 2019, the first primetime series with DVS for the network, In the Dark (which has a blind protagonist),

260-606: A diaphragm with a voice coil attached to it.  When an electric current passes through, the voice coil vibrates between the two permanent magnets resulting in the diaphragm moving and producing sound. Adherents of the dynamic driver cite better bass response. IEMs typically feature a wire-over-ear or wire (straight) down design. Wire down is easier to put in with one hand, making it more popular for casual use, where it maybe inserted and removed multiple times per day. It can also be more comfortable, as wearing wire-over-ear with glasses may cause extra pressure and chafing behind

325-472: A good view of the performance. They make their description which is fed to a small radio transmitter. In 2006, on the occasion of the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany , a project was launched with the aim of making the live commentary of a match available to blind and visually impaired football fans in the stadium. The project was very well-received and had great success. In 2008, audio description in football

390-610: A history of developing closed captioning of programs for hearing-impaired viewers, WGBH considered the viability of using the new audio channel for narrated descriptions of key visual elements, much like those being done for live theatre in Washington, D.C. , by Margaret Pfanstiehl, who had been experimenting with television description as part of her Washington Ear radio reading service. After reviewing and conducting various studies, which found that blind and visually impaired people were consuming more television than ever but finding

455-556: A major United States producer of audio description. DVS often is used to describe the product itself. In 1985, PBS member television station WGBH-TV in Boston , Massachusetts , began investigating uses for the new technology of stereophonic television broadcasting , particularly multichannel television sound (MTS), which allowed for a third audio channel, called the Secondary Audio Program ( SAP ). With

520-475: A more natural sound from their IEMs with both the music mix and ambient sounds. Passive ambient IEMs have a small hole drilled into the earpiece to allow some natural ambient sound into the ear canal. This can potentially lead to increased sound exposure as it reduces the signal-to-noise ratio for the mix and causes the musician to increase the levels from the IEM. Active ambient IEMs use external microphones to reproduce

585-407: A particular singer, guitarist, bassist, or drummer, the other musicians can often hear the other musicians' wedge mixes. In a sophisticated monitoring system, every band member can have their own monitor mix, which is their particular preference of vocals or instruments. Since performers wear an IEM in each ear, they can also hear a stereo mix if a particular monitor system allows it. This can allow

650-420: A performance to hear more ambient sound. The increased risk of hearing damage in this scenario are twofold. Removing one IEM negates the improvement in signal-to-noise ratio from isolation and the binaural summation effect which causes an increase in perceived loudness from using two sound sources. Therefore, the performer will likely turn up the IEM in the other ear to improve the signal-to-noise ratio. Also,

715-425: A personal mix of vocals and stage instrumentation for live performance or recording studio mixing. They are also used by television presenters to receive vocal instructions, information and breaking news announcements from a producer that only the presenter hears. They are often custom-fitted to an individual's ears to provide comfort and a high level of noise reduction from ambient surroundings. Their origins as

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780-610: A specific person, they may need to order custom in-ear monitors. If there is not a good seal, ambient noise leakage is increased. Custom molded IEMs are more comfortable to wear and better isolate ambient noise. Depending on the quality of the fit and length of the canal portion of the earpiece, a custom fit in-ear monitor will generally provide somewhere between 25 and 34 decibels of noise reduction. This means that loud onstage instruments, such as drum kit or large 8x12" guitar stacks, are less likely to cause hearing damage for onstage musicians wearing IEMs. Custom in-ear monitors come in

845-475: A tool in live music performance can be traced back to the mid-1980s. A stage monitor system is any system that provides a mix of audio sources to a performer on stage. Traditionally, loudspeakers were placed on the stage directed toward the performers. These loudspeakers can have disadvantages. First, floor wedges greatly increase the onstage volume, in some cases to levels which could potentially damage hearing. Second, while floor wedges can be placed in front of

910-480: A variety of colors but are usually clear or a color that closely matches the skin color of the performer. Some manufacturers can also place custom artwork directly on the custom in-ear monitors. The IEM cable plugs into a 3.5 mm stereo jack on the receiver pack; typically clipped onto the belt, guitar strap, clothing of the performer, or placed in a pocket. Impressions for custom in-ear monitors are typically taken by an audiologist.  To achieve maximum isolation,

975-494: A way to reduce their overall exposure to loud sound and prevent hearing loss. However, education on the use of IEMs is a crucial factor for limiting exposure as performers have a tendency to set their IEMs to similar intensity levels that were previously used in their floor monitors. Musicians need to train themselves to listen at lower levels to take full advantage of the sound level reduction capability of IEMs. Some musicians with two IEMs may choose to take out one of them during

1040-418: A white shirt." The length of descriptions and their placement by a producer into the program are largely dictated by what can fit in natural pauses in dialogue (other producers of description may have other priorities, such as synchronization with the timing of a described element's appearance, which differ from DVS's priority for detail). Once recorded, placed and mixed with a copy of the original soundtrack,

1105-598: Is always a receiver for each IEM. The transmitters usually output either one stereo mix or two mono mixes. When the transmitters are set up for two mono mixes, one transmitter can be used for two different mixes. Any number of receivers can receive a single mix. The transmitters and receivers transfer audio wirelessly via a VHF or UHF radiofrequency. Generally speaking, UHF systems sound much better than VHF systems and are more expensive. UHF systems usually are less susceptible to frequency interference which adds to their level of quality. The in-ear monitors themselves are

1170-519: Is described by the Media Access Group under existing contracts with Walt Disney Pictures . NBC and their associated cable networks, along with outside productions by Universal Television such as Brooklyn Nine-Nine and The Mindy Project , solely use CaptionMax for description services; Netflix also utilizes CaptionMax for their original series, while going per studio for acquired programming. Most scripted programming on Fox, except for

1235-400: Is occurring at the time and the plot as a whole. For example, in the opening credit sequence of the children's series Arthur on PBS, the description has been performed as follows: "Arthur is an 8-year-old aardvark. He wears round glasses with thick frames over his big eyes. He has two round ears on top of his oval-shaped head. He wears red sneakers and blue jeans, with a yellow sweater over

1300-435: Is often lost is crowd noise and crowd comments, such as the audience calling for an encore. It is not uncommon for a microphone to be placed near each side of the stage, facing the audience, to provide a method to capture some of the crowd noise and audience comments back into the performers' IEM mixes. Larger live shows can have several microphones for this purpose spread across the front of the stage, which can also be sent to

1365-404: Is received within 24 hours of its scheduled airing—provided that any future airings of the same program in prime-time contain descriptions. In addition, other licensed discretionary services would be expected to air at least four hours of DV programming per-week by the fourth year of their next license term. The Ofcom code on television access services requires broadcasters that have been on

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1430-868: Is sponsored by the website's philanthropic arm Pornhub Cares. In the late-2010s, Procter & Gamble began to add descriptions to some of its television commercials , first in the United Kingdom, and later Spain and the United States. Under Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) rules, broadcast television stations and former Category A services that dedicated more than half of their programming to comedy, drama, or long-form documentary programs, were required to broadcast at least four hours of programming with audio descriptions (known in Canadian English as described video) per-week, with two hours of this "original" to

1495-468: Is typically delivered via a secondary audio track. In North America, Second audio program (SAP) is typically used to deliver audio description by television broadcasters. To promote accessibility , some countries (such as Canada and the United States) have implemented requirements for broadcasters to air specific quotas of programming containing audio description. The transition to " talkies " in

1560-453: Is typically delivered via an alternate audio track, either as a separate language track containing the narration only (which, if the playback device is capable of doing so, is mixed with the primary audio track automatically, and can have separate volume settings), or on a secondary audio track pre-mixed with the primary track, such as a secondary audio program (SAP). Many video on demand (VOD) and streaming platforms host separate assets for

1625-663: The National Captioning Institute and CaptionMax have also begun to describe programs. Benefit Media, Inc., a subsidiary of DuArt Film and Video in New York City provides DVS services to USA Network . For the 2016 Summer Olympics , NBC is providing description of events during the network's primetime block. The 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 reinstates the FCC's involvement in providing rules for video description. Under

1690-578: The National Captioning Institute , Narrative Television Network, and others. In the UK Audio Description services were made available on the BBC and ITV after a collaborative project with industry partners. In 2000, the BBC voluntarily committed to providing descriptions for at least 20% of its programming annually. In practice, the BBC has often exceeded these targets. In 2009, BBC iPlayer became

1755-456: The Olympic and Paralympic Games , and the royal wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton , among others. In April 2015, the subscription streaming service Netflix announced that it had added support for audio description, beginning with Daredevil —a series based on a comic book character who himself is blind, and would add descriptions to current and past original series on

1820-702: The Australian Caption Center (A.C.C.), was co-founded by Adam Salzer and Alexandra Hynes in 1982. In 2005, A.C.C. sold its commercial operations, including captioning services, to Red Bee Media . Audio description In museums or visual art exhibitions, audio described tours (or universally designed tours that include description or the augmentation of existing recorded programs on audio- or videotape), are used to provide access to visitors who are blind or have low vision. Docents or tour guides can be trained to employ audio description in their presentations. In film and television, description

1885-469: The DVS organization permanently in 1988. After national testing, more feedback, more development of description technique, and additional grants, DVS became a regular feature of selected PBS programming in 1990. Later, DVS became an available feature in some films and home videos, including DVDs. DVS describers watch a program and write a script describing visual elements which are important in understanding what

1950-474: The DVS track for syndication, substituting in the Spanish dubbing track on SAP to reach more viewers, though as many stations affiliated with "netlets" like The CW and MyNetworkTV are not under the video description provision, do not have SAP channels and thus, neither an audio description or Spanish dub track can be heard. In some markets where SAP is activated on affiliate stations though, The CW had provided

2015-700: The DVS track is then "laid back" to the master tape on a separate audio track (for broadcast on the SAP) or to its own DVS master (for home video). For feature films, the descriptions are not mixed with the soundtrack, but kept separate as part of a DTS soundtrack. When the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) started establishing various requirements for broadcasters in larger markets to improve their accessibility to audiences with hearing and vision impairments, DVS branched out to non-PBS programming, and soon description could be heard on

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2080-460: The Media Access Group. Some shows have lost their DVS during their original network runs due to outside factors or complications. For instance, American Dad! had a two-season interregnum in part of season 12 and all of season 13 without any DVS service during its move from Fox to TBS in late 2014, before it returned in November 2016 for its fourteenth season. The Mindy Project lost DVS at

2145-732: The SAP for shows such as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and The Simpsons . However, a federal court ruled in 2002 that the Federal Communications Commission had exceeded its jurisdiction by requiring broadcasters in the top 25 markets to carry video description. Since that time, the amount of new DVS television programming in the United States declined, as did access to information regarding upcoming described programming, while broadcasters like ABC and Fox instead decided to devote their SAP channels to Spanish language dubbing tracks of their shows rather than DVS due to

2210-560: The activity problematic (often relying on sighted family and friends to describe for them), WGBH consulted more closely with Pfanstiehl and her husband, Cody, and then conducted its first tests of DVS in Boston in 1986. These tests (broadcasting to local groups of people of various ages and visual impairments) and further study were successful enough to merit a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to complete plans to establish

2275-414: The additional definition of the audio by panning different elements (vocals, drums, etc.) to each ear. More recent advances allow the user to adjust the amount of ambient noise filtered by the IEM. One additional consideration for mixing IEMs is that while eliminating floor wedges can improve the overall clarity of the mix for the performers and decrease the overall volume onstage, one important piece that

2340-573: The aforementioned genres. The requirement that a quota of DV programming be "original" to the network was also dropped. Citing the possibility that not enough imported U.S. programming may be supplied with descriptions for their first airing, and the burden this may place on their ability to carry these programs, the CRTC granted an exception to Bell Media , Corus Entertainment , and Rogers Media , along with minor companies DHX Media , CBC , Blue Ant Media , V , and TVA Group , for foreign programming that

2405-412: The air for at least five years to broadcast at least 10% of their programming with descriptions. Scrutiny has applied even to ESPN UK —a sports channel—which was fined £120,000 by Ofcom for not meeting an AD quota in 2012. The regulator rejected an argument by ESPN that AD was redundant to commentary , as it is "not provided with the needs of the visually impaired in mind". Initially, audio description

2470-610: The alternate audio. ABC, along with sister network Disney Channel has since added audio description to some of their programming (with a commensurate decline in Spanish-dubbed programming, though the ATSC standard allows more audio channels), but does not contract any of their shows to be described by the Media Access Group, instead going with commercial providers CaptionMax and Audio Eyes . Some special programming such as Toy Story of Terror! and Toy Story That Time Forgot

2535-478: The ambient sound in the mix that mimics the frequency response of the open ear and may sound more natural to the performer. Television studios use earpieces with a specialized type of intercom called an interruptible foldback (IFB), as a means of communication. Originally invented for hearing aids, balanced armature drivers are nowadays used extensively in modern in-ear monitors. In-ear monitors can function with as little as one armature driver but some of

2600-557: The audience. In the 1940s and 1950s, Radio Nacional de España aired live audio simulcasts of films from cinemas with descriptions, framing these as a form of radio drama before the advent of television. In the 1980s, the Media Access Group of U.S. public television station WGBH-TV (which had already gained notability for their involvement in developing closed captioning ) developed an implementation of audio description for television programming via second audio program (SAP), which it branded as "Descriptive Video Service" (DVS). It

2665-429: The audio-described media, with the soundtrack pre-mixed. Despite AD typically being presented as something that can be enabled (as with subtitles ), users can encounter problems when trying to turn AD on or off because the underlying media version they require is unavailable. In movie theaters, audio description can be heard using DVS Theatrical and similar systems (including DTS-CSS and Dolby Screentalk). Users listen to

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2730-424: The audiologist should use a high-viscosity impression material with a deep impression of the ear canal. The musician should also mimic their embouchure while the impression material is setting so that the fit is comfortable while performing. Custom in-ear monitors made of a softer silicone material can be inserted deeper in the ear canal and will provide more isolation from outside noise. Some performers desire

2795-440: The channel per-week. These programs must have been drawn from children's, comedy, drama, long-form documentaries, general entertainment and human interest, reality , or variety genres. Broadcasters must also promote the availability of DV programming, including airing a standard audiovisual bumper and logo at the beginning of all programs offering description (the CRTC officially recommends that this announcement be repeated after

2860-651: The conclusion of each commercial break, but this is not typically practiced). All television providers are also required to carry AMI-tv (formerly The Accessible Channel), a specialty channel that broadcasts all programming with descriptions on the primary audio track. On March 26, 2015, the CRTC announced that beginning September 1, 2019, most broadcast and specialty networks owned by vertically integrated conglomerates, as well as any channel previously subject to license conditions specifying minimums for DV, are required to supply described video for any prime-time programming (7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.) that falls within

2925-498: The description on a wireless headset . Audio description is stored in the Digital Cinema Package as "Visually Impaired-Native" (VI-N) audio on Sound Track channel 8. In live theaters, patrons also receive the description via a wireless device, a discreet monaural receiver. However, the description is provided live by describers located in a booth acoustically insulated from the audience, but from where they have

2990-430: The ears. Wire-over-ear is preferred for professional use, providing a more discreet (run wire behind back, in shirt), secure fit (wire hooks onto ears) with reduced microphonics . Some wires may come with MMCX connectors to allow replacement once worn out, add-ons like in-line microphone or bluetooth connectivity or upgrading to cables of higher quality or different appearance. Many performers choose to use IEMs as

3055-534: The fall of 2017). Netflix committed in April 2015 to begin audio description of their original series, starting with Daredevil (which features a blind protagonist with other heightened senses) and the remainder of their original programming in the next few months, making their goal in that timeframe, along with providing the DVS tracks of existing series in their library; however some platforms (mainly older versions for devices that are now unsupported) do not provide

3120-469: The first streaming video on-demand service in the world to support AD where every programme that was broadcast with AD also had AD on BBC iPlayer. On January 29, 2009, The Accessible Channel was launched in Canada, which broadcasts "open" audio descriptions on all programming via the primary audio track. Audio description has also been extended to live events, including sporting events, the ceremonies of

3185-403: The last stage of the signal path in the system. They are placed in the external ear canal and seal against its sides; the effectiveness of this seal is a major part of the effectiveness of the IEM. Universal IEMs typically include a variety of foam and silicone tips in each pack, with the goal that one pair may create a comfortable seal for the user's ears. If a universal IEM earpiece does not fit

3250-583: The late 1920s resulted in a push to make the cinema accessible to the visually impaired . The New York Times documented the "first talking picture ever shown especially for the blind"—a 1929 screening of Bulldog Drummond attended by members of the New York Association for the Blind and New York League for the Hard of Hearing, which offered a live description for the visually-impaired portion of

3315-567: The matches can be heard via audio description in every stadium in Switzerland . At St. Jakob-Park in Basel , even without delay via the Internet. In the meantime, the outdated technology of FM transmission has been abolished. Today, the games are broadcast via cell phone apps. In Germany , almost every stadium is also equipped with this technology. The Descriptive Video Service ( DVS ) is

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3380-501: The new season of American Playhouse on January 24, 1990. In the 1990s at cinemas in California, RP International began to offer audio descriptions for theatrical films under the brand TheatreVision , relayed via earpieces to those who request it. A clip from Schindler's List was used to pitch the concept to the film's producers Gerald Molen and Branko Lustig , and one of the first films to be presented in this format

3445-914: The order faced a court challenge led by the MPAA , who questioned the FCC's jurisdiction on the matter. In November 2002, the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that the FCC had no statutory jurisdiction to enforce such a rule. This was rectified in 2010 with the passing of the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act , which gave the FCC jurisdiction to enforce video description requirements. The previously intended quotas were reinstated on July 1, 2012, and have been gradually increased to require more programming and wider participation since their implementation. Broadcast audio description

3510-513: The platform over time. The following year, as part of a settlement with the American Council of the Blind , Netflix agreed to provide descriptions for its original series within 30 days of their premiere, and add screen reader support and the ability to browse content by availability of descriptions. On June 17, 2016, Pornhub announced that it would launch a collection of pornographic videos with audio descriptions. The initiative

3575-426: The rules, affiliates in the top 25 markets and the top five-rated cable networks will have to provide at least 50 hours of video described programming per quarter; the rules took effect on July 1, 2012. However, this provision currently does not apply to syndicated programming; notably, many programs which have audio description in their network runs, such as those produced by Twentieth Century Fox Television , remove

3640-440: The shows of Gordon Ramsay ( Hell's Kitchen , Hotel Hell and Kitchen Nightmares ) is described by the Media Access Group; Ramsay's programs are contracted by his producing studio to have audio description done by Scottish-born voiceover artist Mhairi Morrison with Descriptive Video Works . Unique to most described shows, Fox's Empire uses actress Adrienne Barbeau for their description. CBS's described shows all use

3705-408: The start of their fourth season upon the move to Hulu, which does not yet provide DVS service. Cartoon Network and their time-share partner Adult Swim began to pass-through DVS for their syndicated content in the last quarter of 2018. Earpiece In-ear monitors , or simply IEMs or in-ears , are devices used by musicians , audio engineers and audiophiles to listen to music or to hear

3770-432: The technical limitations of the analog NTSC standard. Description by DVS and other producers was still available in a limited form on television (the greatest percentage of DVS programming is still on PBS). WGBH's Media Access Group continues supporting description of feature films (known as DVS Theatrical) and DVS home videos/ DVDs are available from WGBH as well as other vendors and libraries. Commercial caption providers

3835-400: The title character, and for the 1994 remake of Little Women , stars from previous versions of the film volunteered, including June Allyson , Margaret O'Brien , and Janet Leigh (whose grandmother was blind) from the 1949 version of the film, as well as Katharine Hepburn —star of the 1933 version . Other companies emerged in providing descriptions for programming in the U.S., including

3900-520: The top models of in-ear monitors can carry as many as 18 balanced armature drivers for faster response, higher dynamic range, and more detailed sound. Notable examples include the Ultimate Ears Pro UE LIVE (6 balanced armature drivers and 2 dynamic drivers), JH Audio's Layla (12 balanced armature drivers), Noble Audio's K10U (10 balanced armature drivers), and 64 Audio's A18t (18 balanced armature drivers). The dynamic driver contains

3965-468: Was Forrest Gump (1994). TheatreVision sought notable personalities and celebrities to volunteer in providing these narrations, such as sportscaster Vin Scully , William Shatner , Monty Hall , and former U.S. president George H. W. Bush (for It's a Wonderful Life ). Sometimes the narrator had ties to the film or was part of its cast; Irene Bedard described Pocahontas —a film where she had voiced

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4030-583: Was also adopted in Switzerland. The radio of FC Basel 1893 was the first club in Switzerland to take up this topic. First, FC Basel installed an antenna in St. Jakob Park , which was used to broadcast the radio's live commentary. The visually impaired and blind fans could then listen to the commentary via a VHF frequency. More and more clubs in the Swiss Super League adopted this concept and today

4095-548: Was developed in consultation with Dr. Margaret Pfanstiehl of Washington, D.C. , who had performed descriptions at theatrical performances and had run a radio reading service known as the Washington Ear. After four years of development and on-air trials (which included a proof of concept that aired the descriptions on a radio station in simulcast with the television airing), WGBH officially launched audio description via 32 participating PBS member stations, beginning with

4160-622: Was launched (the series' description propagated to its Netflix run several weeks after it was placed on that service after the first-season finale). MyNetworkTV has no provisions for audio description or language dub tracks, despite many of its scripted series having DVS tracks. Online streaming services such as Hulu and the services of television networks themselves such as CBS All Access have yet to carry descriptive video service audio in most cases as they instead are currently focused on adding closed captioning to their libraries (the network app for ABC began to carry existing audio described shows in

4225-463: Was provided as a public service. However, in 2000, the Federal Communications Commission would enact a policy effective April 1, 2002, requiring the affiliates of the four major television networks in the top 25 markets, and television providers with more than 50,000 subscribers via the top 5 cable networks as determined by Nielsen ratings , to offer 50 hours of programming with descriptions during primetime or children's programming per-quarter. However,

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