[ad-international] Playing DVD's on computer with Screen Reader

Wed Feb 24 15:44:51 GMT 2010

Hi Joel,
I just came across this old posting. I'm sure we've spoken before. A DTV 
receiver custom designed for the blind and visually impaired already exists. 
We've created our receiver especially for reading services and their blind 
listeners. I'm highly doubtful that any other provider could rival our 
design and quality. I would be happy to send you a demo unit to test for 
yourself. I would enjoy your feedback.

Thank you!

Jennifer Fredrickson
Digital Reading Service Receiver - RRS1100
NBCI, NBCI-CEPD, LLC.
t: 303-494-3700
e: contact at RRS1100.com
website: www.RRS1100.com

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Joel Snyder" <jsnyder at audiodescribe.com>
To: "'ACB audio description discussion list'" <ad-international at acb.org>
Sent: Sunday, January 17, 2010 1:07 PM
Subject: Re: [ad-international] Playing DVD's on computer with Screen Reader

Hi again, all--

Moments after I posted my response to James Fetter, I came across the
following news item that's tangentially related, at least with respect to
access to broadcast television:

"One of the technologies blind consumers have been wishing for is an
accessible digital TV set top box.
Through the work of a firm called Ocean Blue Software, such a device may
soon be a reality.
Ocean Blue, along with ST Micro Electronics, makers of chipsets for digital
set-top boxes, is exhibiting here in
Vegas. A group of us attending Consumer Electronics Show was able to see a
private demo.
Using pre-recorded BBC content, the box seemed to work well.  As channels
were changed, the box read out the new program to which it was being tuned.
The speech was clear and human sounding. Information about the
program's duration, and special attributes like subtitles or audio
description were also announced.  If one wished, one could enter the set top
box's configuration menus to change preferences like toggling the
description track on and off. The electronic programming guide (epg) was
also able to be read.  You can see a demo at
http://www.oceanbluesoftware.co.uk/talkingtv-video-form.shtml   The company
hopes to roll the software out in the US once they find a broadcast partner
to include it in their set top box."

Joel

JOEL SNYDER
President, Audio Description Associates, LLC
"The Visual Made Verbal" T
6502 Westmoreland Avenue, Takoma Park, MD 20912
jsnyder at audiodescribe.com -- 301 920-0218
Cell: 301 452-1898 -- Fax: 408 445-0079

For more information about audio description, please visit:
www.audiodescribe.com

Director, Audio Description Project
American Council of the Blind
jsnyder at acb.org -- 202 467-5083
www.adinternational.org

-----Original Message-----
From: Joel Snyder [mailto:jsnyder at audiodescribe.com]
Sent: Sunday, January 17, 2010 3:02 PM
To: 'ACB audio description discussion list'
Subject: RE: [ad-international] Playing DVD's on computer with Screen Reader

Hi James,

With your permission, I'd like to repost your query to the ACB discussion
list.  Periodically, there are helpful discussions there concerning all
aspects of audio description--on that list, of course, we reach a broad
range of screen reader users who may have some pertinent advice on accessing
DVD description on a computer.

I also want to respond to Joe Clark's comment earlier regarding a request
for assistance in accessing DVD description on a DVD player.

Joe wrote:

"Instead of wasting your time with Joel Snyder's unworkably overcomplex
instructions, play the movie itself and keep hitting the Audio key until the
description track plays. Surely this is a technique you have used before."

In my experience, the audio key "trick" works differently with different
DVDs and/or players.  For example, hitting the audio key while playing the
DVD of "Cinderalla Man" simply toggles on and off an audio channel window at
the top of the screen.  Once a DVD user toggles the window on (and, of
course, there's no audio menu to let you know that the window is on, i.e.,
only hit the key once--that should do it), he/she needs to advance the audio
channel with the arrow right key until description is heard--for
"Cinderella," the description is on Channel 3.  With other DVDs, you may end
up with the "director's commentary" before you find the description.  My
instructions to Kathy Blackburn on playing the description for "UP" were
intended to give specific and detailed advice for that particular DVD.  (I
hope it worked for you, Kathy!)

The larger point is that hopefully, as more DVDs are described, some
universal standard will be developed for access to the description track.

Joel

JOEL SNYDER
President, Audio Description Associates, LLC
"The Visual Made Verbal" T
6502 Westmoreland Avenue, Takoma Park, MD 20912
jsnyder at audiodescribe.com -- 301 920-0218
Cell: 301 452-1898 -- Fax: 408 445-0079

For more information about audio description, please visit:
www.audiodescribe.com

Director, Audio Description Project
American Council of the Blind
jsnyder at acb.org -- 202 467-5083
www.adinternational.org

-----Original Message-----
From: ad-international-bounces at acb.org
[mailto:ad-international-bounces at acb.org] On Behalf Of James Fetter
Sent: Friday, January 15, 2010 5:06 PM
To: ad-international at acb.org
Subject: [ad-international] Playing DVD's on computer with Screen Reader

Dear All,
I previously asked about accessing the audio description track on DVD's,
but there seems to be a much more fundamental problem. I cannot figure
out how to navigate through the DVD menus on a computer using a screen
reader, even in allegedly accessible programs such as Media Player
Classic. If anyone has actually played a DVD on a computer without
sighted assistance and has switched to the audio description track while
the DVD was playing, please explain how it's done. Descriptive audio is
a great concept, but if one is unable to play movies independently, I'm
not sure how far it gets us.
James

-- 
James Fetter
Department of Political Science
Adjunct Faculty, Program of Liberal Studies
216 O'Shaughnessy
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN 46556
574-323-4891
jfetter at nd.edu

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