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New website puts audio description online
Transcript
10 March 2013
Roberta: With us today is Chris Mikul, Project Manager of Media Access Australia. And Chris is going to talk to us about a new online audio description service called Blindy TV. Welcome Chris.
Chris: Hello Roberta.
Roberta: Now what is Blindy TV?
Chris: Okay, Blindy TV is, what I think is a very cool website that has been set up by a group of blind people in America who are, like a lot of us, frustrated by the lack of audio description on TV. Very simple concept, very basic website.
You open it up and you see that there are five different channels playing on it. You click on one of those channels and you start to hear the audio track of a program with audio description. So it’s just the audio track only, there’s no vision or anything. And what I should emphasise about it is the people who set this up, they know that it’s not a solution to the problem of there not being audio description on TV, but I think they’ve just said, okay, well there’s a problem there, let’s do something about it. Let’s provide some audio description for people.
Roberta: So what kind of programs do they have?
Chris: Well there are five channels on it. There’s drama, comedy, sci-fi, brain, which is basically documentaries, and ETC. And so I’ve actually got it open at the moment and so at the moment there’s a stand up comedian playing, there’s, an episode of NCIS. On the sci-fi channel there’s the program Cringe. There’s a documentary about flying aircraft carriers and Master Chef is playing on ETC. So it’s quite a wide range of programs.
Roberta: My goodness.
Chris: They’re sort of sourced from all different places. A lot of the ones that I’ve heard have British audio description in them. Britain is sort of leading the world in audio description at the moment. So it’s a lot of stuff.
They’re not trying to be like a regular TV service, so there’s no program guides or schedules or whatever, but, you know, with five channels playing, if you go on to it, there’s likely to be something worth listening on it. So yeah, as I say, great.
Roberta: It is too. Are people able, Chris, to access Blindy TV here in Australia?
Chris: Yes, and that’s another really good thing about it. And there’s a little bit of audio description sort of available over the internet, around the world. But the problem is a lot of the sites that have it are geographically blocked. So for example, the BBC’s Catch Up TV service is their iView player and they have audio described programs. But if you try to go to them here you get a message saying sorry, you’re in Australia, go away.
So this is something that’s just available to everybody. So check out Blindy TV. So basically if people Google Blindy TV they’ll find it quickly. As I say, all you do is click on the program that’s playing and away you go.
Roberta: Actually, this is a good way for people to be able to access audio description and get used to it.
Chris: Yes, exactly, I mean specially if people haven’t heard any audio description. And, as I say, there are old shows on there but there are also quite recent ones as well. So, yeah, it’s, I wish someone had done it before.
Roberta: Exactly. Well it’s happening now and I think this is a prototype to something to come I think.
Chris: Yeah, that’s right.
Roberta: Now, what’s happening with audio description on TV here?
Chris: Okay, well this is the question everyone’s asking of course. At the moment we’re sort of in a bit of a holding pattern. We are waiting for the release of the technical report that the ABC did on the trial that happened last year. That’s now with the government. So we’re hoping that that’s going to be released very soon.
Last week we, as in Media Access Australia, Blind Citizens Australia, Vision Australia and ACCAN issued a communiqué basically saying to the government, where’s this report? We all want to read it. And I’ve heard some positive noises that it is going to be released soon and then what will happen, there will be a process of discussion about technical issues that arose in the trial and what we need to do to actually get the service, we all know it’s well overdue.
Roberta: My word, but it’s going to happen, I’m quite sure and I look forward to talking with you when that comes out.
Chris: I know, and I’ll have good news hopefully.
Roberta: Now, if you want to know more about audio description, Media Access Australia has a website. Or if you’d like to e-mail, info@mediaaccess.org.au. Or the good old fashioned phone, 02 92126242. Thank you Chris for all that.
Chris: Thanks Roberta.
Roberta: I’ve been speaking with Chris Mikul, project manager of Media Access Australia. And Media Access Australia is a supporter of this program.