Re: a11y TF CfC on resolution to support "Media Text Associations" change proposal for HTML issue 9

On 4/5/10 8:30 AM, "Silvia Pfeiffer" <silviapfeiffer1@gmail.com> wrote:

On Mon, Apr 5, 2010 at 10:22 PM, Geoff Freed <geoff_freed@wgbh.org> wrote:
>
> On 4/3/10 10:24 AM, "Silvia Pfeiffer" <silviapfeiffer1@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Hi Sean,
>
> On Sun, Apr 4, 2010 at 12:20 AM, Sean Hayes <Sean.Hayes@microsoft.com>
> wrote:
>>
>
>> "I am not sure how to pick the default height for the default rendering
>> area for audio elements, though. Maybe there is a default from TV that could
>> be re-used."
>> Digital radio might be a better place to look, as TV pretty much always
>> assumes a picture, even if it's a still.
>
> I have listened to radio on a TV, but you are of course right. I've
> tried finding out how text works on DAB and mostly just came across a
> one-line scrolling text capability (as is being used in car radios).
> That probably won't be sufficient for reading captions, so maybe
> something more like 3-4 lines or whatever is used on TV might be more
> appropriate. Again, keen on other people's opinions here.
>
> GF:
> Note that the technology to transmit captions via HD radio does in fact
> exist.   NCAM, WGBH and other partners tested such a service in the US in
> November of 2008.  The tests themselves were successful, and the service was
> enthusiastically received by deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences around the
> country.  A press release can be found at
> http://ncam.wgbh.org/about/news/deaf-and-hard-of-hearing-users  .


That's excellent. Do you have a handle on what the technical
specifications for the caption rendering were/are?

GF:
There really wasn't any technical spec that came out of this project.  It was a test to prove that caption data could be carried and displayed.  Captions were sent as plain ACII text with CR/LF, added as a metadata stream to the transmission, then retrieved and viewed using simulators.

The greater point that I wanted to make, however, is that should the group take up the question of caption transmission via a radio stream, there's evidence that shows that it can be done and would probably be very useful.

Geoff/NCAM