Broadcast Access Services

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Broadcast Access Services
The spirit is willing, but (often) the budget is
weak
David Wood Deputy Director EBU TECHNOLOGY AND
DEVELOPMENT European Broadcasting Union
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PSMs and Access Technology.

• Public Service Broadcasters have been the
  pioneers in developing delivery technology to
  help access to the media by those with
  disabilities. We care very much.
• EBU members have developed delivery systems to
  help those with hearing disabilities (sub-titles,
  script mining, avatars for signing) and sight
  disabilities (audio descriptions).
• Our NHK broadcaster cousins in Japan have
  developed systems to help the aged listen to
  audio more easily (clean feeds, audio slow down)
  and audio-to-Braille systems.
• Our NPR broadcast cousins in North America have
  developed a radio captioning system for those
  with hearing disabilities.
• But there is a lot more to this than just having
  delivery technology.

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And there are other issues to consider...

• How are the disabled portrayed in the media
  as people or just stereotypes?
• Do the disabled benefit from programmes which
  explore their specific problems do they need
  some programmes just for them?
• How are the disabled treated by employers in
  the content production industry?
• How can we help those with other disabilities
  such as mobility or mental health problems?

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The situation today.

• We would love to use them all for each and
  every programme if we could.
• We know that media access can be even more
  valuable to those with disabilities than to those
  without, as their connecting point to society.
• EBU members public service broadcasters are
  among the organisations who do most in services
  to those with disabilities.
• In some countries there are quotas required for
  EBU members, usually for sub-titling, as part of
  their public service mission.
• But taken overall they not widely used today
  (e.g. over twenty years after being developed,
  audio descriptions are only used by a handful of
  Europes 8000 TV channels).

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The problems are usually.....

• Main Barriers
• Funding of the broadcast services (money-out for
  no money-in). For example, ABC in Australia
  calculated that to add audio descriptions to
  their TV services would cost 15 million AU
  dollars per year.
• Non universal availability of low cost disabled
  receiving equipment (volume production to achieve
  low prices for a small market is difficult)
• Side issues
• Difficulty in choosing which disabled community
  has the highest priority, and most justifies the
  expenditure.
• Figures on actual usage difficult to obtain.
• Difficult to know which body is the best one to
  help understand needs.

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Reducing the cost of the provision of services?

• Can we develop technology which will lead to
  automatic generation of services for those with
  disabilities?
• For example voice-text conversion systems
  available to day do not have adequate accuracy.
  We probably will need very powerful computer
  systems. R and D is needed?
• For example the signing avatars available
  today are not liked by the disabled community
  (too small, inadequate facial and body
  expression clues). R and D is needed?
• Problem they will call for relatively
  extensive research for a relatively small market.
  

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If we are to move ahead...

• It is not just a matter for broadcasters. We
  cannot solve this on our own.
• Governments and the whole of the value chain
  need to care and need to be involved.
• The worldwide receiver industry has to make
  available the receiving equipment that would be
  needed to everyone who needs it.
• Governments have to help the decision on which
  segment of the disabled community to help and
  which not to help.
• Unless there is additional funding, something
  we do today will have to be dropped. Where can
  we find it? How should this choice be made?

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What could/should be done?

• We (all elements of the value chain) need to
  decide what is reasonable and practical in
  services for those with disabilities.
• We (all elements of the value chain) need to
  examine the tools, and the audiences, and decide
  which services to which audiences are the
  priority.
• R and D is needed to develop equipment to
  automate the production of content for the
  disabled.
• Funding needs to be found. E.g. Set makers
  today help broadcasters with funding for things
  like 3DTV broadcasting trials. Would they find
  helping those with disabilities equally worthy?
• Technical point Hybrid broadcasting could
  provide many services for those with
  disabilities. Can we stop the standards
  explosion here?
• As always we need a (sort of) business
  plan.

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Thank you!

• Thank you for listening!
• David Wood
• wood_at_ebu.ch