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| Bell ExpressVu launches described video service - To Better Serve Blind and Visually Impaired Viewers |
| Posted
on Friday, December 13, 2002 - 09:19 AM |
Bell ExpressVu, Canada's leader in digital entertainment, announced today that it has created an enhanced service offering for the blind and visually impaired. Bell ExpressVu's described video
service provides its visually impaired customers with a channel that provides narrated program descriptions of key visual elements such as scene changes, action, character gestures and costumes. The overall goal is to enrich the
television experience by improving the understanding of visually impaired or blind viewers through narration.
The process involves incorporating regular video from a main channel and a special audio feed from the broadcaster. Bell ExpressVu's described video service includes an easy to find home located at Channel 50 which provides a daily audio listing of the programs scheduled on the described video channels.
It includes information on the audio content, what will be aired in described video format, the scheduled time of the show and the channel information. For ease of use all of the described video channels are grouped together on Bell ExpressVu's EPG (electronic programming guide) when they are airing described video programs.
"This is not only a technological achievement for Bell ExpressVu but a valuable development for an underserved viewership," said Terry Snazel, Vice President of Technology at Bell ExpressVu. In 1991, Statistics Canada reported that 635,000 Canadians had significant visual loss. Described video service is offered free of charge to all Bell ExpressVu subscribers.
Currently up to six separate described programs can be broadcast simultaneously. "Our next challenge is to increase our content in described video format," says Mr. Snazel. "We've put the tools at our disposal to good use to make us user-friendly for this community and as more described video programming is made available by broadcasters we will add channels to support the programming - that way we can offer even greater choice to the community."
With over 300 digital video channels, Bell ExpressVu is Canada's leader in digital home entertainment, providing consumers with the highest quality and most comprehensive digital television service. Bell ExpressVu offers the most diverse programming available to Canadians - two to three times more than the average cable company.
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