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Audio description : making it work. Nick Tanton BBC. Synopsis. Authoring Playout Coding Receivers End-to-end. BBC involvement. working on AD since early 90’s working on AD for DTV since 1997 defined signal formats in 1998 broadcasting on DTT since 1999 regular service since 2000
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Audio description :making it work Nick Tanton BBC
Synopsis • Authoring • Playout • Coding • Receivers • End-to-end
BBC involvement • working on AD since early 90’s • working on AD for DTV since 1997 • defined signal formats in 1998 • broadcasting on DTT since 1999 • regular service since 2000 • provided technical support to manufacturers and other broadcasters • pro-active participation in standardisation
BBC activity now • AD on over 11% of programmes (Q1-Q3 2007) for all relevant BBC public service digital TV channels • AD on our HD service • UK Digital Switchover Help Scheme • Authoring and playout by RedBEE • Coding by Siemens
Authoring 1 1998
Authoring 2 1999
Authoring 3 2008
Authoring 5 • keep file format as flexible as possible • e.g. multiple WAV and ESEF • anticipate • archiving • re-edits and re-versioning • new delivery platforms and standards
Playout • ensure that if you’ve scheduled AD • it gets played-out as scheduled, • correct AD is associated with video etc. before TX, • it is accurately labelled in the metadata included with the delivered signal, • you’ve kept an accurate as-delivered log.
Coding • ensure • the signal gets transmitted as scheduled, • it is correctly signalled in the service information (SI), • you’re able to identify failures to deliver and rectify them as promptly as possible, • coders can identify and respond appropriately to errors in the incoming signal.
Receivers 1 • ensure • clear and complete definition of expected receiver behaviour, • user-interface is appropriate for B&PS, • test and representative streams are available and used • thorough testing (preferably with some independent oversight) Beware regression
Receivers 2 Remote controls • Easy-to-use remote controls are important for everyone(especially the blind and partially sighted) DedicatedAD & ST buttons
Receivers 3 • Most manufacturers know what is involved in including AD with their product. • A number of manufacturers have product with AD (iDTVs and stbs) or are working on including it
End-to-end (e2e ?) • ensure • everyone involved in the process of delivery understands how important AD is to the blind and partially sighted user, • monitoring is designed-in ab-initio (and for executive action not just for reporting), • the service requirements are paramount. A culture based solely on “service level agreements” & “key performance indicators” will almost certainly produce a poor user-experience.
Thanks for your attentionnick.tanton@bbc.co.uk End-to-end 2