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Use Teletext Subtitles 20 October 2004 Anthony Hewitt, Director of the Communications Commission, was urging people to
make use of teletext subtitles at a talk to the Probus Club of Western Mann in
Peel on Monday. An increasing number of television
programmes have subtitles available. They are accessed through Teletext page 888
and the equivalent on satellite TV.
More than 70 channels now carry subtitling. It adds to viewing enjoyment for the
deaf and the hard of hearing. An increasing proportion of programmes are
subtitled or signed using British Sign Language. An exciting new service called
Audio Description is also to become available and will provide a separate sound
track in-between the dialogue to describe the scene and the action. This will
enable the visually impaired to enjoy a wider range of TV programmes.
Amongst groups consulted when setting quotas for programming with subtitling,
signing and Audio Description were the RNID and RNIB in Britain and the Irish
Deaf Society, National Association for Deaf People, Irish Hard of Hearing
Association and National Council for the Blind in Ireland.
Mr Hewitt also reported on progress from a meeting of the European Platform of
Regulatory Authorities (EPRA) held in Istanbul last week. The Isle of Man was
the Rapporteur for a plenary EPRA session on rules to provide access to TV and
radio programmes for people who are aurally and visually impaired. This is of
growing significance as the population ages.
The Isle of Man
Communications Commission joined EPRA earlier this year. It is a forum for
European broadcasting regulators with a membership from 39 countries across
Europe. It is not an EU body, although both the EU and the Council of Europe
send observers. More stories >>> |
