Market Research Guidelines - Video and multimedia products.

Corresponding Rule

Case Study #6

1. Assignment
2. Scenario
3. Closed Captioning
4. Audio description
5. Sign language Insets
6. Conclusion

Assignment

We were given a three-part assignment to do a Market Research report to find a product and service that can provide for a series of training tapes, live broadcasts, and classroom sessions. The three parts are:

• Closed captioning
• Audio description
• Sign language insets

Scenario

Our goal was to produce a Market Research report that would be useful as a reference guide. Next, we felt that one universal product was of no value, so, instead, we focused on each of the three topics of closed captioning, audio description, and sign language insets. Since getting funding for Section 508 is often very difficult, we didn't worry given the scenario of either infinite funding or none. However, we did feel that keeping costs down was an essential reality.

We developed a project schedule for Market Research and produced a Market Research report outline.

Closed captioning

Closed captioning may be defined as placing typed text onto the viewed image during a live broadcast from either television or Web cameras in real time. Typically the audio is sent to an individual who listens to the broadcast, types the text and the text is telecommunicated back to the broadcasting site with little perceived delay for the viewer. Voice recognition software exists that in essence, replaces the individual keying the text by automatically converting the spoken words into captioned text.

Some agencies are fortunate and regularly work with closed captioning. They have contracts in place and staff familiar with doing closed captioning projects.

Closed Captioning in the National XXX Agency (NXXA) where captioning is often conducted

NXXA uses four options for doing closed captioning. Captioning is either done by NXXA personnel or by a vendor. The decision is based on when the captioning is needed. The following options are:

Option 1: NXXA contacts a captioning vendor who does the captioning. Since NXXA has equipment, the transcriber listens over the phone and captions during the live broadcast. Due to the limited number of vendors doing closed captioning, NXXA uses the same vendor (Caption Reporters).

Option 2: When NXXA is on location and without a phone, a vendor with equipment is called in to do the captioning.

Option 3: NXXA sends out a transcribed tape to a vendor who returns tape with captioning.

Option 4: NXXA has it's own captioning software and does its own captioning from a previously transcribed tape.

Section 508 EIT Multimedia Standard - Closed Captioning Market Research

Closed captioning involves placing typed text onto the viewed image during a live broadcast from either television or Web cameras in real time. Typically the audio is sent to an individual who listens to the broadcast, types the text and the text is telecommunicated back to the broadcasting site with little perceived delay for the viewer. Voice recognition software exists that in essence, replaces the individual keying the text by automatically converting the spoken words into captioned text.

Section 1194.24 (c) of the Section 508 standards for Multimedia Products mandates that "All training and informational video and multimedia productions which support the agency's mission, regardless of format, that contain speech or other audio information necessary for the comprehension of the content, shall be open or closed captioned."

Available sources used to perform this market research included an informal survey in the Commerce Department of organizations doing captioning for primarily web casts. Vendors at the recent IDEAS conference were canvassed and extensive use was made of the Internet. The General Services Administration's (GSA) Buy Accessible (Section 508 Web site) was also searched for closed captioning services.

Search was initiated through querying the Internet for commercial vendors and also through GSA's Section 508 Web site. Follow up phone calls were generally necessary to obtain the government rate for these services. Caption Colorado was easily the most competitive for live captioning. Agencies who have a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Department of Defense's Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program (CAP) can have videotapes captioned at no cost. See the following table on the next page for more information on sources for closed captioning services.

Closed Captioning Market Research

Audio description

Programs on television (TV), on storage media such as tapes and disks, and web sites present much of their information only visually. For people who are visually impaired this reliance on visual cues limits access to the learning and enjoyment such programs or video information offer. Audio description (sometimes called "video description") inserts descriptions of a TV program's key visual elements into natural pauses in the program.

Audio description is intended to provide visually impaired people with more access to the programs' content and to make viewing more satisfying. Consequently, audio description promotes two social policy objectives: (1) to ensure that people with disabilities have the same access to information and opportunities that people without disabilities do, and (2) to reduce missed information by visually impaired adults when watching television or video presentations. Audio description is found in Section 508, section 1194.24, (b) Audio Description Circuitry. Audio description is mentioned and, thus, is a requirement of Section 508.

Market Research for Audio Description

Using the Internet for market research, we found a wealth of information. Vendors, products, and services, and pricing information were readily available. The volume makes review and selection almost overwhelming. For example, three sources of information are:

• American Foundation for the Blind; www.afb.org
• Audio Description: The Visual Made Aural. Joel Snyder; National Endowment for the Arts; 202 682-5591; www.audiodescribe.com.
• The Accessible Museum. American Association of Museums, Washington, DC; 202 289-1818; www.aam-us.org

Audio description pricing information shows costs in the thousands of dollars. Price examples follow.

They are:

• For script plus recorded master tape, prices are in 15 minute increments. Script and the Betacam master up to 15 minutes, $3150
• Script and the Betacam master up to 15 -30 minutes, $3,600
• Script and the Betacam master up to 30-45, $4,025
• Script and the Betacam master up to 45-60 min, $4,500

We contacted an agency's Section 508 Coordinator who them contacted the Departmental Section 508 Coordinator. Neither was aware of any recent audio description market research or acquisitions. We then referenced Section 508 at www.access-board.gov.

Section 508 requirement:

• Television tuners, including tuner cards for use in computers, shall be equipped with secondary audio program playback circuitry.

What is a secondary audio channel and why is special circuitry required? The most common method of broadcasting audio description is through the Secondary Audio Program (SAP) feature of stereo televisions. Each television channel has what is called a "secondary audio channel" associated with it. The secondary audio channel may contain audio descriptions or foreign language translations of dialogue. If used to deliver audio descriptions, SAP can greatly enhance the multimedia experience for those who are blind or who have low vision. When television tuners, including tuner cards for use in computers, are equipped with SAP playback circuitry, people who are blind or who have low vision may access whatever audio description has been associated with the presentation.

How do audio descriptions assist people with disabilities? An "audio description" is an audible description of the visual content of a presentation, synchronized with the existing soundtrack. Typically, appropriate portions of the audio description are narrated during what would otherwise be natural silences in the presentation.

What is a tuner card? Tuner cards enable a computer to receive television broadcasts. This product is an example of what the industry calls "convergence" and represents a way in which the functions historically provided by TV, PC, cable and Internet products are merging onto multi-function devices. Tuner cards can be internal or external and can work with laptop or desktop computers.

Section 508 requirement:

• All training and informational video and multimedia productions that support the agency's mission, regardless of format, that contain visual information necessary for the comprehension of the content, shall be audio described.

At that agency's Acquisition Office, they recommended using the GSA web site: www.section508.gov . We looked at various products and services on this site and on the Internet found the wealth of information about audio description. Prices ranged in the low and mid thousands, but this wasn't restrictive since funding was assured per the scenario.

Some helpful web sites are:

• Federal Communications Commission, www.fcc.gov
• JL Audio, www.jlaudio.com
• Audio Description Associates, www.audiodescribe.com
• Arts Access Incorporated, www.artsaccessinc.org
• CaptionMax's Audio Description Services, www.captionmax.com

Sign language insets

Sign language inserts are used in video presentations for the hearing impaired. Sign language inserts require considerable resources that include: a sign language interpreter, video recording capability, and video editing skills. At one agency in particular, they videotape presentations in their main auditorium using a sign language interpreter. The presentation is shown live over the Bureau's IP/TV network at each employee's networked computer. Later the videotapes are edited and made available on the IP/TV network by request and for viewing on each employee's desktop computer.

Providing a sign language insert into videos is not a requirement of Section 508. Section 508, section 1194.24, Video and multimedia Products, paragraph c, only requires open or closed captioning. Providing sign language interpreting in videos is not mentioned, and as such, is not a requirement. However, some people may want to have this feature available in their videos. When considering using a sign language inset, one must remember that most people who are hard-of-hearing, but not deaf, don't have the ability to read sign language, and won't be able to benefit from this service, as they would from open or closed captioning. As with any market research for the disabled, one should first search GSA's Section 508 "Buy Accessible Services" for companies that provide a service of producing sign language interpreting insets. Failing this, you should use a general search engine such as Google, or AltaVista. Unfortunately, these search engines may produce a large number of hits or results.

For example, because of the large number of hits returned by searching on a term such as "sign language", one may want to use the Advanced Search option of the search engine. The following fields could then be completed.

• In the Exact Phrase field use "sign language"
• In the With All Words fields use "service inset"

To further reduce the number of hits, use the name or abbreviation of the state where the services are required. Additionally, to eliminate some hits, one may want to use the terms ".uk England british .fr france .au austrilia in-service inservice training" in the Without Words field.

Other similar search topics or services include: "video interpreting", "remote interpreting", "remove video interpreting (RVI)", or "video remote interpreting (VRI). These services provide sign language interpreting without requiring the interpreter to be in the same location as users by using video teleconferencing facilities. Note: the quote marks used above are generally not required by the search engines in their Advanced Search option.

Conclusion

Market research for products or services for the disabled is merely a part of the normal government acquisition process. It is no different than any other acquisition except for the provisions of Section 508. Usually, but not always, someone else has already done what you want to do. Key elements for successful Market Research include:

• Contact your Section 508 Coordinator for assistance. Your Coordinator may be aware of previously completed Market Research and Market Sources. Research Section 508 requirements at www.access-board.gov .
• Contact your Acquisition Office for assistance. You may have contracts already in place for the product or service you need.
• Use GSA's Section 508 web site (www.section508.gov) as a further place for research. There is a wealth of information.
• Use GSA's Section 508 Buy Accessible on www.section508.gov.
• Use the Internet to obtain vendor, product, and pricing information. This can require skillful search techniques to get information that you want.

The key elements should prove useful as a starting point when conducting Market Research. Don't become discouraged. Internet searches can sometimes be tricky. When possible, work closely with your Section 508 Coordinator or Acquisition Office to complete your market research successfully.