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COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATION FRAMEWORK PROGRAMME

ICT Policy Support Programme (ICT PSP)

ICT PSP call identifier: ICT PSP/2007/1

ICT PSP Theme/ Objective identifier: 2.1: Accessible digital Audiovisual (AV) system (Pilot B)

Project acronym: DTV4All

Project full title: Digital Television For All

Grant Agreement no.: 224994

Contract duration: 01.07.2008 – 31.12.2010

Deliverable no.: D4.3 Deliverable title: IBC/IFA Presentation

Nature of deliverable: Report

Dissemination level Public

Due date: 31.01.2010

Actual delivery date: 04.05.2010

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Document title and history: D4.3

Version no: Date: Changes Contributor

001 12-04-2010 POL

002 15-04-2010 Editorial revision WB

003 27-04-2010 Additions by RBB and editorial revision BH/TJO

004 28-04-2010 Further minor corrections BH/POL

Document authors / organization: Peter Looms

Partners contributed: All

Availability: Draft: Open

Circulation: Partners

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1 Introduction

The project Digital Television for all (DTV4All) supports the European Commission’s

aim of digital television for all regardless of age or disabilities. Through the work of the

project the use of television by individuals with physical, age-related or mental

impairments will be facilitated.

The Institut für Rundfunktechnik (IRT) supported by the other project partners

presented early results of the DTV4All project, in the English language, at the

International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) in Amsterdam from September 11-15,

2009 where DTV4All was partner of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) at booth

10.D21. This DTV4All project deliverable reports on this activity together with the

presentation of early results of the project by RBB at IFA, is one of the world's largest

consumer electronics trade shows, in the German language, in Berlin 3-8 September 2009.

Today, there are 38 million people living in Europe with more or less severe disabilities.

For these individuals, participation in the information society is clearly hindered.

However, not only are people with disabilities encountering barriers in the handling of

broadcasting and media technology today but also older people with age related

impairments. Already, 20% of the population of Europe is above the age of 60, and the

trend is going upwards. Both program providers and device manufacturers are faced

with the challenge of facilitating the use of television for individuals with physical, age-

related or mental impairments of varying degrees of severity.

DTV4All is funded by the European Commission under its Information and

Communication Technology Policy Support Programme (ICT PSP). DTV4All

investigates existing methods for barrier-free television access as well as new methods.

The primary goal is to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of the deployment of

mature methods through comprehensive field tests in four European member states,

Denmark, Germany, Italy, and Spain, in order to realize barrier-free access in day-to-

day operations as soon as possible on a pan-European scale. Through the project the

Commission is thus enhancing efforts to integrate all the citizens of the European Union

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in the Information Society and allow them to enjoy the enhanced quality of life

associated with the Information Society.

Good opportunities for contributing towards this goal arise as a result of the pan-

European switchover from analog to digital television. From the switchover onwards

television access services that some public broadcasting companies are already offering

in their programme transmissions, such as subtitling for the hearing impaired and audio

description for individuals with impaired eyesight, should be more strongly established

across the member states of the European Union. The technology for presenting these

services to the user will be realized by the television receiver industry based on methods

standardized by Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) group.

In addition to the field testing of mature access services, new ways of realising barrier-

free television are being explored in the DTV4All project.

High Definition Television (HDTV) and Hybrid broadcast and broadband Television

(HbbTV) receivers have the potential to allow more on-screen options to be provided

for the presentation of visual access services on the television screen and access service

delivery over the Internet. If made available, the user could access these features

through their remote control in the usual way. For example, teletext offers and subtitles

can be made much more legible to users with mild sight impairment. In this context it is

important to note that age related hearing impairment is often accompanied by age

related sight impairment. On an HbbTV receiver, a video of a sign language interpreter

delivered over the Internet can be inserted into a broadcast programme.

For better intelligibility for the hearing impaired, complex audio content can be

simplified. For example, background noises or music that may be disturbing and affect

appreciation of the dialogue can be suppressed to a desired degree. The audio

technology required to deliver the resulting so called "clean audio" is progressing.

The IRT and RBB, supported by other project partners, presented early results of the

DTV4All project on new ways of providing barrier-free television at IBC in

Amsterdam, September 2009. At the EBU booth 10.D21 the project demonstrated a

speaking program guide, acoustic playback of teletext pages, and design variations of

DVB-subtitles as they were tested with impaired users in the large DTV4All German

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pilot in order to prepare there introduction in regular operation in accordance with

users’ needs, making the most of a mature service. The BBC participated in the project

demonstration as a guest and showed the selection and provision of subtitles via the

Internet synchronized with an ongoing television broadcast programme.

At IFA in Berlin in September 2009 the DTV4All project was promoted by RBB

through a demonstration that involved showing a video loop based on an RBB magazine

programme that presented a great variety of design options for DVB-subtitles.

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2 DTV4All at IBC 2009 Amsterdam

The aim of a presence by DTV4All at IBC was to engage with a wide range of

stakeholders in digital television in order to create greater awareness of barrier-free

television. In particular, the nature of the challenge, the range of mature solutions

already in place to make digital television more inclusive, and the existence of emerging

technological solutions that could enhance the inclusiveness of digital television in

coming years.

The DTV4ALL project was offered a booth on the European Broadcasting Union

(EBU) stand next to a related EBU project on Peer To Peer distribution of television.

The DTV4All booth included:

• a display for synchronised delivery of a video of a signer and a broadcast television

programme (BBC/DTV4ll) - manned by IRT

• a display for BBC content obtained through Red Bee and manned by Brunel

University

• a display for IRT/RBB German content with Text-To-Speech (TTS), provided by an

Ammec Device, and DVB-subtitles

• a poster “Access Services for All” about the DTV4ALL project (prominent on the

back wall)

• a poster from Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR), Universitat Autònoma de

Barcelona (UAB), and Red Bee Media on functional impairments and the range of

mature access services available today on digital television (on the back wall)

• A project poster on TV programmes designed for inclusion (on the right wall)

• a poster from RBB and IRT on their work on the evaluation of the RBB Field test of

DVB subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing and on the RBB/IRT laboratory test

of an audio interface (TTS) (on the right wall)

• . A poster on Synchronised DVB-S & IP Delivery of Video Signer (on the left wall)

Copies of some of the posters were available as A4 handouts at the booth together with

a DTV4All project handout.

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The following photograph gives a general impression of the booth:

The IRT team included a blind colleague, Mr Christoph Bungard, who was able to

explain more tangibly the issues facing viewers with visual impairments. Mr Christoph

Bungard is a member of the DBSV (Deutschen Blinden- und Sehbehindertenverband

e.V. / German Association of the blind) and had assisted RBB in conducting the user

tests of the Ammec (‘Accessible Multi Media Entertainment Center’).

Several hundred visitors representing a wide range of stakeholders (broadcasters,

broadcaster infrastructure vendors, consumer electronic manufacturers, civil servants,

regulators, and members of the press) visited the booth.

Interaction with broadcast industry professions confirmed the need for dissemination

actions in this field. Very few of the visitors were familiar with the nature of e-

inclusiveness and the range of mature options already available to viewers in Europe.

The booth’s proximity to the EBU Peer To Peer (P2P) project demonstration was

fruitful. Staff on both stands took the opportunity to discuss the implications of P2P

distribution over IP networks for access services. E-inclusiveness issues were also

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raised by Mr. David Wood of the EBU at the IBC Conference and he referred

participants to the DTV4All booth on the EBU stand.

There was selective press coverage of the DTV4All presence at IBC. One such report

was later mentioned at the project review in October, 2009. Generally speaking the

coverage was constructive and favourable.

The appendices present the booth layout, images of all of the posters and the project

handout, as well as a short report by Jim Slater (formerly with BBC, now Director of

Slater Electronic Services) who was impressed by the professional booth and its

association with the EBU village.

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3 DTV4All at IFA 2009 Berlin

Like in 2006 and 2007 RBB presented its current innovation projects at the official

RBB-booth at IFA 2009. The IFA event in Berlin is one of the world's largest consumer

electronics trade shows. Since 2006 the IFA show takes place every single year; last

year 1049 exhibitors and 212,494 visitors attended this consumer electronics trade

event. The IFA 2009 show is a trade show for both industry experts and the general

public with unique trade visitor services, special events and a comprehensive program

for consumers. Every IFA show is a high quality media event with more than 6,500

accredited journalists from 74 countries including 5,211 media representatives from

Germany and 1,308 from other countries cover the world's largest consumer electronics

trade show.

RBB presented three projects, among them DTV4All. Focusing on promoting RBB’s

pilot on DVB-subtitles, the DTV4All presentation sought to promote the project as a

whole and provided information about mature and emerging technologies for barrier-

free access to digital TV. It also highlighted RBB’s cooperation with the regional

impairment associations for the project.

A video loop based on an RBB magazine programme was shown presenting a great

variety of design options for DVB-subtitles.

The RBB booth was generally well attended to. Among the people who showed interest

in the project presentations were also some impaired people. One of them, a deaf user,

used a text editor to ask for more subtitling on part of RBB. Concerning the DVB-

subtitles he was very pleased with this new technology and expressed his appreciation.

There was also great interest from professional visitors to the booth like regional

politicians, RBB and ARD colleagues, and members of the ARD broadcasting

commission representing the public.

On the occasion of official guided tours DTV4All was presented to:

• RBB leadership

• Trade union delegation

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• RBB broadcasting commission

• ARD-Secretary General

• Deutschlandradio broadcasting commission

A special DTV4All presentation was given to the SWR broadcasting commission.

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4 Appendix 1: DTV4All IBC 2009 Booth Layout

• 3 exhibits with one flat-screen display (~32“) each: one in the back, two on each side

• Room for posters next to the displays (same design template)

• Fixed worktop in the back with cupboard underneath

• No fixed bar stools, instead: 2-3 bar stools located in the back plus 1 conventional chair for Christoph Bungard

DTV4All – booth layout for IBC 2009 (EBU Village)

Dis

play

A

Display B

Dis

play

C

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5 Appendix 2: IBC 2009 DTV4All poster

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6 Appendix 3: DR/UAB/Red Bee Media poster on access needs and mature solutions

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7 Appendix 4: RBB/IRT poster on user testing of DVB subtitles and TTS-functionalities for blind users

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8 Appendix 5: Poster on TV programmes designed for inclusion

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9 Appendix 6: Poster on Synchronised DVB-S & IP Delivery of Video Signer

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10 Appendix 7: DTV4All handout at IBC 2009