DVD
DVD and audio description
Here you will find news and information about audio described DVDs as well as a database of audio described DVD titles.
- Audio description on DVD
- Identifying titles with audio description
- How to watch a DVD with audio description
- DVDs with audio menus
- DVDs with audio description internationally
- List of DVDs currently available with Audio description
- Audio description and DVD news
Audio description on DVD
Audio described DVDs can be found at any local rental store or DVD retailer. However the number of audio described DVD titles released onto the Australian market (Region four) is considerably low, with only 18% of mainstream new release rental titles containing audio description. This percentage is even lower for retail-only DVDs.
Media Access Australia is involved in round table discussions with the DVD industry, consumer groups and the Australian Human Rights Commission to increase industry and consumer knowledge of audio description technology and availability.
Advances have already been made in DVD access through this process, with more expected to be realised in the future.
If a title is audio described, then every single copy of that title should have audio description. This means that audio described DVDs are available from any outlet where DVDs can be purchased.
Identifying titles with audio description
If a DVD has been audio described, it can be identified as a language specification on the back cover of the DVD. The Australian DVD industry association, the Australian Visual Software Distributors Association (AVSDA), has recently adopted a labeling terminology and layout to clearly identify audio described DVDs.
The industry adopted logo and term are:
English Audio Description.
The label will also specify whether the audio description is for the feature only or includes audio description on bonus material as well.
You should be aware that not all DVD distributors in Australia are members of the Australian Visual Software Distributors Association, so audio description can also be expressed as, 'English for the vision impaired', 'Audio Described for the Visually Impaired', 'Descriptive Video', 'Audio Descriptive Service', 'ADS', or 'English descriptive audio'.
How to watch a DVD with audio description
Audio description on DVD can generally be selected from the language options of a DVD menu, but can sometimes be found in the Language or Set Up options. Once selected, you are then able to watch the feature with audio descriptions, starting from the opening credits and finishing with the closing credits. There is no special equipment required to watch an audio described DVD, just a standard DVD player.
The development of audio menus is still in its infancy both in Australia and internationally. An audio menu will talk to you from the moment you insert the DVD into your DVD player, and assist you to navigate through the menu options to select the opt ions you wish, including audio description.
There is still major work to be done in the area of DVD accessibility but Media Access Australia is pleased to see changes already taking place.
DVDs with audio menus
DVD discs
themselves offer a method of choosing the audio track through the disc’s own
menu system. However, these menus vary
from title to title and most do not talk, making it difficult for a blind user
to select the AD independently.
Audio menus are DVD menus that narrate the options to a viewer from the moment you insert the disc
into your DVD player. They assist you to
navigate through the menu options to select the options you wish, including AD. The development of audio menus, also called audio navigation,
is still in its infancy both in Australia
and internationally.
The first talking menus for DVD were on the box set discs of Dr Who Series Two, produced by the Royal National Institute for the Blind and 2 entertain Ltd in 2006.
When the first disc of the series is inserted into a DVD player, the disc says, “Dr Who, series 2, disk one”. It will then give the viewer the option of selecting audio menus which, if selected, will be spoken and also shown in large print.
Audio menus are available on the following titles in Australia:
Dr Who Series 2 box set
Dr Who Series 3 box set
Dr Who Series 4 box set
Other titles are available from the UK with talking menus but are Region 2 DVDs. These can only be played on a DVD player that can access Region 2 DVDs. Find a list of these titles from the RNIB's list of audio described DVDs. This list is regularly updated and titles with audio menus are mentioned in brackets as 'Talking Menus'.
At this point in time, no Australian DVD distributor has developed audio menus.
DVDs with audio description Internationally
Australia turns to international DVD Region Two for a comparison of DVD access. This is because the majority of mainstream releases to the Region Four market are imported from the United Kingdom, which is part of Region Two. The current level of audio description access on Region Two titles is approximately 10%, which is relatively comparable to Australia's current level of 7%. DVDs with audio description in the USA, which is part of Region One, is significantly lower.
The Royal National Institute of the Blind regularly update a fact sheet of audio described DVD titles [DOC 94.0 KB]. This fact sheet provides Region four consumers with an idea of titles that may potentially be released here with audio description.