We here at Redeafined are super excited that we get to try out these new subtitle glasses in the coming week. The glasses, by Sony, provide closed captioning in movie theaters and are currently available in select Regal Theaters. A review is forthcoming. In the meantime, read up more about the technology here, and give us your opinion. Have you given this or similar technology a try? What other gadget would you like to see designed for deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences? Let us know in the comments!
02 October 2012
Subtitle Glasses Review Forthcoming!
We here at Redeafined are super excited that we get to try out these new subtitle glasses in the coming week. The glasses, by Sony, provide closed captioning in movie theaters and are currently available in select Regal Theaters. A review is forthcoming. In the meantime, read up more about the technology here, and give us your opinion. Have you given this or similar technology a try? What other gadget would you like to see designed for deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences? Let us know in the comments!
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I have used these glasses a few times now with great success. They do seem like they will be a bit fragile in the long run, and I imagine that theaters will need to fix/replace them often. Last weekend I used a pair and had to exchange half-way through the movie because they went all wonky.
ReplyDeleteOverall a fantastic start and great accessibility tool for us all! Just remember to clean the lenses before the movie starts. Both pairs were very grimy.
A solution such as the Sony Access Glasses would be very useful for people with hearing loss in the UK. Although most cinemas now have facilities to screen the latest films with English-language subtitles & audio description for people with hearing or sight loss, there are only around 1,000 subtitled shows every week around the UK. That may sound a lot but it’s only around 1% of cinema shows. In the UK, subtitles are on the cinema screen, for all to see, so require separate screenings - inconvenient for cinemas as well as audiences.
ReplyDeleteSubtitle glasses would increase the choice of subtitled films and shows tenfold, which people with hearing loss would very much appreciate. Take a look at this page of feedback from the cinema-going public: http://www.yourlocalcinema.com/quote.html
In fact a multi-language/caption/narration solution such as subtitle glasses or a caption display would enable under-served, untapped audiences Europe-wide to enjoy the cinema experience. Not only people with hearing or sight loss, but also people whose first language is not the local language.
The content is ready - film distributors already ensure that most popular cinema releases are routinely captioned, audio described and subtitled in many European languages. Large-capacity DCP hard drives can easily accommodate a digital film and multi-language text/audio tracks.
With ageing, loss of some hearing or sight is inevitable. Access to film via captions/subtitles and audio description/narration is something that we may all appreciate eventually.
Derek Brandon
Twitter: http://twitter.com/yourlocalcinema/favorites
Hi Aaron and Derek,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments! Aaron, I'm glad you found the subtitle glasses to be a pleasant experience. Unfortunately upon arrival at the movie theater this week I was informed that the subtitle glasses have not yet arrived in New York City, so I'll have to wait to try them out myself.
I did, however, watch the movie using Rear Window technology, which, though not multilingual, would still be of interest to you, Derek, and others in the UK, as it no longer requires captions on the screen for all to see, but rather on small portable devices for those who want them.