Subject: From TDI: April 6, 2009 - TDI Welcomes CSD as a DTV Transition Resource - Consumer Survey Launched to Explore Digital Captioning Problems

Reply-To: news@tdienotes.org

TDI-L eNotes - April 6, 2009

In this issue:

• TDI WELCOMES CSD AS DTV TRANSITION RESOURCE

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TDI WELCOMES CSD AS A DTV TRANSITION RESOURCE

Consumer Survey Launched to Explore Digital Captioning Problems

(SILVER SPRING, MARYLAND - APRIL 6, 2009) TDI welcomes CSD and its DTV Help Center to help ensure that the nation's 31 million deaf and hard of hearing caption viewers are able to continue viewing television as the nation moves into the digital era.  In addition to the DTV Help Center, CSD has launched an online survey that hopes to capture the real-life experiences of captioning viewers.

With funding from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), CSD assembled a videophone call center at Sioux Falls, South Dakota to handle the expected increase in calls as viewers learn about CSD's resources to assist deaf and hard of hearing caption viewers as they move forward into digital television.  This innovative Help Center call can receive traditional phone calls, and also TTY, relay, video relay, videophone, and CapTel calls. This means that regardless of the level of hearing loss, the Help Center is equipped to handle any call type preference.

"Since February, our Help Center has impacted thousands of deaf and hard of hearing consumers who are struggling with or need further information on the digital TV transition," said Benjamin Soukup, CSD chief executive officer. "With the launch of our new captioning survey, we are compiling statistics and helping to resolve one of the most critical components of the DTV transition - closed captioning problems."

"In addition to TDI and other advocacy groups that have pushed for more education on the digital television transition, we are pleased to be working with CSD and stand by ready to assist on numerous technical issues affecting deaf and hard of hearing and millions of other viewers who depend on closed captioning," said Claude Stout, TDI executive director.  Mr. Stout further adds, "TDI stresses the importance of CSD's unique survey.  It is a historical opportunity for consumers across America to systematically document the seriousness and the growing complexity of captioning problems that we face on digital television.  This survey will validate the concerns that TDI and other national organizations brought up in a 2004 Captioning Quality Petition to the FCC."

Options for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Viewers

For most television viewers, the DTV transition will have very little impact.  The small percent of viewers who own analog television with rabbit ears or rooftop antennas will bear the brunt of the changes between now and June 12 as television stations cease broadcasting the analog signal unless they have a converter box.  The converter boxes are between $50 to $70, and the government has up to two $40 coupons available per household (supplies limited).  All converter boxes will show the usual captions, but some converter boxes will also show you the newer captions as if you have a digital television.  This is one option.

Two other options are to either sign up for cable or satellite television service and receive a set-top box for your television set, or you can dive right in and buy a whole new digital television set.  Either way, you may deal with salespeople and technicians who know everything but very little about captioning.  You find a set that you like and it is within your budget.  So you take it home and set it up.  You managed to get the video the way you want it with vibrant colors but somehow the white captions on black background looks out of place on the new TV in this day and age.  Captions on digital television sets come in different fonts, different backgrounds, different colors and different sizes.

Please fill out the survey!

No matter what television set-up you have, whether it is basic or elaborate, TDI wants you to help fill out a survey.  Although not a stipulation of the FCC contract, this survey was developed through a partnership between CSD and the National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM) at WGBH, in collaboration with National Association of the Deaf (NAD) and Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA).  The results from this survey will be sent to the FCC and help them understand what problems exist with captioning.  They need to hear from you, the consumers, not the industry.

From the onset of the DTV transition, CSD anticipated that a high percentage of the incoming queries would relate to captioning issues. Considering there is an estimated 118 million current captioning users in the U.S. (National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control, National Center for Health Statistics), CSD was aware of the importance of documenting these captioning issues. Understanding where problems are happening at the national level or where they cluster geographically allows feedback to be directed to the proper entities.

Please fill out the survey today

Thank you.
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