Cinema Captioning in Australia – CaptiView
Currently captioned (or subtitled as it is refered to in the UK) cinema screenings of same language films as opposed to foreign language are available in the UK, USA, and Australia – see Cinema links on this blog. Currently Australian deaf and hard of hearing cinema goers have been able to trial a new captioning service called CaptiView. According to the fact sheet:
The CaptiView system consists of a small, OLED display on a bendable support arm that fits
into the theater seat cup holder. The easy-to-read screen is equipped with a rechargable Lithium
Ion battery that lasts over 24 hours of continuous use per charge. The high contrast display
comes with a privacy visor so it can be positioned directly in front the movie patron with minimal
impact or distraction to neighboring patrons.
SOURCE: doremi cinema
You can see a bit of it in action in this video which ironically is not captioned, unless you want to turn on You Tube’s not completely accurate automated captioning:
But better than the above, be sure to check out this review from a users perspective from Michael Lockrey. The comments are mostly positive and there are some great screen grabs of the unit in action with a movie screening.
If you are a movie goer in Australia the Accessible Cinema Advisory Group (ACAG) is urging you to provide feedback and share your experiences of attending captioned cinema showings. You can email them at accessible.cinema@fahcsia.gov.au Be sure also to check out Media Access Australia’s review of a captioned screening in Hoyts cinema in Sydney here.
I have never tried such a device. The one thing puts me off is the fact that such devices require your eyes to look at two screens – one for the movie and one for the captions. For this reason I think open captions/subtitles displayed on the same screen as the movie itself will always be my preference. I will end this post here, as this point brings me nicely to my next post in which I review the option of using a smart phone if no captioned shows are available at your cinema.
kenneth, 
Cinemark Hears: Creates Two Accessible Multiplexes (via Caption THIS!) « i heart subtitles 3:01 pm on January 22, 2011 Permalink |
[...] the USA following a lawsuit against them, and it looks like Australia is not the only country using Captiview. by John Waldo Without fanfare — in fact, with almost no notice – Cinemark/Century [...]
Captioning Company Australia 6:11 am on March 24, 2011 Permalink |
This blog will give us the information regarding Cinema Captioning in Australia!!!!!
iheartsubtitles 5:05 pm on April 26, 2011 Permalink |
Glad to hear it
I’m not an expert, I only report what I find on the interwebz.
kenneth 8:06 pm on January 5, 2012 Permalink |
went to see the American version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo last night at a Marcus Theatre in Madison, WI. They use the new Captiview [CV] closed captioning technology, and it was a much better experience, in our opinion, than the other options currently available to deaf patrons. Here’s a press release from Marcus from October announcing the installation of Captiview in all their locations. The major benefit over open captions is that instead of running a very limited number of open caption films made available by the production studios at very limited times on a weekly basis, one can go into any marcus theatre for a captioned showing at any time of day, any day of the week. Unfortunately, this technology is not yet widespread. We need to promote [and insist] that all the major and minor movie chains install this technology system-wide. It is as close as we can get to the functional equivalence of anytime, anywhere access to first-run movies int he theatres.