This page archives past NCAM projects. While the information remains relevant, some resources referenced are no longer available, so links to them have been removed.
Table of Contents
NCAM has been working on a number of fronts regarding the DTV transition which took place place in the United States on June 12, 2009. Captioning and description services are supported in the new DTV format, but problems with proper delivery have been widely reported. We have authored papers on captioning and video description in DTV and provide links to these papers and a number of other resources from the Federal government (FCC and NTIA) and grass-roots efforts on access services and the DTV transition below.
NCAM was instrumental in the establishment of the FCC’s Technical Working Group on DTV Closed Captioning and Video Description which first met on May 18, 2009. The Working Group membership includes consumers, TV broadcast and cable networks, consumer and professional equipment manufacturers and captioning and video description suppliers. In late summer of 2009, topic-area sub-groups began meeting to investigate the various reported problems, propose solutions and disseminate results. NCAM Director Larry Goldberg chairs the video description sub-group.
Read the FCC’s Public Notice regarding the Working Group.
Resources The Carl and Ruth Shapiro Family Foundation supported the development of the following outreach and policy papers about accessibility problems related to the DTV transition.
- When Good Captions Go Bad: A Story or Two About HDTV Accessibility
- Digital Television and Video Description: Service Continues, Consumer and Industry Efforts Required
News and Links
FCC
- Digital-to-Analog Converter Box - Selected Features
- Closed Captioning for Digital Television (DTV)
- Video Descriptions and the Digital Television Transition
- What You Need to Know about the DTV Transition
- DTV Transition Does Not Require Cable Systems to Switch to Digital
- Closed Captioning and Digital-to-Analog Converter Boxes for Viewing Free Over-the-Air Programming on Analog Televisions
- Publications on various topics including hooking up converter boxes, low-power TV and the transition, and buying the right TV
- FCC Public Service Announcements (PSAs) with captions and ASL
Other links
- TV Converter Box Coupon Program
- Digital Television Transition Coalition
- Captioned Public Service Announcements from DTVAnswers
- Captioned Public Service Announcements from NCTA
- WGBH Info
- Evaluating Digital to Analog Converter Boxes for Users of Captioning
- For Engineers: Troubleshooting Digital Captioning Problems Beyond the TV
- Activating Digital Closed Captions From Pay TV Services
- Screen shots of converter box displays and DTV captioning
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Next: DTV Caption FAQ
Contact NCAM
NCAM at GBH
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Boston, MA 02135