my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home

» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Ground Level   » Deaf Moviegoes Sue Cinemark (Page 2)

This topic comprises 2 pages: 1  2

Author Topic: Deaf Moviegoes Sue Cinemark Matt Fields Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 545 From: Ohio, United States Registered: Jun 2005 posted 12-06-2010 02:07 PM                     In response to Joe, I use my iphone to watch NBA basketball games (2 1/2 hours) on wifi and it handles it fine.  |  IP: Logged Jonathan Smith Expert Film Handler Posts: 201 From: Youngstown, OH Registered: Jan 2010 posted 12-06-2010 02:17 PM                     If anything, they should be MOST tolerant of Cinemark, seeing as how any position there above the lowest tier of management suffers from deaf ears as well. I've done hearing assistance at Cinemark. They were a bunch of little IR or LED transmitters, powered by *AA* batteries. So my duties basically consisted of running around swapping in the I think i t was one reader that worked with bad ones that had good batteries. I had no tools of any kind to do this, I don't think even a multimeter. So it was trial-and error out the port glass until a stupid red light lit up. I distinctly remember giving myself a bleeding scalp one day performing this operation. I commented at that time that I expected the vicodin in the first aid kit to be restocked by my next shift. I've never done the subtitles at Regal (they don't exist at AMC at all here), but it was I think coming off the DTS disk and just played subtitles over and onto the screen using a digital preview projector. That was a pretty smart, easy-to-use system.  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 12-06-2010 02:39 PM                     I've said it before, I'll say it again...the problem is in the way the law was implemented and how it was written. Words like "reasonable accommodation" are very poor choices in law..."reasonable" is WAY TOO subjective and will forever require courts to refine it. Also, there is a difference between discrimination and accommodation. While most of society will find it wrong to discriminate...accommodate is another idea all together. How the Feds should have handled it, in terms of deaf/blind/hard of hearing is to standardized on specific frequencies for IR and RF to be for ADA use exclusively. At that point, the theatre (or any business catering to the public) would then be responsible for broadcasting any audio (including descriptive for the blind) on those frequencies and that is it. The disabled would be responsible for their own receivers. These would work in theatres, malls, churches...whatever and wherever. In this way, the disabled can have a hearing system that is actually calibrated to their specific type of hearing loss. Furthermore, it would remove the disgusting aspect of wearing the headset worn by God know's who that hasn't bathed in God knows how long! If you need captions, you bring the receiver and display needed for such things. At that point, all the theatre would need to do is post in the boxoffice what the frequencies you are broadcasting what on (IR or RF). That is it. The financial burden to the business is trivially low at that point as they are only buying an RF transmitter or IR emitters...which as compared to the speakers for the able bodies, are in-line. There would also be minimal maintenance to keeping the IR/RF system up and going. Come up with some nice standards for coverage and signal strength in the venue and meters to measure it and the business can easily know if they are in compliance. As it is now...theatres are told they have to have what 4% of their seat count...but no standards on coverage of the auditorium. Why is the theatre responsible for providing the headset that, most likely , does not correct for the particular person's hearing deficiency. -Steve  |  IP: Logged Martin McCaffery Film God Posts: 2481 From: Montgomery, AL Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-06-2010 02:48 PM                        To add to Frank's rant, as we have an older demo also: Then there is the small fraction of the smallest fraction that will even ADMIT they have a hearing problem (while spending the whole movie asking their friend "What did he say?" in the loudest voice possible).  |  IP: Logged Jason Black Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1723 From: Myrtle Beach, SC, USA Registered: Nov 2000 posted 12-07-2010 01:49 AM                        Steve- Excellent points. Sadly, it's exactly this type of well grounded, common sense approach that would NEVER make it thru the government clusterfuck...  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-07-2010 02:23 AM                        If the government wants to do something useful, it should pass a law making it illegal for babies to be in movie theatres, except for those "mommy matinees" or whatever they're called.  |  IP: Logged Jonathan Smith Expert Film Handler Posts: 201 From: Youngstown, OH Registered: Jan 2010 posted 12-07-2010 10:01 AM                     You're complaining about bureaucracy and then you suggest MORE LAWS be added to the bereaucratic structure. I'm not advocating sweatshops and child labor and no minimum wages, but at the point where you get a TICKET for having a crying child, or a handicapped ramp at too steep an angle, or not having enough fire extinguishers up in the booth to handle a nitrate fire.  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-07-2010 12:10 PM                        Lighten up dude, it was a joke.  |  IP: Logged Louis Bornwasser Film God Posts: 4441 From: prospect ky usa Registered: Mar 2005 posted 12-07-2010 01:58 PM                        The UK uses T-coils. Each hearing aid has a switch to disconnect the mike and add the coil. The cinema has a large coil wrapped around the seating area driven with a high power, lowimpedance amplifier. Works surprisingly well and the coil is required-by-law on hearing aids, which the State pays for (socialized medicine.) My college minor is Audiology; I tried to get language similar to what Steve wanted into the law, but the people who sell things had a bigger lobby. We got what we deserved. Louis  |  IP: Logged Jonathan Althaus Master Film Handler Posts: 435 From: Bedford, TX Registered: Dec 2008 posted 12-08-2010 09:36 PM                     Coincidentally, we received kdm's for the open and closed caption versions of Narnia 3D today  |  IP: Logged James Westbrook Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1133 From: Lubbock, Texas, Usa Registered: Mar 2006 posted 12-09-2010 02:25 AM                     We received open and closed captioned kdms for Harry Potter 7.1, too.  |  IP: Logged Jonathan Althaus Master Film Handler Posts: 435 From: Bedford, TX Registered: Dec 2008 posted 12-09-2010 02:07 PM                     Ah ok, we didn't open Deathly Swallows.  |  IP: Logged Bernie Anderson Jr Master Film Handler Posts: 435 From: Woodbridge, New Jersey Registered: Apr 2000 posted 12-11-2010 11:26 AM                        If we can vote California out of the union then maybe we can get better terms on the product since they're a foreign country, just like china  |  IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

This topic comprises 2 pages: 1  2

Printer-friendly view of this topic

Hop To: Select a Forum: Category: Operations -------------------- Digital Cinema Forum Film Handlers' Forum Large Format Forum Ground Level Feature Info, Trailer Attachments & REAL Credit Offsets Category: Community -------------------- Film-Yak Film Handlers' Movie Reviews The Afterlife Bob Maar's Joke-A-Thon Category: Classified -------------------- Equipment and Supplies Wanted/For Sale Help Wanted/Seeking Employment Category: System -------------------- Software Beta Testing Forum

The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.