Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Audio Description issues

This is topic Audio Description issues in forum Digital Cinema Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Geoff Power (Member # 6880) on 07-31-2014, 07:48 AM:

We have a conventional 5.1 sound system plus enhanced sound (AI) on channel 7 and audio description (VI) on channel 8. Our visually impaired customer complains that if he wears the headphones tuned to 8 he gets a clear audio description but the regular soundtrack is muffled by the phones. He ends up with one earpiece off-ear so that he can hear both, but it's uncomfortable and unsatisfactory.

Is it possible to patch both AI and VI tracks to channel 8, leaving channel 7 with just the AI sound? Or are we missing something here? We ran a test today and all agreed that the phones detract from the clarity of the speech in particular.

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 07-31-2014, 07:59 AM:

You are not alone in your complaint. One "feature" of the Doremi system is one can send in "stereo" so one gets the HI and VI tracks (one in each ear).

There is probably justification in exploring the ability to mix channels but there is likely not to find consensus on just what the mix should be or if people would prefer just an ear bud for the VI so they can hear the rest of the sound more "naturally."

Posted by Carsten Kurz (Member # 5396) on 07-31-2014, 09:17 AM:

Get different earsets, or do your own mix. The Doremi system is too limited in channel and mix selection in my opinion. I know a few cinemas use external cheap A/D converters to create their own input signals for the transmitter. They will eat consumer S/P-DIF from these devices. A lot of features come without HI/VI, and with an external A/D, you can also create and broadcast a traditional HI mix from the processors HI or monitor output.

- Carsten