# *1194.24 Video and Multimedia Products*

***Overview***

These Section 508 technical specifications define the requirements for
accessible video and multimedia presentations, ensuring that equivalent
alternatives to sensory information (including captioning and audio
descriptions) shall be included, received, decoded, and presented in a
useable format.

The 1194.24 standards apply to Audio/Visual equipment such as digital
and analog Televisions, VCRs, High-Definition TV (HDTVs) set-top boxes,
DVD equipment, and in certain circumstances personal computers (PCs)
equipped with TV tuners, receiver cards, or displays used in
presentations. The standards also apply to streaming media such as
broadcast and cable signals, as well as online presentations.

***Remember That...***

-   Intermediary products must comply with these requirements.
    Alternative presentation of information may be altered in the
    transmission between two compliant products (e.g. from the cable
    operator to your agency)

-   You usually must convert computer video signals which use standards
    such as RGB to television standards such as NTSC by using special
    conversion adapters which are readily available on the consumer
    market

-   Accessibility issues and solutions to traditional video and
    multimedia products (e.g. analog tape and network broadcasts) are
    well known, documented, and can be found on the WGBH Media Access
    Group Web Site.

-   For emerging technologies such as web multimedia products, the Web
    Accessibility Initiative (WAI) of the World Wide Web Consortium
    (W3C) and the Information Technology Technical Assistance and
    Training Center (ITTATC) provide valuable information

-   There are various free tools that authors may use to add audio
    descriptions and captions

####### References for 1194.24

-   Guide to the Section 508 Standards for Video and Multimedia Products
    (1194.24) (<http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/guide/1194.24.htm>)

-   The Media Access Group at WGBH
    (http://main.wgbh.org/wgbh/access/access.html)

-   Web Accessibility Initiative of the World Wide Web Consortium
    (http://www.w3c.org/WAI/)

-   Information Technology Technical Assistance and Training Center
    (http://www.ittatc.org/)

-   W3C's Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL)
    (http://www.w3.org/audiovideo)

-   Television Decoder Circuitry Act of 1990
    (http://www.ncicap.org/Docs/dcb.htm)

-   CPB/WGBH National Center for Accessible Media
    (http://ncam.wgbh.org/)

***1194.24 (a) All analog television displays 13 inches and larger, and
computer equipment that includes analog television receiver or display
circuitry, shall be equipped with caption decoder circuitry which
appropriately receives, decodes, and displays closed captions from
broadcast, cable, videotape, and DVD signals. As soon as practicable,
but not later than July 1, 2002, widescreen digital television (DTV)
displays measuring at least 7.8 inches vertically, DTV sets with
conventional displays measuring at least 13 inches vertically, and
stand-alone DTV tuners, whether or not they are marketed with display
screens, and computer equipment that includes DTV receiver or display
circuitry, shall be equipped with caption decoder circuitry which
appropriately receives, decodes, and displays closed captions from
broadcast, cable, videotape, and DVD signals.***

###### *In other words*

Any analog or digital (DTV) television display or receiver must
correctly receive and display closed captions that are transmitted over
broadcast television, cable, videotape (VHS), or DVDs.

**Note:** This section of the law only applies to analog products with
displays whose diagonal screen size is equal to or larger than 13
inches. For digital video and multimedia products the law applies to
screen sizes that are 7.8 inches vertically for widescreen displays or
13 inches for conventional displays.

###### *Determining compliance* 

Television displays include a variety of display technologies, including
but not limited to CRT, plasma, LCD, and rear/front projection
technologies. Review product documentation or consult the manufacturer
to ensure compliance for each check point.

For analog and digital computer equipment, televisions, and tuners

-   The product accurately receives captioning (turn on captions and
    play media known to have captions; verify the captions are
    available)

-   Open or closed caption decoding capabilities are included in the
    product

-   The product displays captions correctly

***1194.24 (b) Television tuners, including tuner cards for use in
computers, shall be equipped with secondary audio program playback
circuitry.***

###### *In other words* 

All television tuners must have the ability to play secondary audio.

**Note:** The intent of this law is to enhance multimedia experiences
for those who are visually impaired. Often secondary audio includes an
\"audio description\" of the visual content of a presentation that is
synchronized with the existing soundtrack.

###### *Term* 

*Secondary Audio Program* (SAP) -- an auxiliary sound channel that can
be transmitted in addition to a television station\'s main audio
channel.

###### *Determining compliance* 

An effective method for testing television tuners consists of

-   Turning on secondary audio features and tuning into a channel with
    known SAP content. Verify the SAP content is available.

**Notes:**

-   Although this portion of the law does not include televisions or
    displays without tuner circuitry, the functional performance
    criteria of Subpart C requires agencies to "provide at least one
    mode of \[...\] information retrieval that does not require user
    vision...". Therefore it is a good practice to purchase displays
    with SAP receiving capabilities.

-   It is a good practice to ensure that televisions and displays that
    support an agencies' mission offer SAP capabilities. Attaching
    stand-alone SAP circuitry can do this.

-   MAG Guide Volume 4 provides information on activating video
    descriptions through the SAP channel on stereo televisions and VCRs.

***1194.24 (c) All training and informational video and multimedia
productions which support the agency\'s mission, regardless of format,
that contain speech or other audio information necessary for the
comprehension of the content, shall be open or closed captioned.***

###### *In other words* 

All multimedia productions (e.g., video and audio) supporting an
agency's mission, including but not limited to informational or training
productions must be captioned.

###### *Terms* 

*Multimedia -- The combination of more than one method of presenting
information (e.g. text, graphics, video, sound)*

*Open captioning* -- integrated alternative text and/or audio
descriptions in a video or multimedia presentation. The end user cannot
toggle open captions.

*Closed captioning* -- optional text equivalent of a presentation's
content that can be modified and turned on or off by a user.

###### *Determining compliance* 

Review training and informational videos and multimedia productions used
in the agency

-   Turn on captioning features and ensure there is equivalent
    alternative text

-   If applicable, ensure there are textual descriptions provided in the
    captioning such that critical auditory information is conveyed to
    all users (e.g. an audience clapping, music playing)

**Notes:**

-   Multimedia productions in this section of the law include software
    presentations such as PowerPoint.

-   The Media Access Group (MAG) at WGBH publishes a series of consumer
    guides to issues related to media access. MAG Guide Volume 3 offers
    guidance to the somewhat complex mandates governing the provision
    and availability of closed captioning and video description on
    television.

***1194.24 (d) All training and informational video and multimedia
productions which support the agency\'s mission, regardless of format,
that contain visual information necessary for the comprehension of the
content, shall be audio described.***

###### *In other words* 

In addition to the captioning requirement of 1194.24 (c), information
that may be inaccessible to the visually impaired must be presented in
audio format.

###### *Determining compliance* 

Review training and informational videos and multimedia productions used
in the agency

-   Turn on sound features and ensure there is equivalent alternative
    audio descriptions of the content

**Notes:**

-   Multimedia productions in this section of the law include software
    presentations such as PowerPoint.

-   In addition to this standard, the Functional Performance Criteria of
    Subpart C requires that "At least one mode of operation and
    information retrieval that does not require user vision shall be
    provided..."

***1194.24 (e) Display or presentation of alternate text presentation or
audio descriptions shall be user-selectable unless permanent.***

###### *In other words* 

A user of alternative text or audio descriptions should be able to
select (the medium?) how equivalent alternative text or audio is
presented, unless the alternatives are a permanent part of the
production (e.g. open captions)

**Note:** Out of the W3C (Guideline 1. Provide equivalent alternatives
to auditory and visual content. Provide content that, when presented to
the user, conveys essentially the same function or purpose as auditory
or visual content.
http://www.w3.org/TR/WAI-WEBCONTENT/#gl-provide-equivalents)

###### *Terms* 

*Open captioning* -- integrated alternative text and/or audio
descriptions in a video or multimedia presentation. The end user cannot
toggle open captions.

*Closed captioning* -- optional text equivalent of a presentation's
content that can be modified and turned on or off by a user.

###### *Determining compliance* 

Review training and informational videos and multimedia productions used
in the agency

-   Turn on captioning features and ensure there is equivalent
    alternative text

-   If applicable, ensure there are textual descriptions provided in the
    captioning such that critical auditory information is conveyed to
    all users (e.g., the audience clapping, music playing)

**Notes:**

-   Another point bundled in this provision relates to difficulty users
    have reported with independently enabling audio description. The
    means of choosing alternate tracks for audio description varies by
    the medium, but usually involves selection from an on-screen menu.
    Therefore those menus must be made audible or otherwise readily
    selectable so that people with visual disabilities can independently
    gain access to audio descriptions. (from Access Board)

-   DVD content and menus should be designed to independently turn the
    audio description on and off. This is often not the case today;
    currently most audio description requires vision to turn it on/off.

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