The HREOC enquiry seeks information on captioning of movies, including two specific issues to be addressed:

1. Feasibility of implementation in Australian cinemas of the rear window system of closed captioning developed in the United States.
2. Other options for captioning of movies for the benefit of Deaf and hearing impaired persons.

Prior to dealing directly with the two questions, we will provide some general background information about cinema captioning that is relevant to the discussion.

Cinema is generally the first opportunity for the public to see a movie (barring those that are sent straight to video). There is then a 'path' which the movie follows, with some modifications along the way for censorship or time reasons, which in Australia is: cinema-video/DVD-pay television-free to air television.

From the captioning perspective the most efficient and cost effective way to provide captions for all versions of the movie as it moves down the path is to caption at the earliest stage of the path as possible. The main cost of captioning is the initial production of the captions, turning the dialogue and sound effects into a word form. On this basis the ultimate starting point is to caption the initial movie release. Then the file can be used and adapted for each subsequent stage.

Generally, the movie version is also the most comprehensive version appearing pretty much unchanged in all markets that it is released. Once a movie is released to video/DVD, the requirements of national censorship laws can make the versions significantly different. This is even more of an issue once it is broadcast on pay and free to air television.

The trading of caption files is well established, particularly in the television field. The Australian Caption Centre, and other Australian caption providers, purchase caption files for overseas programs and convert them for domestic use. This is a technique that the Australian Caption Centre pioneered in 1994. The result is a considerable cost saving, with a program appearing with captions for about half the cost of it being captioned from scratch. Similarly, Australian caption files are sold and used in other countries where Australian programs appear.

If movies are captioned at their point of release in the cinema there are considerable flow-on benefits (including cost savings) as the caption file can be used with some modification when the original movie is broadcast in different media.

There are several cinema captioning systems on the market, but there are universal factors that must be taken into account when looking at installing a cinema captioning system.

1. Sound type used in the cinema.

Films are released in a number of different sound formats. The same film may be released in different formats. Generally, the projectors employed in the cinemas are designed to play all of the different types. In addition to the films and projectors, the theatre itself may be fitted with a special sound system.

Two main sound systems are used – DTS and Dolby Digital. DTS utilises a special CD-ROM which plays the soundtrack in synchronisation with the projector running the film. The Dolby Digital system holds the digital data comprising the soundtrack on the actual film. DTS has historically been the favoured sound system, however due to a lack of robustness in the DTS dual-mechanism system, Dolby is now the preferred option. Many films are released in both formats.

Captioning systems use timecode to specify when a caption should appear on the screen. DTS requires a timecode track to be present on the film, which synchronises the audio disk to the film. This synchronisation is not required on Dolby films, as the audio data is present on the film itself. The audio data does have some timing information, but it is not an industry standard (ie EBU or SMPTE). Consequently, our research has not discovered a device which can consistently read the Dolby Digital data and convert it to timecode suitable for synchronising an outboard device. We are continuing to research other alternatives, such as the possibility of generating timecodes referenced to a count of sprocket holes passing through a film projector.

If the cinema captioning system (CCS) uses timecode to trigger captions, it must be able to access both the DTS and Dolby information. If it can only access one type, use of the system will be restricted.

Most theatres have a mix of the two sound systems to cope with the range of movies that they show. For example, At Greater Union Innaloo (Perth) there are 7 Dolby Digital sound systems and 6 DTS (this is the third largest cinema complex in the Southern Hemisphere).

The captioning systems in use are for a single theatre. A typical Australian cinema complex, the Greater Union in Innaloo has theatres ranging from 97-520 people. Most theatres seat 250-330 people. The impact of this is the method by which the captions are transmitted to the viewer, which can be restricted by distance and the number of viewing units that are required to adequately service a theatre.

Release time is dependent on the Australian marketing plan. It is difficult to accurately gauge what the lag-time will be between the USA and Australia. This issue affects how easily the distributor can secure a copy of the movie for captioning prior to release. If the movie is released elsewhere beforehand (as is often the case with American and British movies), the movie may already be captioned by an American distributor. Alternatively, the lag time may provide enough time for an Australian distributor to caption the movie prior to its release in Australia.

The number of prints is more of an issue for open captioning as the captions have to be laser etched onto each print of the movie. The closed captioning systems are designed to use the soundtrack to cue the captions and do not require any special treatment of the movie prints.

Developed by WGBH and Rufus Seder Brown, this system is available and operating in America in 16 theatres. It uses an LED display at the back of the cinema which displays the captions in reverse format. The user then 'watches' the captions using an acrylic reflector screen which the user adjusts to suit their needs. The screens drop into the popcorn/drinks holder in the seat arm. This system works best in the central areas of the cinema with the viewer sitting reasonably close to the LED display. This replicates the changes in sound quality (particularly stereo balance) that a hearing patron experiences as they sit in different parts of a cinema.

This system is available in two configurations: one for DTS-equipped cinemas and one for other cinemas. The DTS-compatible system utilises a CD-ROM player for reading the caption (and audio description for the blind) information. This CD-ROM drive is very similar to the DTS audio CD-ROM drive, resulting in a shallow learning curve for projection room staff. Alternatively, Rear Window can be configured on a PC-based platform, requiring an industry standard timecode signal to cue out the caption data to the display (see problems with extracting timecode information from non-DTS formats discussed above).

• The system allows the caption viewer to see any session of the movie.
• Hearing and caption audiences are mixed together; the captioned version does not require a special screening.
• The system is developed, working and in regular use.

• The units are preferably sold with audio description.
• Only American movies are available with the system.
• The system is designed to use in conjunction with DTS audio. It presently cannot accommodate Dolby timing signals and little effort is being made by the supplier to incorporate Dolby films.
• WGBH has no more funding to further develop the Rear Window technology. So any improvements in the system seem unlikely in the immediate future.
• WGBH presently aims to caption 12 movies each year. It has captioned 4 this year and 2 last year. While this is not a great amount, it is envisaged to grow as the system is installed in more cinemas.
• WGBH is not yet willing to allow other organisations (such as the Australian Caption Centre) to caption movies for the system.

For a large cinema, the cost of the Rear Window system alone is US$20,000. This includes the data wall, 15 reflectors and mounts, 1 modified DTS-6D digital processor, 1 system design, layout, licence and acquisition. The price does not include shipping or installation.

For a smaller cinema (250 seats), the above cost is reduced by US$2,000.

For a special venue system utilising a PC-based platform (such as for an IMAX cinema), the cost of the Rear Window system is US$16,850. This includes the data wall, 15 reflectors and mounts, 1 computer and timecode reader, 1 system design, layout, licence and acquisition. It does not include shipping or installation.

The Rear Window system could be installed in a number of cinemas in Australia that have the required systems specifications. The temporary situation where there are only a small number of captioned movies available could be overcome in a number of ways. Australian distributors could pay for the captioning of movies directly (especially Australian movies which are not likely to be a high priority for the American market to caption). There are existing grants for captioning in Australia which could be redirected to captioning movies (again with Australian movies being a priority).

The Personal Captioning System is a co-creation between MultiMedia Designs and Fisher & Associates. The system employs glasses or clip-ons that receive an infra-red signal. The signal contains the captions that are made to appear on the glasses themselves.

This project has just entered its marketing stage (October 1999).

The transmission hardware is US$4,800. Each pair of clip-ons is US$1,800. They also offer handheld displays which cost around US$200. An installed system with 4 clip-ons and 4 handhelds would cost US$12,800.

• The system allows the caption viewer to see any session of the movie.
• Hearing and caption audiences are mixed together; the captioned version does not require a special screening.
• Patrons have the same visibility through the entire cinema. There is no deterioration of caption quality dependent on seating.

• Their system is essentially the same as Rear Window, only without the LED display and with glasses instead of perspex screens. That means it cannot be used with Dolby films – as yet.
• Completely unproven system. There are no installations in the USA. They have had no success in negotiating with the film industry and there are no movies available that use this system. However, PCS is working closely with Senator Tom Harkin (Iowa) and the Disabilities Issues Commission to lobby Hollywood to ensure captions are available for films before they are released.

Subtitled movies are shown on a regular basis in Australia. These movies have the subtitles permanently displayed on the screen, forming part of the movie print. For runs of up to 10 subtitled prints, the subtitles are created using a laser etching process where the letters and symbols are burnt out of the film emulsion. The projector light then shines straight through the subtitles and they appear as white titles on the film. Larger print runs will use optical processes during the printing stage to fix the characters onto the print or negative.

This same system could be used for showing captioned movies. The additional information that is displayed in a caption (such as positioning the caption under the speaker and including sound effects) could be recreated using the laser etching process.

Tripod captioned films uses this open captioning system in America. The organisation sets up a touring schedule of a new release film across America and helps to publicise it locally.

• The system uses existing cinema technology; therefore no special equipment is required.
• Some American movies are already captioned this way and these movie prints may be available for Australian use.

• Two copies of the movie are required for each location (one with captions, the other uncaptioned) unless the cinema is willing to show all patrons the movie with captions.
• Each print has to be separately etched with the captions, unless there is a large enough print requirement to use an optical process (although this is unlikely given the size of the market in Australia).
• There is no company providing the laser etching service in Australia, adding to the cost and time delay in captioning the movie.
• The American service allows only a couple of sessions to be scheduled for each location and they are often shown at quieter times, which may not be convenient to the viewer.
• The service is specialist and limited "for the Deaf and hearing impaired people only" rather than being an option for watching a movie in a cinema when you choose too. If a particular movie or location does not attract sufficient patrons to the special screening to cover the costs there is a possibility that the location may not be used again.

The cost of producing laser-etched prints is around US$2,050 for the first print of the movie and then US$1,150 for any additional prints. This is based on an average length movie with about 1,000 captions. This is based on information provided by Industrial Automation Integrators, a Dutch company that distributes the laser etching equipment.

The basic cost of producing the captions is $1,560 per hour ($2,340 for a 90-minute feature). This is a one-off cost no matter how many prints are made.

Therefore, a single print of around 90 minutes would cost about $6,000 to produce open captions (including freight and other incidental costs). Each additional print would be about $2,000.

There are alternatives to the Rear Window system that could be used to provide captioned movies. The Personal Captioning Systems option works in a similar way to the Rear Window system, offering a closed captioning system. However it is untried in the market. The option of providing fixed captions on the movie print itself is feasible and could be implemented quickly as it uses existing cinema projection equipment. However this would involve marginalising caption viewers in that they would have to attend 'special screenings', unless cinemas could be persuaded to show these captioned movies to general patrons.