Synchronized Supplemental Content Delivery for Accessibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing technologies face challenges in providing accessible audio/visual content for individuals with visual and hearing impairments in public settings, such as movie theaters, where solutions like open captioning and Rear Window Captioning are limited in scope and accessibility.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for delivering supplemental content, including captioning and descriptive audio, synchronized with audio/visual content to users through a device that receives and organizes the supplemental content into segments for presentation alongside the main content, using communication interfaces and control logic to ensure synchronization and security, and can be implemented in various devices and environments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If open captioning is provided on the projection screen, then accessibility for users with hearing impairments is improved, but content security and user-specific targeting are worsened as all patrons can view the captions
Solution Approach 1:
The captioning service is segmented into multiple separate channels: a first channel for audio/visual content and a second channel for captioning data. This allows the captioning to be delivered separately from the main content, enabling selective distribution to specific users (such as those with hearing impairments) without compromising content security for other patrons.
Solution Approach 2:
A communication device serves as an intermediary between the content source and the users. This device receives both the audio/visual content and the captioning data, then selectively presents the appropriate content to different users based on their needs, thereby maintaining content security while providing accessibility to those who require it.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If Rear Window Captioning is used to restrict captions to specific users, then content security is improved, but ease of operation and accessibility are worsened as only patrons with reflective surfaces can view captions
Solution Approach 1:
The captioning data is extracted from the projection screen environment and delivered through a separate communication channel to users' personal devices. This eliminates the need for reflective surfaces and allows users to access captions through their own mobile devices, tablets, or audio devices, significantly improving ease of operation and accessibility while maintaining content security.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of displaying captions on a shared projection screen, the system creates and transmits copies of the captioning data to individual user devices. Each user receives a personalized copy that can be displayed on their own device, eliminating the need for reflective surfaces and improving accessibility for all users regardless of their viewing conditions.
3Adaptability or versatility
If supplemental content is delivered through separate communication channels, then user-specific targeting and content security are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The communication device is designed with multi-functionality to handle both audio/visual content and captioning data through standardized communication interfaces. This universal approach allows the same device infrastructure to serve multiple purposes (content delivery, captioning delivery, user authentication), thereby reducing overall system complexity while maintaining user-specific targeting capabilities.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for delivering supplemental content associated with audio/visual content to a user of the audio/visual content is presented. In the method, the audio/visual content and the supplemental content are received. The audio/visual content is then transferred as a stream to a first device for presentation to the user. The supplemental content is transferred to a second device for presentation to the user. The transferred supplemental content is organized into segments, wherein each of the segments is to be presented by the second device to the user in synchronization with the presentation of a corresponding portion of the audio/visual content.