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Coming soon: seat by seat subtitlesFilm subtitles that can be tailored to suit small sections of an audience could go on general release at the end of 2004.
The system can produce on-screen subtitles for the whole audience, or can instead provide individuals with text on personal mini-screens that only they can see, allowing different language groups, or people who are deaf or hard of hearing to see their own set of subtitles.
The Cinema Subtitling System is being launched by Digital Theatre Systems, the US company best known for developing super-scary surround sound for Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park. The technology has been developed partly in response to forthcoming European disability legislation, which could mean that cinemas have to provide subtitles for deaf people.
Digital Theatre Systems now provides sound for most new releases. Digital soundtracks are usually sent out separately to the film print, in several different languages, on a CD-ROM or hard disc. The film studios prefer this system because the same film print can be screened in many different countries.
However, subtitling the film normally means etching the words onto the film print. Not only does this cost at least $9000 a throw, the print is limited to one language. Instead of this, the new system encodes the subtitle text on the soundtrack disc, in many different languages.
more: www.newscientist.com/hottopics/te... (54)
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31/5/2004 | Viewed 5,354 time(s)
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