Apologies for any multiple postings, but I thought it would be interesting
to know how many cinemas actually have Rear Window(R) captioning and DVS
Theatrical (R). please see below for full explanation.
cheers
marcus

-----Original Message-----
From: * EASI: Equal Access to Software & Information
[mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Gary Peterson
Sent: 18 November 2001 04:15
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Harry Potter Comes to Life for Deaf and Blind Fans


Contact:  Mary Watkins
Media Access Group at WGBH
617 300-3700 v, -2489 TTY
[log in to unmask]
www.mopix.org

Harry Potter Comes to Life for Deaf and Blind Fans

Film Will Debut with Closed Captions and Descriptive Narration
in Select U.S. and Canadian Theatres

Boston, MA.  November 13, 2001.  One of the most eagerly anticipated films
in years will be accessible from the day it debuts to deaf, hard-of-hearing,
blind, and visually impaired moviegoers thanks to a collaboration between
Warner Bros. Pictures, U.S. and Canadian theater chains, Digital Theater
Systems/DTS and the Media Access Group at Boston public broadcaster WGBH.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone will play with both closed captions
and descriptive narration available for the entire run of the film in
theaters equipped with Rear Window(R) Captioning and DVS Theatrical(R),
innovative systems developed by WGBH which make films accessible to millions
of movie fans with hearing or vision loss in the U.S. and Canada.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, rated PG, opening Friday, November 16
on over 3,500 theater screens across the U.S. and Canada, is based on the
first installment of the multimillion-selling Harry Potter series of books
written by J.K. Rowling.  The film adaptation— written by Steve Kloves and
directed by Chris Columbus— stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert
Grint as well as film and stage veterans Richard Harris, Maggie Smith and
Robbie Coltrane.

The special effects which bring the magic of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft
and Wizardry to the big screen are especially impressive, making the
description all the more vital to Potter fans with vision loss.  The
literary sensation generated by each successive release of a new Potter book
has been shared among all fans equally, as the Braille versions of the books
were released simultaneously, a virtually unprecedented occurrence.

Rear Window and DVS Theatrical systems, developed by the Media Access Group
at WGBH Boston, the world's premiere organization developing access
solutions to all forms of mass media, are currently installed in selected
General Cinema, Gulf States and Loews theaters in Los Angeles, Boston,
Chicago, Atlanta, Seattle, Philadelphia, Baltimore, New York City, Clifton
(NJ), Springfield, VA (near D.C.), New Orleans and Milwaukee.  Famous
Players, Canada's largest theater chain, will install five of these systems
throughout Ontario-- the first outside of the United States-- to coincide
with the debut of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

Past films made accessible day and date of release via these access systems
include Titanic, Star Wars Episode One:  The Phantom Menace, Stuart Little,
Dinosaur, The Patriot, Pearl Harbor, Monsters, Inc, and dozens more.  In
addition to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, upcoming films to be
released with closed captions and descriptions include Spy Game, Ali, Road
to Perdition, Black Hawk Down and Panic Room.  For a complete list of
theaters, to learn more about the systems, and to sign up to receive updates
which include accessible films, locations and showtimes, visit
www.mopix.org, or e-mail access.wgbh.org.

ABOUT THE SYSTEMS
DVS Theatrical delivers descriptive narration via infrared or FM listening
systems, enabling blind and visually impaired moviegoers to hear the
descriptions on headsets without disturbing other audience members. The
descriptions provide narrated information about key visual elements such as
actions, settings, and scene changes, making movies more meaningful to
people with vision loss.

The patented Rear Window Captioning System displays reversed captions on a
light-emitting diode (LED) text display which is mounted in the rear of a
theater. Deaf and hard-of-hearing patrons use transparent acrylic panels
attached to their seats to reflect the captions so that they appear
superimposed on the movie screen. The reflective panels are portable and
adjustable, enabling the caption user to sit anywhere in the theater. The
Rear Window System was co-developed by WGBH and Rufus Butler Seder of
Boston, Mass.

DTS is the world leader in digital sound for feature films, providing
multi-channel digital audio on CD-ROM. A special reader attached to the film
projector reads a timecode track printed on the film and signals the DTS
player to play the audio synchronous to the film. For WGBH's Motion Picture
Access systems, DTS adapted its technology to include the caption and
description tracks on a separate CD-ROM, which plays alongside the other
discs in the DTS player. In turn the DTS player sends the captions to the
LED display and the descriptions to the infrared or FM emitter.

The Rear Window and DVS Theatrical technologies are also available in Disney
Theme Parks, IMAX and OMNIMAX theaters and at National Park Service visitor
centers.

ABOUT THE MEDIA ACCESS GROUP AT WGBH
Captioning for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was provided by The
Caption Center at WGBH (est. 1972), the world's first and most experienced
captioning agency. The descriptions were created by WGBH's Emmy
award-winning Descriptive Video Service®, (DVS® est. 1990) which pioneered
video description for television, home video, large-format films and DVD.
The Caption Center, Descriptive Video Service and the CPB/WGBH National
Center for Accessible Media-- a research, development and public policy
advocacy organization-- make up the Media Access Group at WGBH. For more
information, visit access.wgbh.org

ABOUT WGBH
WGBH Boston is America's preeminent public broadcasting producer. More than
one-third of PBS's prime-time lineup and companion Web content as well as
many public radio favorites are produced by WGBH. Its best-known productions
include NOVA, Frontline, American Experience, Antiques Roadshow, ExxonMobil
Masterpiece Theatre, This Old House, Arthur, and Zoom on PBS and The World
and Sound & Spirit on public radio. WGBH also is a pioneer in educational
multimedia and in technologies and services that make media accessible to
people with disabilities. Since its establishment in 1951, WGBH has been
recognized with hundreds of honors, including Emmys, Peabodys,
duPont-Columbia Awards-- even two Oscars. For more information visit
www.wgbh.org.

----------End of Message----------

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