RTE has said it is conducting a trial of access services as part of the DTT pilot taking place in Dublin and the coastal areas of the north east.
The accessibility trial, conducted by RTÉ in association with DCENR, the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI), TG4, TV3, the National Disability Authority and NCBI (National Council of the Blind Ireland), is a technical and audio test of an Audio Description (AD) service.
Tests have run on the popular New Zealand drama Shortland Street with six vision impaired individuals identified to participate. Further access services, notably signing and subtitling, are to be introduced in line with national and European policy.
The pilot has been underway since August 2006 and is being run by the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (DCENR) with technical support from RTÉNL and BT. Permenant services are expected to commence later this year.
