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Topic: Dolby Screentalk
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Pete Naples
Phenomenal Film Handler
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Posts: 1565
From: Dunfermline, Scotland
Registered: Feb 2001
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posted 01-24-2007 11:18 AM
It's kind of the same here, the law says something like 'must make fair and reasonable provision for', but in true legal fashion does not define what fair and reasonable provision is. For example, a cinema I know of closed because the were looking at having to spend a huge amount of money to install a stair lift or similar device for the mobility impaired. Now is that fair and reasonable? Well the local disablity organisations didn't think so and publicly said so, the local council had a different view, and were pushing them to do this work or face refusal to renew the exhibition licence. So the owners had little choice but to give up, the towns people, both able bodied and mobility impaired lost their only cinema, and the town gained another buidling slowly going derelict.
The screentalk is another can of worms, I can't think of anywhere I've come across where it would be physically impossible to install it, however as it requires SRD to be installed for it to function, I've come across a lot of places where it would be expensive to install it, especially now that the DA20 is no longer available. This can make it financially non-viable for small exhibitors, so forcing them to have this equipment by legla means will put them out of business.
There is of course the DTS option for such sites, I have installed DTS titling systems in cinemas with mono sound.
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Lyle Romer
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1400
From: Davie, FL, USA
Registered: May 2002
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posted 01-24-2007 12:55 PM
quote: Louis Bornwasser Lyle; In the USA it is a required government mandate to accomodate everyone. It is not up to you and me.(But I agree with you in concept.)
While this is true, there is some kind of a limit. For example, roller coasters don't have to be wheelchair accessible. Specifically with respect to movie theaters, it is reasonable to have to be wheelchair accessible because once somebody in a wheelchair is in an auditorium they can experience the movie. On the other hand, descriptive audio is not part of the way a movie was made. Unfortunately (and if I could I would cure blindness), a blind person can not experience a movie becuase it is a visual medium. Just the same, even if somebody described a painting for a blind person, they can't truly experience it because they can't see it.
It would be ridiculous if the government required descriptive audio which costs thousands per auditorium to install. Luckily for smaller exhibitors they haven't yet. Maybe you could say it is reasonable on a Digital Cinema installation where the only additional equipment would be a couple of hundred dollar transmitter (on a $100,000 plus total cost and I'm assuming the DC server can just send the audio to a relatively cheap device) but it isn't reasonable in a 35mm auditorium where it requires thousands of dollars of separate equipment.
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