Zenith Launches HDTVs With Digital Closed Captioning Capability

3-Jul-02

Zenith Electronics Corporation began production of digital HDTVs capable of providing digital closed captioning services to the deaf and hearing-impaired. Unlike analog closed captions, digital caption capability (based on the EIA-708 standard) provides tremendous flexibility and greater user control over caption display, including font style, text size and color, and backgrounds.In a related development, Zenith has joined with WGBH's National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM) and its DTV Access Project to demonstrate digital closed captioning in the U.S. Capitol. At back-to-back conferences -- the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) 2002 conference and Gallaudet University's Deaf Way II -- NCAM will demonstrate the first fully implemented EIA-708B caption decoder using Zenith's new integrated HDTVs. ""Itís been a long road to finally see HDTV sets with closed captions -- and Zenith has been a driving force in setting the standards and getting the equipment on the market,"" said NCAM Director Larry Goldberg. ""Weíre thrilled to be able to show Zenith's first caption-ready HDTVs to the deaf community at these vitally important events.""Zenith's new direct-view integrated digital HDTVs with digital closed captioning, soon to be available at retail, include the 34-inch widescreen C34W23, the 36-inch C36V23, and the 32-inch C32V23, which is the industryís first integrated HDTV priced under $1,500. In addition to originating nearly one-third of PBS's prime-time programming, Boston's WGBH is widely credited with pioneering closed captioning and video descriptions for TV broadcasting. Zenith has worked closely with WGBH in the implementation of digital closed captioning in its HDTVs, just as it did in 1991 with its analog TV products capable of displaying closed captioning.""As with analog closed captions more than a decade ago, Zenith is proud to pave the way for bringing closed captions into the digital era,"" said Ken Lee, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing. ""Implementation of flexible new digital closed captions, pioneered by WGBH, further enhances digital TV's capabilities, making HDTV more accessible to all Americans.""Two years ago, the FCC declared that consumer electronics manufacturers would be required to include compliant closed captioning decoder circuitry in digital TV devices beginning July 1, 2002. Consumer equipment covered under the FCC Report and Order includes DTV sets with integrated widescreen displays measuring at least 7.8 inches vertically, DTV sets with conventional displays measuring at least 13 inches vertically, and standalone DTV tuners.Closed captioning is an access technology that allows persons with hearing disabilities to appreciate and understand television programming. Captioning displays the audio portion of programming as text superimposed over the video. Closed captioning information is encoded and transmitted along the video signal of television broadcasts. In order to display closed captions, viewers must either use a TV receiver with integrated decoder circuitry or a set-top decoder.An early advocate of closed captioning, Zenith was the first manufacturer to introduce analog TVs with built-in Line 21 closed caption capability in 1991, before required by law. Zenith also was instrumental in building industry support for and securing congressional passage of the Television Decoder Circuitry Act of 1990. That law requires that analog TV receivers with screens 13 inches or larger contain built-in circuitry designed to display closed-captioned transmissions. The CPB/WGBH National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM), part of the Media Access Group at Boston public broadcaster WGBH, is leading an unprecedented cross-country effort to enable digital television stations to deliver closed captioning and video description services to individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind or visually impaired.Through its DTV Access Project (www.dtvaccess.org), NCAM works with broadcasters, professional and consumer electronics manufacturers, and industry standards bodies to support implementation of these vital access services. FCC mandates require all stations to have DTV signals on the air by 2003, while a variety of requirements to transmit and receive closed captioning and video description are now in effect.