I-Caption: Broadway Show Captioning With Pocket PCs

[Janak Parekh]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.soundassociates.com/IR%20Product%20Pages/Captioner%20CS01%20-%20Wicked%20Press%20release%20Page.htm' target='_blank'>http://www.soundassociates.com/IR%2...ease%20Page.htm</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Until now the ability to attend live theatre with family and friends or to see a Broadway show on the spur of the moment has been a challenge for the deaf and hard of hearing who require special signed performances or specific seats for complete enjoyment. I-Caption, the new individual captioning system from Sound Associates, Inc., allows deaf patrons to be as spontaneous as anyone else attending live theatre...The I-Caption system features a proprietary handheld unit that displays the text of the entire show verbatim, including lyrics and dialogue. The text is automated and synchronized with sound and lighting cues to accommodate pacing variations from performance to performance. A polarized screen keeps nearby patrons from being distracted by light or moving text."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/parekh-20050201-SoundCaption.gif" /><br /><br />Cool stuff, although I don't quite know what's proprietary about the handheld if it looks <i>exactly</i> like an Axim X3 or X30. :P Too bad I don't have time to go see Wicked right now; it would be pretty cool to do "Pocket PC research" while stepping out for a Broadway show. ;)

[Jon Westfall]

Sounds like a great idea. The privacy screen is one of those things that I think will really make this a success. Many disabled people do not want to be seen as 'special' or be treated different from others - and the screen sounds like they won't be singled out or ridiculed for distracting others.

Oh, and the proprietary end units will probably have "A X I M" removed - thus making them so proprietary...

[rocky_raher]

Does the screen shot contain a typo? The first two lines each begin with "One short day..." and the third begins with "one shore day."

The curse of being a compulsive proofreader.

[dodette]

:) I just love other compulsive people... I went to the Wicked website, and listened to the soundclip for "One Short Day"... no reference to "the shore," to be heard! Great catch, I had missed that totally.

Edit... the screen shot in Newsweek had three "shorts." Isn't that an "s?"

[dean_shan]

This is very cool. They should put these in Cinemas as well.