Opera surtitling for Braille readers via VoiceOver

By Brad Cohen, 20 December, 2023

Forum
App Development and Programming

Hi - we're developing a Websocket-based browser solution to push live surtitles to blind operagoers, using their iPhones and Brailliant devices. We're encountering a hiccup in testing which we would love to solicit thoughts on.

Browser refreshes of text lines work perfectly to iPhones, and get rendered to speech in VoiceOver - but the Brailliant BI40x doesn't render the Braille output.

Is this a known VoiceOver issue - or a Brailliant one? JAWS from a laptop to a Brailliant works perfectly.

Any suggestions gratefully received! We are super-keen to increase the accessibility of surtitles for all patrons internationally.

Brad Cohen

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Comments

By Brad on Friday, December 15, 2023 - 10:24

I don't think anyone can help you here with this issue. You'd probably be better off contacting the manufacturer of the device.

Also I don't really see the point of this? I've just learnt what surtitles are, (they're live subtitles for people that didn't know,) if the person is meant to read when the person sings that just seams very tedius. Not only would your reading spead have to be very fast but you'd have to be an amazing speller to get all the words in time.

By Daniel Angus M… on Friday, December 15, 2023 - 10:24

Apple added Media Descriptions a few years back, to push captions for different languages with Braille. I'm not sure if these are used often, or at all. someone chime in here. the intent i believe was for movies with English captions, would have the ability for VoiceOver to read said captions, thus, blind people could enjoy movies in other languages. I bought a movie on Amazon Prime, which is in Arabic. I had hoped media descriptions would read the English captions. it's probably user error why id didn't work, and I would love to try again. my sister, a professional editor for movies and TV shows, told me the captions are burned in, and could not tell me anything else, unless she bought the same movie. I think it might be an accessibility issue why reading those captions didn't work, maybe, that might be exclusive to the TV app, would like to get clarification from someone on this. to bring this back to topic, I think this would technicly work. but how often or not surtitles would be used is a gage for putting in the development time for this project.

By Brad on Friday, December 15, 2023 - 10:24

I don't know how many people use it but I'll take back what I said about not seeing the point. Others aren't me and just because I can't see the point in using it doesn't mean others won't.

By Bingo Little on Friday, December 15, 2023 - 10:24

There definitely is a point to this: I enjoy the opera and it is wonderful to be able to follow along. Sighted people follow the subtitles too, most people's Italian, german or French not being up to understanding what opera singers sing. Even with operas in english (e.g. the Exterminating angel) it is a really difficult ask without subtitles.

However, I think following along is much more effective offline. What I would really love is a one stop resource for words only subtitles in .brf format which I can download and take with me to Covent Garden Opera House or wherever. even having them on paper is an option that way, if that's what you want to do. Has your project ever been thought of that way?

Perhaps it's just me, but I feel a tad uncomfortable using my iPhone in an opere house where such devices ought really to be switched off or to silent. All right, I've a special use case but I don't want to have to spend the whole of the barber of Seville worrying about my iPhone talking and distracting the conductor.

So, here's a call for offline surtitling! L'amour est un ouiseau rebelle qu'un nul ne peut apprivoiser, et c'est bien en vain quon l'appelle si lui convient de refuser.

By Daniel Angus M… on Friday, December 22, 2023 - 10:24

settings>accessibility>VoiceOver>Braille, Apple added sound curtin. which this configured, a braille display could bde used for silent opperation.

By Bingo Little on Friday, December 22, 2023 - 10:24

It sill looks so bad, Daniel! I'm not going to the Royal Opera house and using mi' iPhone! I had this argument at my wedding - no, you can't have a copy of the order of service for your iPhone! mobiles off in the chapel means mobiles off in the chapel! I'll print you out an order of service in Braille and you can read in a civilised manner! anyway, I digress: seriously, daniel, i see your point and it's a good one. but I do think the brains behind this project might get round their problem by putting their energy into downloadable offline material that you can pick up in advance of the opera to which you're going.

By Sheri on Monday, January 1, 2024 - 10:24

I've been a blind opera fan for many years and subscribe to all our local performances. I have been looking for a solution like this to make my experience far more accessible. I can't help with the solution, but I certainly hope someone can! And for those who are reluctant to use your iPhone at the performance, no one will even know if you have the screen curtain on and are using at least an earbud. Using your tech is no different than a sighted person using their opera glasses to see the staging better.

By Brad Cohen on Saturday, June 15, 2024 - 10:24

As featured in The Guardian newspaper - NZ Opera trialled live braille surtitles on June 2024 with success and a great deal of worldwide media coverage. Check us out at contexts.live.

By Mara on Sunday, September 22, 2024 - 10:24

I used it and it was awesome. NZOpera is running this again for their current production of Verdi's Rigoletto. will be great tomorrow. night!