STREAM: Watch Channel has audio description

[unisoft]

For VM,

Live channel 'Watch' has audio description and the feed is incorrect. No other channel is spouting audio description. Two days so far of this so not a temp issue with one programme. No Accessibility options enabled in settings just for reference.

[Adri_G]

Hey unisoft, thanks for reaching out on the help forum and sorry to hear of the issue with audio description feed being incorrect recently on your Stream box.

Can you please advise if any area faults related to TV issues come up on our service status page that can explain this?

Also, do you mean the issue is present on other BBC channels or are those missing this audio feature completely?

Could you also post a picture where we can see the Stream settings menu and accessibility options missing so we can assist with this too?

More the Stream Accessibility features and how to activate them can be found here.

We're here to help, please let us know more on the above.

[unisoft]

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@Adri_G wrote:

Hey unisoft, thanks for reaching out on the help forum and sorry to hear of the issue with audio description feed being incorrect recently on your Stream box.

Can you please advise if any area faults related to TV issues come up on our service status page that can explain this?

Also, do you mean the issue is present on other BBC channels or are those missing this audio feature completely?

Could you also post a picture where we can see the Stream settings menu and accessibility options missing so we can assist with this too?

More the Stream Accessibility features and how to activate them can be found here.

We're here to help, please let us know more on the above.

---

Hi,

Its the feed that VM put out. Audio description is permanently ON for those programmes that carry it. There isn't a setting enabled on the Stream that would do this as Audio Description and Voiceover is set to OFF, and it would affect other channels if there was ON. ONLY Channel "WATCH" is affected. The system status only lists a fault for Catch Up 4 On demand content that's been on there for days/weeks and I think system status only does traditional TV via a TIVO/v6/360 box not Stream.

thanks.

[newapollo]

Hi @unisoft 

Are you referring to the content on channel 'W'?   As far as I can remember 'Watch' was renamed as 'W' sometime in 2016.

I've checked 'W' on my 360 (channel 125) and very few of the programs carry the audio description - I don't have either AD or Voiceover enabled.

It's the same when I check freeview.

There are however a few programs that are broadcast in AD on that channel - for example Nurses Down Under at 11pm tonight (April 11th) and Top Chef at 6am tomorrow. When it's brodcast directly in that format the AD can't be turned off.

[unisoft]

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@newapollo wrote:

Hi @unisoft 

Are you referring to the content on channel 'W'?   As far as I can remember 'Watch' was renamed as 'W' sometime in 2016.

I've checked 'W' on my 360 (channel 125) and very few of the programs carry the audio description - I don't have either AD or Voiceover enabled.

It's the same when I check freeview.

There are however a few programs that are broadcast in AD on that channel - for example Nurses Down Under at 11pm tonight (April 11th) and Top Chef at 6am tomorrow. When it's brodcast directly in that format the AD can't be turned off.

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Yes its now called "W" (but still means Watch).

Only certain programmes have Audio description broadcast as an optional extra audio channel, BUT, unlike the other channels, the feed from VM has audio description baked in. If Audio Description is OFF on the Stream settings, then the extra audio track for Audio Description should not be selected and the standard AAC audio track used.

This is not what is happening - audio description is being enforced by default on this channel. VM have either got the channels wrong way round or they just select the audio description channel as the primary audio feed instead of a secondary channel.

I was trying to watch The Catherine Tate Show a few days ago and all episodes had AD enforced by default despite AUDIO DESCRIPTION being OFF in the Stream settings. AD is not usually enforced by a broadcaster - its always an optional additional audio track that can be selected through software to be selected if wanted.

[newapollo]

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@unisoft  wrote:

I was trying to watch The Catherine Tate Show a few days ago and all episodes had AD enforced by default despite AUDIO DESCRIPTION being OFF in the Stream settings. AD is not usually enforced by a broadcaster - its always an optional additional audio track that can be selected through software to be selected if wanted.

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Hi agian @unisoft 

Checking on my 360, The Catherine Tate show broadcast three episodes on Good Friday on W channel.  Looking at the EPG they were all set to have AD on by default.

I have checked the EPG on Freeview (channel 25) for Good Friday and the same three Catherine Tate episodes were broadcast on there in AD by default as well.

So to me it isn't VM's fault or feed, it's the way the programs were transmitted by the broadcaster.

[unisoft]

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@newapollo wrote:

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@unisoft  wrote:

I was trying to watch The Catherine Tate Show a few days ago and all episodes had AD enforced by default despite AUDIO DESCRIPTION being OFF in the Stream settings. AD is not usually enforced by a broadcaster - its always an optional additional audio track that can be selected through software to be selected if wanted.

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Hi agian @unisoft 

Checking on my 360, The Catherine Tate show broadcast three episodes on Good Friday on W channel.  Looking at the EPG they were all set to have AD on by default.

I have checked the EPG on Freeview (channel 25) for Good Friday and the same three Catherine Tate episodes were broadcast on there in AD by default as well.

So to me it isn't VM's fault or feed, it's the way the programs were transmitted by the broadcaster.

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It's not normal for AD to be enforced by default and not able to be disabled. Its transmitted as an optional audio track normally and labelled as an AD capable programme in EPGs.

Other UKTV owned channels don't enforce it, and there is nothing on their Twitter or web site saying they now do.

Is this VM deliberately enabling this then? I'll check Freeview version of W when another AD marked programme is broadcast.

[unisoft]

Right, checked this out. 

Same channel "W" on Freeview (DVB-T) does NOT have enforced AD description. It was also not enforced on Freesat carrying this channel as checked with a member of the family. They were selectable as an optional audio track which is what I would expect. Therefore the VM Stream feed is incorrect - whether that is VM or VM speaking to UKTV distribution about it.

Additionally to Stream, the VM Go app probably uses the same feed and that was also having AD enforced for programmes carrying AD.

VM, can you please pass to your engineering team or whatever you call them that is responsible for channel distribution within VM infrastructure?

[Steven_L]

Thanks for the information about this unisoft, I have passed this onto the relevant teams for them to investigate this. We will be back in touch as soon as we have any further updates.

Kind Regards,

Steven_L

[unisoft]

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@Steven_L wrote:

Thanks for the information about this unisoft, I have passed this onto the relevant teams for them to investigate this. We will be back in touch as soon as we have any further updates.

Kind Regards,

Steven_L

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Looks like this is fixed as there was no enforced audio description when watching "W" channel last night......thanks.