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mVideoPlayer is a free Android app that plays many different video formats and displays subtitle (.srt) files rather well. The interface is very clean and users have a lot of control over the subtitle size, position, font, and timing.

mVideoPlayer supports the following subtitle files: .srt, .ssa, .ass, .mpl, .smi, .txt, and .sub sami. There is also built-in subtitle search powered by OpenSubtitles.org, and users can download and pair a subtitle with a video in less than 10 seconds. This app supports many video formats but not .mov.

Behind the cut is a slide show of screen shots – take a look.

A recent conversation with an acquaintance from an internet community I frequent prompted me to write this post.  He’s not deaf, but he works from home in a basement with headphones on, and often misses the doorbell being rung.  He asked the community if it was possible to somehow have his doorbell alert him via Growl on OSX, and I thought this was a really great idea, so I’m throwing it out here.  I did a lot of Googling, but didn’t come up with a solution.  With the level of technical, hacker, and Burning Man expertise that can be drawn upon here, I am sure someone reading this can put something together.

Alert systems for the deaf are often expensive and bulky.  Generally, the basic concept is that one has several central transmitters in various rooms of the house that are hooked up to a lamp.  Extra transmitters hooked up to the doorbell, smoke alarm, motion detector, baby monitor, and intruder alarm send wireless signals to the central transmitters, and they will cause the lamps they are hooked into to flash, and in some cases, a bed to vibrate.  In some cases, doorbell and smoke alarm systems have to be hard-wired and installed by a professional electrician.  There are pager-sized accessories that one can attach to their belt that will send vibrations when a signal is received, but to me, that’s the equivalent of buying a kitchen unitasker like an avocado slicer.  Why have extra gadgets?  Why not hack the gadgets we currently have?

In this time of smartphones, wonderful open-source platforms such as Android and with such tools as Growl at our disposal, I think it’s time to kick deaf tech up a notch.  Suppose there was a way for the following audible alerts:

• Doorbell
• Baby monitor
• Smoke alarm
• Motion detector
• Telephone ringing
• Intruder alarm
• Oven timer
• Other audible alarms

to:

• Send SMS/text messages to a mobile phone
• Send a visual alert to an iPhone or Android phone
• Send a Growl notification to a computer screen

I visualize they would look something like this:

As my acquaintance said the other day,

“Imagine getting a text message while at work when the UPS guy rings your doorbell.  Imagine getting a Growl notification on your computer when someone pulls into your driveway and activates a motion sensor.”

Sure sounds good to me.  Let’s get a discussion going and start coming up with ways to make this happen.

My TMobile Sidekick LX finally bit the dust so I got a new Epic 4G yesterday and switched from TMobile to Sprint after 8 years with TMobile.  It was an easy decision because Sprint offers deaf-friendly data-only plans and a larger selection of phones.

First impressions of the Epic: love it! My only “complaints” are, the visual alerts aren’t as prominent, and the battery doesn’t last very long (and yes, I have Advanced Task Killer.) A friend mentioned external battery packs, so I’ll look into that.

Questions:
1. Are there apps out there that create better visual alerts? On the SK the trackball would glow blue if you had an unread message (it glows green the rest of the time.) I wonder if there’s an app out there that can cause the screen to glow on and off for unread messages.

2. I really like that I can do the Quick Launch keyboard shortcuts – is there a way to quick jump to Applications without having to go to the Home screen first?  BTW, you can’t set Applications as a Quick Launch item.

3. Is there a way to wirelessly connect the phone to my laptop in order to transfer files to it, or does it have to be connected physically via USB?

Accessibility:
The YouTube player doesn’t display captions on YouTube videos that are captioned on the Web. Google says Youtube captions are available on Froyo, which the Epic doesn’t have yet (still on 2.1.) I also have Sprint TV on the phone, and I haven’t found any captioned episodes yet.

• Search and Download Subtitles Right From Your Android Phone with mVideoPlayer. – good resource

The Epic is TTY compatible though, and the slide-out keyboard is very good. Typing is easy and I don’t make mistakes.

As mentioned above, the visual alerts aren’t prominent enough, and I think the vibration even at full power setting isn’t strong enough – I had my phone in my purse last night and didn’t feel it vibrating. Not a huge deal, I can live with checking it more often.

I haven’t tried out the video chat option yet but deafies say it’s fast enough that they can sign to each other without lag.

Dream App/Wishlist:
1. Something that could receive signals from a doorbell, smoke alarm, baby monitor, etc and cause a visual alert/vibration on the Android device.

2. Captionfish app

3. More deaf-tech apps like iSubtitles and Figaro (couldn’t find link)

Captioning blooper found on an unknown TV network – someone passed this along to me but doesn’t know which TV station it is.

Ed note: Snopes says it’s Los Angeles news station KABC-TV. Thanks Pete.

Jaman is an online movie site that specializes in indie, art house, and foreign films.  Full-length feature movies can be downloaded to watch on your computer or television (no iPod or iPhone capability, yet) and cost $1.99 to rent and $4.99 to purchase.  There are over 1,000 titles to choose from, and being that a lot of these selections are foreign, there are films available that come with English subtitles.

I am hoping that Jaman will show other movie download companies that subtitles/captions on downloads do work.  Dear iTunes and Netflix: hint, hint.

In November, Emirates Airlines became the first major airline to offer closed captions on inflight entertainment. All seats in all classes of the airline are equipped with their iCE (Information Communication Entertainment) system, which offers over 600 channels and other snazzy features, such as viewing the aircraft’s external cameras, and sending SMS or email from your seat. Passengers now have the option to turn on closed captions when viewing movies or television programs, and the captions are offered in up to 12 languages. Panasonic Avionics‘ eX2 technology is what is driving the closed captions.

I hope we’ll be seeing this in more airlines soon.

Ed. note: I updated this post at 14:35 PST on Monday, Feb 11, 2008 to add more information of each candidate’s voting record on accessibility & deaf tech issues, and upgraded McCain’s grade from “F” to “D-” based on his voting record.

This post over on Daily Kos by “slinkerwink” describes how Barack Obama is the only candidate with consistently captioned videos. That got me thinking, and I did some research: a report card grading each presidential candidate on their accessibility to the deaf.

DEMOCRATS:

Barack Obama - Grade: A+
Barack Obama’s website lists disability as a major issue in the main navigation bar and provides a PDF file titled “Disability Plan FactSheet” which states:

Investing in Assistive Technologies: Barack Obama believes we must use technology to make community based living a reality for more people with disabilities. Obama supports the Fostering Independence Through Technology Act, which offers 21st century solutions, such as home monitoring and communications technologies, to overcoming barriers for people with disabilities.

Obama’s campaign has partnered with Project ReadOn to provide captioning for all their online web videos. Every single video on Obama’s website is offered in closed captioned format and is easy to find. And while this isn’t a deaf-tech item, I thought it was noteworthy that his campaign video features a deaf actress using American Sign Language.

In Obama’s technology record, he supports net neutrality and supports bringing high-speed broadband to every American, which is important for ASL vloggers, video relay services, remote video interpreting, and the like.

Obama’s voting record on deaf-tech and accessibility issues stands as follows: he supports the ADA Restoration Act of 2007, he voted for the Stem Cell Research Act of 2007 and the Stem Cell Research Bill (which is important for cochlear research,) and voted for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act.

The American Association for People with Disabilities submitted a questionnaire to each candidate asking them what their plan was for people with disabilities. Barack Obama’s answers are here.

Hillary Clinton – Grade: C
Hillary Clinton’s website does not list disability as a major issue in her campaign, and has a very hidden, hard-to-find page that outlines her plan for Americans with disabilities. In the assistive technology area, she states she plans to:

• Doubling Funding for Assistive Technology Loan Programs. Assistive technologies should be affordable to all people with disabilities who need them. Expensive loans that weigh down people already struggling are not the answer. Hillary will double loan programs that enable people to purchase assistive technologies and support state initiatives like the Virginia Assistive Technology Loan Fund Authority, which has helped Virginians of all income levels (including SSI and SSDI recipients) to access low-interest loans to purchase equipment like wheelchairs, Braille equipment, hearing aids, low vision aids, and communication systems. To ensure that financing such technology is never an undue burden on the work aspirations of people with disabilities, Hillary Clinton will require an income-contingent option that never requires more than a modest percentage of one’s income for repayment.
• Providing More Technical Assistance for Employers. Many employers are hesitant to hire people with disabilities because they are unsure about the accommodations necessary to enable successful work. President Bush has not kept his promises to fund programs that remove employment barriers that keep people with disabilities from work. He has cut funding for the Office of Disability Employment Policy by 41%, and his current budget proposes to cut the Office by an additional 34%. As President, Hillary Clinton will restore funding to the Office of Disability Employment Policy, with an emphasis on giving employers the tools to effectively employ people with disabilities. She will establish a new technical assistance resource center to provide real-time support for employers and help them link with local resources to implement workplace accommodations.

The video page has closed captioning (symbolized with a black “CC” graphic”) listed on some, but not all videos. Clinton has partnered with Project ReadOn to caption her videos, but as stated, not all of her online videos are captioned.

In technology, Clinton supports net neutrality, but voted for the Internet Access Tax Bill.  She supports the ADA Restoration Act of 2007 and voted in favor of stem cell research and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act.

The American Association for People with Disabilities submitted a questionnaire to each candidate asking them what their plan was for people with disabilities. Hillary Clinton’s answers are here.

REPUBLICANS:

John McCain – Grade: D-
John McCain was one of the senators that helped to pass the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990 and served on the Board of Trustees at Gallaudet University, the only four-year liberal university for the deaf. He resigned from the Board during the student protests over the appointment of Jane Fernandes as president of the University>. Fernandes doesn’t know American Sign Language and McCain supported her as president of Gallaudet, so I wouldn’t be too quick to say McCain is “in touch” with the deaf community.

His website does not list disability as an issue, nor can I find any sort of plan for Americans with disabilites. His online videos are not closed captioned.  He does not support net neutrality, he voted for the Internet Access tax bill, and in 1995/96, he voted “NAY” on the Telecommunications Bill S652, which provided more accessibility for the deaf with stronger FCC regulations on closed captions and Relay services.  However, he supports the ADA Restoration Act of 2007, voted for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act, and voted for stem cell research.

The American Association for People with Disabilities submitted a questionnaire to each candidate asking them what their plan was for people with disabilities. John McCain did not respond.

Mike Huckabee – Grade: F
Mike Huckabee’s website does not list disability as a campaign issue, nor does it offer a plan for Americans with Disabilities. His online videos are not closed captioned.

The American Association for People with Disabilities submitted a questionnaire to each candidate asking them what their plan was for people with disabilities. Mike Huckabee did not respond.

Ron Paul – Grade: F
Ron Paul partnered with Project ReadOn to provide captioning on his online videos, but the first video on the page is “unavailable” and the videos on his website do not have closed captions. His website does not list disability as an issue, nor does it outline a plan for disabled Americans.  Paul is also against the ADA Reform Act of 2007, stem cell research, and net neutrality.

The American Association for People with Disabilities submitted a questionnaire to each candidate asking them what their plan was for people with disabilities. Ron Paul did not respond.

Stone Deaf Pilots would like to officially endorse Barack Obama for President. He has the deaf and hearing impaired community’s best interests at heart and is willing to provide access for all. Please consider voting for Barack Obama if your state still has not had a primary election. A vote for Obama is an investment into a better future for the deaf and hard of hearing. To continue my support, I have created a Deafies for Obama page on MyBarackObama.com. Please consider joining and spreading the word!

If you are planning to vote for another candidate, please encourage them to make disability an issue on their campaign. Contact them and refer them to this post to help them understand how they compare to other presidential candidates on accessibility and disability issues.

Wired recently found my post on Deaf Bunny and did an article covering them. Then Penny Arcade picked it up and turned it into a comic. I think it’s funny.

I was reluctant to post this because it’s been all over the deaf blogosphere, but just in case my readers haven’t seen it yet, this is a very funny commercial that aired during last week’s Super Bowl. Thank you, Pepsi! More info on the video here.