FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS-VOICEPRINT

1. What is “SAP” and how do I access it?

• The Secondary Audio Program (SAP) is an audio setting on your TV. Not all televisions have a SAP option and it may be difficult to activate because of the on-screen menus. As Canadian broadcasters ready for the coming all-digital era (Canada is scheduled to switch over in August 2011), several cable and satellite providers have already given VoicePrint a dedicated channel on their digital-TV lineup. Others will do so soon but until then you can use the SAP to access VoicePrint, as well as Described programming on a variety of TV stations. 
• Here’s what you need to do to access the SAP:

ON YOUR REMOTE CONTROL

• • Some remotes have a button to change the audio
  • Press the "MTS/SAP" button located on the remote
  • Each press will toggle between the different audio modes of your TV.
  • The choice of audio track is highlighted on the TV screen

• • Some TVs require you use the TV menu to activate the S.A.P.
  • Press "menu" on the remote control to display the on-screen menu
  • Using the scroll buttons on your remote, scroll down to the "Audio Select” option
• Change the option to "SAP"
• Exit the menu

2. Who reads for VoicePrint?

• Volunteers are the voices of VoicePrint. Day after day, 600 Volunteers from across the country generously donate their time and talents to keep our audience up to date on the latest news and information, broadcasting the full details and deep context that only newspapers and magazines can provide.
• All together, our committed Staff and dedicated Volunteers are responsible for broadcasting more than 125 hours of new programming every week, plus hours more through our web-based Local Broadcast Centres (LBC).
• We also refer to our Volunteers as the heart of VoicePrint, many reaching five-, 10- and 15-year-anniversary milestones. A notable few have read for VoicePrint since we first went on the air 20 years ago.

3. How do I become a VoicePrint Volunteer?

• To become a Volunteer reader you must successfully complete an audition that consists of an article and a word list to test pronunciation. 
• If you’d like to become a Volunteer, please phone 1-800-567-6755 extension 0978 or e-mail volunteer@ami.ca

4. What kind of programs does VoicePrint broadcast? 

• Each day VoicePrint's national service consists of verbatim readings of current articles from newspapers and magazines packaged into topical programs usually 30 minutes in duration. 
• Every Sunday VoicePrint airs its award-winning, original current-affairs program, Contact
• VoicePrint’s Weekend Movie Showcase features great Hollywood films, fully described every Saturday and Sunday
• The classic TV comedy I Love Lucy airs on Sunday nights 
• At www.ami.ca our Listeners can also access VoicePrint’s Audio Archive to easily access a show they missed -- or want to hear again.

5. What are VoicePrint’s Local Broadcast Centre (LBC) websites?

• Local Broadcast Centres (LBCs) represent VoicePrint’s commitment to bringing local news and information to communities throughout Canada. After all, active citizenship begins with being aware of, and linked to, the world immediately around you -- your local community. It then extends to the wider context – your region. And finally it extends further to what is happening in other places – the nation and the world.
• Currently, VoicePrint has regional offices in Halifax, Fredericton, Ottawa, Sudbury, Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary, Lethbridge, Edmonton, Vancouver and Victoria.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS- AMI-TV

1. Who can receive AMI-tv?

• The service is a mandated signal, so all Class 1 & 2 cable systems and direct-to-home satellite services must include AMI-tv in their basic digital service, the package of services a subscriber must take when signing up for the least–expensive program package.
• The viewer who cannot see the screen, or cannot see it well, will not require additional special equipment to access AMI-tv.

2. What is described video and why is AMI-tv a welcome innovation for people who are blind, with low vision or print-restricted?

• Described video is a process in which a narrator describes key visual elements of a movie, documentary or TV show that are not apparent if one relies on the original sound track alone. That narration is added to the sound track.
• For vision–restricted and blind Canadians, it’s the equivalent of closed captioning, which long has been available for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
• "Description, as opposed to no description, is like the difference between the experience a sighted person would inherit watching an NHL game on TV versus listening to a play–by–play sportscaster call the game on local radio," says one advocate for sight impaired consumers. "The radio broadcaster provides a much more vivid ‘visual’ picture of the on-ice action, as one is aware of painting a picture."

3. Do I need special equipment to access AMI-tv?

• Provided that you have a basic digital package, when you tune into AMI-tv, you will hear the described sound track without other equipment or the need to select options on your remote.  This is called open description.