WordWave and e-Media Deliver Closed Captioned Webcast

Editor: We've published several articles on how the rapid evolution of internet technology impacts people with hearing loss. One of the current hot technologies is webcasting, in which live video and audio are transmitted over the internet. In our opinion, captioning these webcasts is every bit as important as captioning television and movies. Here's a press release announcing a service that does just that. However, I believe their claim to be the only people providing this type of service is in error.

For additional information, please visit the Wordwave Listing or the e-Media Listing in our Resource Directory.

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WordWave, Inc., the global leader in digitized information transcription and searchable multimedia for the Internet, today announced a strategic technology partnership with e-Media LLC, the leading Integrated Streaming Solutions Provider. The companies co-developed a closed captioning solution for live and on-demand rich media. e-Media and WordWave currently offer the only closed captioning solution for live webcasts.

The launch of this new service by the two companies allows organizations to continue to use streaming media as a communication vehicle and offer closed captioning to hearing impaired individuals. The most recent example being government agencies that need to comply with Section 508, which states that all video and audio broadcasts must be accompanied by closed captioning. Captioned streaming media also makes event clips searchable by spoken word to help consumers easily locate a specific topic or comment within an event. In addition, users can request to receive transcripts of the events. 

The companies worked closely together over the past month to deploy this technology on e-Media's network. With its open architecture, e-Media's Integrated Delivery Network, e-MediaSphere delivers intelligent streaming solutions by integrating the best technologies. e-Media and WordWave plan to continue to develop the live and on-demand streaming media with closed captioning, transcription and search functionality.

Early adopters of closed captioning solutions for streaming media have been Federal Agencies, which are required under Section 508 to make all electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities. "We originally approached VITAC and e-Media about this service two months ago, as the Section 508 deadline was approaching," said Mike Skehan, president and founder of Skehan Communications. "As a leading provider of live event production in Washington, DC, we have numerous Federal Agency clients who have displayed a demand for real-time closed captioning during their webcasts. We are delighted to be the first to come to market with this service and offer a solution to Federal Agencies in complying with Section 508."

Benefits of Captioned Digital Media

- Searchable--By synchronizing text with video and audio content, WordWave's proprietary technology lets users search by any spoken word.
- Expanded access for hearing impaired--Captioned streaming media provides the deaf and hearing impaired with access to information not otherwise available to them. It is also compliant with Section 508 of the Federal Information Technology Accessibility Initiative, which mandates that all audio and video information posted on government Web sites must be captioned for individuals with hearing impairments.
- Flexible options for the work environment--Captioned dialogue allows those in a work environment to listen without disturbing other coworkers or when sound is unavailable at a computer terminal.

About e-Media

e-Media is the leading Integrated Streaming Solutions Provider, offering intelligent streaming media and integrated hosting solutions to organizations that strive to educate, inform or entertain their audiences. e-Media's key-differentiating factor is its Integrated Delivery Network known as e-MediaSphere. With its open architecture, e-MediaSphere supports the increasing demand for secure content delivery, meta data management, e-commerce, CRM and statistical reporting. e-Media's integrated solutions include hosting web and streaming content, webcasting, media triggered contextual information, digital rights management, pay-per-view, viewer authentication and serving targeted rich media ads and commerce. Founded in 1995, e-Media has extensive experience implementing rich media solutions to help clients meet their business objectives. e-Media was ranked the 34th fastest growing technology company in North America by the Deloitte & Touche 2000 Technology Fast 500 and is a registered trademark of e-Media, Inc. 

About WordWave, Inc.

WordWave, Inc. is a leading solutions provider for making online digital media searchable. WordWave was founded in 1997 as LegaLink and through a series of 19 acquisitions, quickly became the leader in court reporting, transcriptioning and videography. WordWave acquired VITAC in January 2000, becoming the global leader in broadcast captioning. Through its 20 acquisitions, WordWave has become an international conglomerate with 19 domestic offices and 6 international offices in Europe, Asia and Australia. WordWave is privately held with venture backing from Highland Capital Partners and Berkshire Partners. WordWave is available on the Web at www.wordwave.com. For information call 1-800-662-1466.