WASHINGTON, D.C. – Comcast NBCUniversal, Sinclair Broadcast Group and the Pearl Network Consortia (PNC), a coalition of the major U.S broadcast companies advancing the rollout of NEXTGEN TV, today announced that they will demonstrate improved audio accessibility features that are available with the new broadcast standard at the 2023 National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Show in Las Vegas. These new features are set to make television more accessible and inclusive for everyone.

These features are a significant milestone in NEXTGEN TV's enhanced audio description support and demonstrate how they can be extended to multichannel video programming distributor (MVPD) distribution platforms. Audio description is a spoken narrative that describes purely visual elements and context in a program for viewers who are blind or visually impaired. The enhanced audio capabilities of NEXTGEN TV enable the audio description to be delivered with the same high quality as the primary audio track.

A two-screen demonstration will feature an NBC Sports NEXTGEN TV broadcast from the Las Vegas Sinclair station that will simultaneously be distributed via a Comcast Xfinity set-top box. Enhanced accessibility features highlighted will include full Dolby Atmos immersive sound in English and Spanish with audio description and Voice+ to increase the intelligibility of the foreground announcers' voices over the program content.

The enhanced audio accessibility demonstration will be available to experience April 16-19, at the 2023 NAB Show, located in the West Hall at booth W3443.

Comcast
Pearl TV