Abstract: A wearable display device displays a sequence of words into the field of view of a person wearing the device in order to communicate information to the person, such as captions for hearing-impaired persons or translations of speech spoken by another person. Various embodiments of the device include an eyeglass frame configured to be worn by the person, a housing mounted to the eyeglass frame, including a circuit for receiving a signal containing the sequence of words, a display for displaying the sequence of words received by the circuit, a mirror mounted to reflect the displayed sequence of words downwardly through the housing, and a lens disposed in the path of the mirror to magnify the displayed sequence of words downwardly reflected by the mirror, and a partially reflective beamsplitter, mounted to the housing and extending downwardly over an eye of the person, for receiving the downwardly reflected sequence of words and projecting them into the field of view of the person.

Abstract: An apparatus for providing described television services includes a receiver for receiving description data corresponding to an audiovisual program; a text-to-speech converter for converting the description data into a speech signal corresponding to the description data; a memory device for receiving and storing the speech signal and a corresponding time code from the audiovisual program; a mixing circuit for retrieving the speech signal from the memory device and mixing the retrieved speech signal with the audio track of the audiovisual program to produce a combined audio signal; and a transmitter for simultaneously providing the combined speech signal and the audiovisual program to a viewer. The apparatus provides the combined speech signal to the viewer via the SAP channel. The apparatus may also include a translator for translating the description data into a foreign language prior to converting the description data into the speech signal.

Abstract: An apparatus for providing described television services includes a computer for receiving and storing description data corresponding to an audiovisual program; an encoder for encoding the description data into a program signal corresponding to the audiovisual program; and a receiver which receives the encoded program signal and extracting the description data from the encoded program signal. A text-to-speech converter converts the description data into a speech signal corresponding to the description data, and a speaker provides the speech signal to a viewer. Similarly, a method for providing described television services includes the steps of generating description data corresponding to an audiovisual program; encoding the description data into a program signal of the audiovisual program; and decoding the encoded program signal, whereby the description data is extracted from said encoded program signal.