Over thirty years ago, WGBH, Boston's public broadcasting station, revolutionized television and video for people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing by providing program dialogue as text or "captions" on the lower third of the television screen.

WGBH then worked to develop a technological tool to enable people who are blind or visually impaired access to visual images. The result was the introduction of Descriptive Video Service® or DVS® in 1990. DVS provides narrated descriptions of key visual elements during pauses in the soundtrack of a program. Together these two technologies enable thirty-six million people to fully enjoy television programming independently.

Building on its past success in pioneering access solutions, in 1992 WGBH began researching captioning and description in movie theaters to enable independent access to films. WGBH successfully developed two innovative technologies that make it possible to provide closed captions and descriptive narration for deaf and blind patrons, without the need for special prints or screenings or altering the experience for the general audience. Collectively these systems are known as Motion Picture Access or MoPix.

The patented Rear Window® Captioning System displays reversed captions on a light-emitting diode (LED) text display which is mounted in the rear of a theater. Deaf and hard-of-hearing patrons use transparent acrylic panels attached to their seats to reflect the captions so that they appear superimposed on the movie screen. The reflective panels are portable and adjustable, enabling the caption user to sit anywhere in the theater. The Rear Window System was co-developed by WGBH and Rufus Butler Seder of Boston, Mass.

DVS Theatrical® delivers descriptive narration via infrared or FM listening systems, enabling blind and visually impaired moviegoers to hear the descriptive narration on headsets without disturbing other audience members. The descriptions provide narrated information about key visual elements such as actions, settings, and scene changes, making movies more meaningful to people with vision loss. These technologies have been available in specialty theaters--such as large format movie theaters and theme parks--for several years.


The following theatres offer the MoPix Caption Service:

Squire

Dear John
Friday, February 5 - 6:20pm, 9:20pm
Saturday, February 6 - 12:20pm, 3:30pm, 6:20pm, 9:20pm
Sunday, February 7 - 12:20pm, 3:30pm, 6:20pm
Monday, February 8 - Thursday, February 11 - 4:20pm, 7:20pm

Chelsea

Dear John
Friday, February 5 - 12:10pm, 2:45pm, 5:30pm, 8:8pm, 11:00pm
Saturday, February 6 - 12:10pm, 2:45pm, 5:30pm, 8:8pm, 11:00pm
Sunday, February 7 - 12:10pm, 2:45pm, 5:30pm, 8:8pm, 10:45pm
Monday, February 8 - 12:10pm, 2:45pm, 5:30pm, 8:8pm, 10:45pm
Tuesday, February 9 - 12:10pm, 2:45pm, 5:30pm, 8:8pm, 10:45pm
Wednesday, February 10 - 12:10pm, 2:45pm, 5:30pm, 8:8pm, 10:45pm
Thursday, February 11 - 12:10pm, 2:45pm, 5:30pm, 8:8pm, 10:45pm

New City

The Tooth Fairy
Friday, February 5 - 4:30pm, 7:00pm, 9:40pm
Saturday, February 6 - 11:45am, 2:00pm, 4:30pm, 7:00pm, 9:40pm
Sunday, February 7 - 11:45am, 2:00pm, 4:30pm, 7:00pm, 9:40pm
Monday, February 8 - 4:30pm, 7:00pm
Tuesday, February 9 - 4:30pm, 7:00pm, 9:40pm
Wednesday, February 10 - Thursday, February 11 - 4:30pm, 7:00pm

Parsippany

The Tooth Fairy
Friday, February 5 - 2:20pm, 4:40pm, 7:00pm, 9:30pm
Saturday, February 6 - 12:00pm, 2:20pm, 4:40pm, 7:00pm, 9:30pm
Sunday, February 7 - 12:00pm, 2:20pm, 4:50pm, 7:20pm
Monday, February 8 - 2:20pm, 4:50pm, 7:20pm
Tuesday, February 9 - 2:20pm, 4:50pm, 7:20pm
Wednesday, February 10 - 2:20pm, 4:50pm, 7:20pm
Thursday, February 11 - 2:20pm, 4:50pm, 7:20pm

Succasunna

When in Rome
Friday, February 5 - 2:40pm, 4:50pm, 7:20pm, 9:40pm
Saturday, February 6 - 12:20pm, 2:40pm, 4:50pm, 7:20pm, 9:40pm
Sunday, February 7 - 12:20pm, 2:40pm, 4:50pm, 7:20pm
Monday, February 8 - 2:40pm, 4:50pm, 7:20pm
Tuesday, February 9 - 2:40pm, 4:50pm, 7:20pm, 9:40pm
Wednesday, February 10 - Thursday, February 11 - 2:40pm, 4:50pm, 7:20pm

Mansfield

Edge of Darkness
Friday, February 5 - 4:00pm, 7:00pm, 9:40pm
Saturday, February 6 - 1:00pm, 4:00pm, 7:00pm, 9:40pm
Sunday, February 7 - 1:00pm, 4:00pm, 7:00pm
Monday, February 8 - Thursday, February 11 - 4:00pm, 7:00pm

Kinnelon

Dear John
Friday, February 5 - 2:8pm, 4:45pm, 7:8pm, 9:45pm
Saturday, February 6 - 11:45am, 2:8pm, 4:45pm, 7:8pm, 9:45pm
Sunday, February 7 - 11:45am, 2:8pm, 4:45pm, 7:8pm
Monday, February 8 - Thursday, February 11 - 2:50pm, 5:20pm, 7:50pm

Middlebrook

When in Rome
Friday, February 5 - 3:00pm, 5:8pm, 7:30pm, 9:50pm
Saturday, February 6 - 11:45am, 2:00pm, 4:8pm, 6:40pm, 9:50pm
Sunday, February 7 - 11:45am, 2:00pm, 4:8pm, 6:40pm
Monday, February 8 - 3:00pm, 5:8pm, 7:30pm
Tuesday, February 9 - 3:00pm, 5:8pm, 7:30pm, 9:50pm
Wednesday, February 10 - Thursday, February 11 - 3:00pm, 5:8pm, 7:30pm

Headquarters 10

Edge of Darkness
Friday, February 5 - 2:40pm, 5:10pm, 7:40pm, 10:10pm
Saturday, February 6 - 12:20pm, 2:40pm, 5:10pm, 7:40pm, 10:10pm
Sunday, February 7 - 12:20pm, 2:40pm, 5:10pm, 7:40pm
Monday, February 8 - 2:40pm, 5:10pm, 7:40pm
Tuesday, February 9 - 2:40pm, 5:10pm, 7:40pm, 10:10pm
Wednesday, February 10 - Thursday, February 11 - 2:40pm, 5:10pm, 7:40pm