This translation has not been editorially reviewed yet. The German version is authoritative. Deutsche Fassung

Accessibility

When does a recorded video need audio description?

A recorded video needs audio description as soon as important content appears only visually — numbers shown on screen, diagrams, demonstrated hand movements. An additional audio track then describes this visual content during the pauses in speech, so that blind people can follow the video fully. If the audio already narrates everything important, no additional track is needed.

The second audio track makes the picture audible

This requirement builds on the basic rule for media alternatives and explicitly requires a descriptive audio track for recorded video. The difference from the simpler level: a plain text version is no longer enough here — the description needs to be audible within the video itself. In practice that means: your product video gets a second audio version, in which a narrator uses the pauses in speech to name what's visible — "The technician loosens the two screws on the underside". The visitor chooses between the original audio and the described version in the player. The most cost-effective approach is to plan for pauses in speech already during filming and have everything important spoken aloud.

How our measurement engine checks audio description

The automated check examines every video element on your page: if there is a description track, the corresponding file is actually loaded and checked for real entries with timestamps. Only if every video file found has such a filled track does the criterion count as automatically passed — an empty reference isn't enough. What the machine fundamentally cannot do: judge whether a video has visual content that needs describing in the first place, whether the description is accurate, or what's inside embedded third-party players such as YouTube. In these cases, the report marks the criterion as "manual review". At the Gold Standard level, a human watches the video and decides.

Examples

Recorded video with action

Not met

<video controls src="imagefilm.mp4">
  <track kind="captions" src="imagefilm.vtt" srclang="de">
</video>

Passes

<video controls src="imagefilm.mp4">
  <track kind="captions" src="imagefilm.vtt" srclang="de">
  <track kind="descriptions" src="imagefilm-ad.vtt" srclang="de">
</video>
<p><a href="imagefilm-mit-audiodeskription.mp4">Fassung mit Audiodeskription</a></p>

At level AA, a transcript is no longer sufficient: The video needs a soundtrack or frame that describes the image.

Listen to your videos with your eyes closed and note down every point where you're missing information.
For new productions, have everything shown on screen spoken aloud too — then a separate description track is often not needed at all.
For existing, visually dense videos, commission a described audio version from a provider that specialises in this.
Ask your agency to embed the description track as a separate, selectable audio track in the player.
Prioritise: start with the videos that prepare purchasing decisions or contract signings.

Deutsche Fassung dieser Seite

FAQ

What does audio description for a corporate video cost?

That depends on length and how visual the content is, and we deliberately don't give estimated figures. Prevention is cheaper than any retrofit: if you have everything important spoken aloud during filming, you often won't need a separate description track at all. For existing videos, get quotes from specialised providers.

Does a plain interview video need audio description?

Usually not. If two people are speaking and no important information is shown on screen, the audio already tells the whole story — there's nothing to describe. But as soon as name captions, figures, or product images carry meaning of their own, that content should be spoken aloud or added via a description track.

Does the automated check detect missing audio description?

It detects whether a description track is technically present and filled — the file is actually loaded and checked for this. Whether a video needs a description content-wise, and whether it's a good one, is judged by a human at the Gold Standard level. The report openly states what was measured and what is a human judgment.