There are quite a few television devices in the market today that have been developed to offer greater access to digital TV for blind and partially sighted people.
Lets have a look at some of them:
Panasonic television with Voice Guidance
With advice from RNIB experts, Panasonic have launched the world's first range of digital talking televisions.
The talking features (known as Voice Guidance) in the majority of Panasonic's Viera 2012 televisions mean that no matter what your level of sight is, you can independently find your favourite programmes from the on-screen TV guide, discover something new from an interesting programme description, skip up and down channels without feeling lost, turn audio description on and off and set reminders so you do not miss a moment - All this as standard within your TV at no extra cost and without the need for any extra equipment.
The built-in Voice Guidance works by announcing on-screen information and the most important menus. As you become more familiar with your TV you can change the level of Voice Guidance from beginner to expert if you want fewer instructions.
You will find these televisions in most high street electrical stores as well as online with larger retailers including John Lewis, Curry's and Amazon.
Read more about Talking televisions from Panasonic on our dedicated web page. You can download our factsheet packed with useful information that can help you decide whether or not one of Panasonic's talking televisions might be for you, where you can get one and how to turn on Voice Guidance. You will also find a demonstration video so you can see and hear the TV in action.
Talking Freeview+ HD Recorder (TVonics DTR-HD500)
TVonics, a British manufacturer of Freeview set-top-boxes, and Ivona, a text-to-speech service, have been working in collaboration with RNIB to launch a TVonics Freeview+ HD Digital TV recorder that talks, making this easier to use for people with sight loss.
The new product uses Ivona's text-to-speech technology which is one of the most realistic text-to-speech services available.
The talking TVonics DTR-HD500 box is available as follows:
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From RNIB shop. If you order from RNIB it also comes with accessible instructions.
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As a downloadable software update for people who already own the box. The software can be downloaded from the RNIB website
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It will also be available later in the year from retailers such as John Lewis. If you buy from anywhere other than RNIB, the instructions on the speech element do not come with the box, and so users would still need to contact RNIB to get these.
For more information or to order the device simply call us on 0303 123 9999.
Sky Talker
As the name suggests, Sky Talker is exclusively for people currently using Sky service. Sky Talker speaks some of the text which appears as part of the electonic programme guide (EPG) including:
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the search and scan banner
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programme information
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Sky + functionality, such as play, pause and rewind.
Sky Talker does not work with Sky + HD boxes at present however upgrades have been planned for future.
For more information or to order the device contact Sky by calling them on 0844 241 0333.
A review of the Sky Talker is now available on our website. Our reviewer say that "It allows me to mooch around and find something I want to watch. That's a simple pleasure I haven't been able to experience since I lost my sight more than a decade ago. It feels good."
Apple TV
There was a big cheer from all the Apple fans out there when Apple TV was launched. And it wasn't just jubiliation. It was pride that their trusted brand had not let them down.
Apple TV was launched with a feature called 'Voiceover'. Now this feature 'VoiceOver' is not exclusive to Apple TV but is available across a number of Apple devices such as the iPhone, iPad etc.
As the name suggested, VoiceOver is a screen reading technology and helps people with sight loss to find out what's happening on the screen without having to ask a sighted friend for assistance.
However, on closer look, it was revealed that VoiceOver was the only accessibility feature available on the Apple TV, and this differed to the other Apple devices.
It did not feature a touch screen device and there is no Zoom functionality.
You can select the speech rate you want from 4 choices - slow, normal, fast and very fast.
A review of the Apple TV is available on our website for those of you who may want to read about other people's experience of using this technology before buying it. Our reviewer say that, "Up until the point that you are able to turn on VoiceOver, I would expect that most visually impaired people will need a sighted person to assist them."
Apple Inc have promised an upgrade this year which will feature 'Siri' enabling you to talk to your TV! Now that sounds like something right out of Star Trek!