Yes, with Embedded XP inside it gives more than a hint of the processor power needed to handle the problem of making digital teletext accessible. Just hope that someone comes up with a talking media centre for those of us who can look - a bit - and listen. This sound only device is not for me, but it will have its buyers. Ray Personal emails: Email me at mailto:ray-48@xxxxxxxx ----- Original Message ----- From: "Andrew Hodgson" <andrew@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> Hi Ray, That explains a lot about the price. Andrew. -----Original Message----- From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Ray's Home Sent: 24 July 2005 00:52 To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [access-uk] Re: access-uk] Re: Portset Media Centre Andrew. If I understand your comment aright, and 'I'm tired and emotional' jus now. then you are saying there's a CPU in there. yes, There is. And it runs under XP embedded OS, or so the programmer gy told me. I guess he meus must be right! Ray Personal emails: Email me at mailto:ray-48@xxxxxxxx ----- Original Message ----- From: "Andrew Hodgson" <andrew@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Saturday, July 23, 2005 3:41 PM Subject: [access-uk] Re: access-uk] Re: Portset Media Centre Hi, I think one of the reasons why the unit is heavily priced is due to the specs inside the unit. The boxes such as the Netgem boxes are just not up to the processor power required to do full text to speech (which the Portset model is) and also in getting the MHEG stream out and read in a timely fashion (it takes my Netgem quite a long time, for example, to get some MHEG streams running). I wouldn't be surprised to find some sort of mini PC inside the Portset unit. Andrew. -----Original Message----- From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Ray's Home Sent: 23 July 2005 11:07 To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [access-uk] Re: access-uk] Re: Portset Media Centre I am not in the least surprised that owning a video recorder means you are not eligible for licence free 'viewing'. It would naturally be assumed that, even if you are an exclusively blind person/people household, someone would be viewing the programmes you are recording sooner or later. It doesn't always pay to assume things, but I'm confident Portset know, and are advised, about legalities in all aspects of their products, especially when it comes to VAT regulations. Saying all of that though brings me to the conclusion that the £800-900 projected price is high for an audio only unit. No need to say more on that one. The important point is that Portset's programmer/team have got to grips with accessing the electronic program information, and making much of the Freeview version of teletext talk. Maybe we could see a unit very similar to the old portset teletext unit and TV receiver in one unit, which should bring the price down a lot. Portset having cracked the digital teletext problem, or at least some of it, surely means that others could, including Netgem and the makers of the Nebula, to name two. Whether the latter would see it as being worth while financially remains to be seen. Let us hope that others will follow and make a unit for the majority of us who live with sighted folks and not in a Blind Republic where sight, and its needs are sometimes seen as an abomination. Maybe Portset could do market research too around a similarly specified unit, but with TV connectivity. Ray Personal emails: Email me at mailto:ray-48@xxxxxxxx ----- Original Message ----- From: "George Bell" <george@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> This is a complex issue. Are you aware that even as a blind person, entitled to a reduced cost TV license, you still have to pay that license if you have just have a video recorder, and no means of "SEEING" what you have recorded. (As one of my customers found out to his absolute horror!) And I won't even go into the VAT issue of what is considered "adaptive" and therefore zero rated, as opposed to what is NOT. Just those two issues alone could add £200+ to the price, and then you'd all be yelling about how expensive it is. Trust me, Portset will have looked at it from all legal angles. George. > -----Original Message----- > From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Ray's Home > Sent: 22 July 2005 17:02 > To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > Subject: [access-uk] Re: access-uk] Re: Portset Media Centre > > AS I say Andrew, it could be as much to do with VAT exemption > if this product would escape VAT due to its sound only status. > > Guess if you couple that with no requirment for a licence, it > chepens it for many. For others, me included, I'd reallly > like a voice prompted TV recorder with Freeview access plus > DAISY playback, and internet and ordinary radio too, although > the last is substantially available by Freeview channels. > > Let us hope Portset either modify this box before it reaches > market, or give those of us who are prepared to pay for an > alternative have another box like this but with RF and SCART > outputs provided. > > Ray. > mailto:ray-48@xxxxxxxx > ** To leave the list, click on the immediately-following link:- ** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=unsubscribe] ** If this link doesn't work then send a message to: ** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ** and in the Subject line type ** unsubscribe ** For other list commands such as vacation mode, click on the ** immediately-following link:- ** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=faq] ** or send a message, to ** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the Subject:- faq