[access-uk] Re: Panasonic Viera smart TV with Voice guidance

  • From: Yusuf <yusufaosman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Sun, 18 Mar 2012 21:24:53 +0000

I'm sure it can be updated whether that's over the internet or via the aerial, like the Goodmans, I couldn't say. 

Yusuf

On 18/03/2012 20:43, Jim Williams wrote:

Yusuf,

If it can  be connected to the Internet maybe there is
potential for upgrading settings via the web at a later
date?

Jim Williams

-----Original Message-----
From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Yusuf
Sent: 18 March 2012 20:38
To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [access-uk] Re: Panasonic Viera smart TV with Voice
guidance

Hi Steve, I wholeheartedly agree with everything you say.
Its akin to
how you look at a half filled glass of drink, is it half
full or half empty.

I don't know the answer to your first question.

The second and third are sort of linked and the answer is
yes. When I
was testing the TV at RNIB, they had connected an external
USB drive and
I was able to successfully set up something to record and
access
programs that had been previously recorded.

There's considerable scope for development, but in my view
its a good start.
Yusuf

On 18/03/2012 20:12, Steve Hyde-Dryden wrote:

Hi Yusuf,

Yes, whilst I agree with your sentiment, it is a really

great leap forward to incorporate voice guidance on their
new range, it is an oversight not to include the facility
for the main operating system of the telly.  It can be
alikened to the Sky Talker which is very good and a step
forward but it doesn't take you all the way.  The thing is
though that we are all virtually stabbing in the dark as
only a couple of people have really had the chance to try it
out in some detail.  So, could I ask you a couple of
questions?


1  Can you change inputs easily?  Example, HDMI to

Composite or PC?  Can you get the voice on this?

2  I presume that it wouldn't read data on an SD card or

USB?

3  If you can access the EPG, the guy giving the talk on

Insight said you can use your own media storage and record,
can you get the speech with this?


Kind regards

Steve




-----Original Message-----
From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

[mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Yusuf

Sent: 18 March 2012 19:57
To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [access-uk] Re: Panasonic Viera smart TV with

Voice guidance


Hang on a minute here. I was one of the testers and I did

suggest making the various other menus accessible. I'm sure
the RNIB were doing the same thing. But we can't make
Panasonic do it. The fact they went through user testing is
a pretty positive step I would have thought.

Since the law isn't in place to make companies make all

their products accessible from the outset, its a matter of
working with them and persuading them that its in their
interests to make them accessible.


Sure the TV has its limitations and sure you can

legitimately argue that it has accessibility drawbacks. But
it wasn't that long ago that you couldn't turn on voice over
as a blind person on your own. Apple changed that and now
you can. Whose to say that Panasonic won't do the same
thing, and improve their products accessibility as time goes
by.


I'm not saying that anyone should go and by it, or they

shouldn't, just that we should take into account what the TV
does as well as what it doesn't do. In my view the voice is
better than the one on the Smart Talk, its a smoother
experience, the responsiveness is better, we obviously have
access to channel info, audiodescription info and, this is a
winner from my perspective, recording and playback options.


But I do recognise that not being able to access the TVs

own menus, including scanning for channels and setting up
the TTS independently are drawbacks, as is the inability to
access the various web features.


It is a step forward, I don't think we've ever had 30 tVs

with TTS onboard released at the same time. It'll be
interesting to see if other TV manufacturers take up the
challenge.

Yusuf



On 18/03/2012 19:36, martin wilsher wrote:

I agree with all that has been said here. the thing needs

to be

accessible from the word go, and this isn't. what on

earth were the

RNIB thinking of when giving their blessing to this box?

if it is not

accessible when you turn it on, it's not accessible at

all imho.


      ----- Original Message -----
      *From:* Iain

Lackie<mailto:ilackie@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>

      *To:*

access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>

      *Sent:* Sunday, March 18, 2012 7:28 PM
      *Subject:* [access-uk] Re: Panasonic Viera smart TV

with Voice

guidance

      For a long time now, I have been saying that one of

the points which

      impresses me still about the Sonus DAB radio is that

it allows

      access to the menu system. The station names may be

out of date, but

      I can live with that. Any television which doesn’t

allow access by

      voice to the menu system cannot in my view truly be

described as

      accessible, especially if you have to gain access to

the menu system

      to switch the voice on.
      Iain
      *From:* Barry Hill<mailto:barry.hill3@xxxxxxx>
      *Sent:* Sunday, March 18, 2012 7:20 PM
      *To:*

access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>

      *Subject:* [access-uk] Re: Panasonic Viera smart TV

with Voice

guidance

      Now, did the RNIB say we want this that and the

other, for Panasonic

      to simply do what they wanted and use the

endoursement of the RNIB

      as a publicity stunt, or did the RNIB fall short of

their obligation

      to VI users?

      Cheers

      Barry

      *From:*access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

[mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] *On

      Behalf Of *william lomas
      *Sent:* 18 March 2012 5:53 PM
      *To:* access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
      *Subject:* [access-uk] Re: Panasonic Viera smart TV

with Voice

guidance

      and yet they are supposed to have consulted with

RNIB during this

      development cycle?

      On 18 Mar 2012, at 17:13, Gary Robinson wrote:

      Hi all,

      yesterday I had a chance to have a lookat the new

Panasonic Viera

      smart TV range which includes voice guidance and

audio description

      as mentioned on this list and on Insight radio last

month.


      On the plus side, you can choose male/female voice,

set voice rate

      and volume. The voice is good, it sounded better

than my Goodmans

      Smart talk box and more responsive.

      IT speaks the channel, programme you are on and

works within the

      programme guide, but sadly doesn't work within the

various settings

      menus.

      Ironically therefore like audio description on DVDs

you probably

      won't be able to turn on the voice guidance without

sighted help.


      Sadly therefore and very frustratingly given the

sheer amount of

      functionality and connectivity these TVs have

(Internet,

      wifi,DLNA,USB,SD etc) most of the functionality will

be wasted so

      far as a visually impaired user is concerned.

      There is a Viera remote control App for Apple

devices, but i don't

      think this will help in providing access to the

multiplicity of set

      up menus which controlmost of this very flexible

TV's features.


      The full price of the 32" model is around £499

though it will

      probably be available cheaper if you look around.

      whilst Panasonic are probably to be commended on

including voice

      guidance as standard across the range, it is

nontheless very

      frustrating to be in effect short changed by the

limitations of what

      they have provided.

      I am going to try to speak to someone in panasonic

technical

      department and see if there is any way of getting

the set up screen

      information output to an external device which might

give a way of

      getting more access to these otherwise very

impressive TVs.


      Gary


** 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

** 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



** 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

** 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



** 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

Other related posts:

  1. Home
  2. access-uk
  3. Archive
  4. 03-2012