Trouble is, not all the apps are inbuilt, you have to download them to the TV.
That is when you find out which ones are accessible. Not many are
unfortunately.
All the best
Steve
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-----Original Message-----
From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of Gary
Robinson (Redacted sender "gary.r30" for DMARC)
Sent: 27 July 2020 15:36
To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [access-uk] Re: Televisions with built-in accessibility features
Hi Jackie,
I have been going through a similar experience, fortunately I came across
Jonathan's excellent podcast before exploring the Sony models.
He had similar issues with his Sony and took it back and replaced it with one
of the new 2020 Samsung models.
I have just taken delivery from Richer sounds of the Samsung UE43TU8500
(£449) which is the smallest screen of the TU8500 range.
As you say this has bixby, alexa, Google voice assistants, can record
programmes and of course has full menu and programme guide access.
In his podcast Jonathan said that the in built apps were accessible with Voice
guide, I haven't yet tried this out but if it is so then this is a significant
development and again moves Samsung back into the lead so far as TV
accessibility is concerned.
I agree that it is a shame that in going to all the trouble to provide
accessibility features they don't indicate in any obvious manner which models
have Voice guide on their web site and their staff as you said just don't have
a clue.
I found a page on their web site giving details of all the accessibility
features they have incorporated into the TVs but no mention of which models or
ranges have them, very strange.
For the record the 7000 series, which are cheaper, have Voice guide as well but
as these are older models they might not have access to the Apps (assuming you
have selected a smart TV in the first place).
Gary
On 27/07/2020 09:01, Jackie Brown wrote:
I apologise for the length of this post, for cross-posting, and for** To leave the list, click on the immediately-following link:-
raising this popular topic again, but I do think it is quite important
to share some information to save others the hassle we've encountered over
the last week.
We have a Samsung TV which we purchased from a local dealer just over
three years ago, along with a Sonos Playbase. They work very well
together, and the accessibility features on the TV means we can change
channels knowing what they are, read programme information, and change
settings in the menu if we want to. We had a whole pile of wires
connected because we used a
Sky+ HD box to give us Freesat, and a TVonics box to allow us to record.
But we wanted to get rid of all that wiring, and have a TV that did
everything. The next generation of Samsung televisions, however,
offered voice input functionality, and the ability to use Alexa which
our TV doesn't. I believe this has been extended to Google Assistant
and Samsung's own Bixby now. In addition, what our TV doesn't do is
allow us to navigate any external apps such as the iPlayer, ITV Hub, YouTube
etc.
We decided recently to look into what Android TV had to offer given
there are people using Sony's Screen Reader and Android Talkback. We
read up on what the new range of Sony Bravia televisions could offer,
and settled on one that we thought would offer us access to external
apps, work with the Sonos Playbase, and have voice input integration
built into it. We took delivery of the TV last Wednesday, then the fun began!
First off, we could not use the volume up and down on the TV's remote
control, or the channel up and down on the same control, with the Playbase.
We could change channels if entering them directly on the keypad of
the remote control. Sound was great, it came through the Playbase as it
should.
We subsequently discovered that the remote doesn't work properly with
the Sonos Playbase when either Sony's Screen Reader or Talkback is turned on.
Then we also began to find it incredibly frustrating to work within
apps such as YouTube, Google Play, ITV Hub etc. We kept hearing
'Webview' every time we went into one of them. We changed screen
readers from Sony's own to Talkback, but accessibility was only
partially accessible. For example, we could dip into the Talkback
settings, but we weren't receiving any programme information when we changed
channels.
In the end, we contacted the shop where we bought it, explained the
situation to them, and decided to return the TV. In the meantime, we
listened to a couple of Jonathan Mosen's podcasts, and decided to try
and obtain a newer Samsung TV with the accessibility features we are
used to, plus the ability to use external apps and voice assistants.
Due to Covid-19, TV manufacturers are struggling to supply them, so we
are just going to wait until a TV we want becomes available.
My point though, if you've survived this long read, is that newer Sony
Bravia models aren't as accessible as they were. Samsung, meanwhile,
appear to be stepping up the accessibility level in their televisions,
and LG appear to be offering such features too. What I think would be
helpful is for a list of accessible televisions be compiled to save
someone looking for one the hassle of trying to source something they
can work with. If you contact Sony or Samsung, it's surprising how
little they really know about accessibility, and struggle to quote you
models that have it. Similarly, they put lots of info on their
websites about accessibility, but then don't seem to tell you what
models this includes. I know it would be an ongoing process for RNIB
or similar to troll for models that have accessibility features in
them, but it really would be helpful to think about listing models all
in one place, and keep it updated with the date it was last updated.
If Sony Bravia TV owners have had a better experience with the new
range of televisions, then that's great. But I just didn't enjoy the
experience personally. It felt to me like there was too much
verbosity where I didn't want it, and not enough where I did. The
Playbase was configured correctly, but wouldn't respond properly to
the TV remote control while Screen Reader or Talkback was running.
Kind regards,
Jackie Brown
Email: jackieannbrown62@xxxxxxxxx
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