[access-uk] Re: ocean tv talking set top box
- From: Tristram Llewellyn <tristram.llewellyn@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 15 Jan 2010 14:31:58 +0000
One of the problems to the best of my knowledge is that the digital TV
standards were largely drawn up without any real knowledge or design to make
them accessible and this is what has caused the delay in making these things
accessible because now you are trying to create and develop accessible systems
where there were not before. For the last thirty years or so we have lived in
a age where Governments and authorities are generally warned off regulation in
order not to stifle innovation and commerce. Not unsurprising linked with that
were also economic incentives for the headlong plunge into digital services.
Light touch regulation has in some part allowed genuine innovation and freedom
of commerce but in some ways has also left smaller interest groups without much
leverage. Also Offcom does seem to be really as powerful as say their
equivalent the FCC in the states who have quite directly caused the iPhone to
become accessible when Apple really would have had no interest in making it so.
High speed broadband rollout will take years because of the chronic under
investment that the data infrastructure in the UK has suffered for years.
Thirty or so years ago it was almost decided that a fibre optic network should
be built (under another Labour Government) and we are only seeing fibre up to
the door in very small patches even now.
With the right will behind it I don't think it would be that hard to put some
hardware together that could access something like iPlayer or similar on demand
equivalent with speech. Going back to the Pure Sonos radios, the problem
seemed to be that somehow Pure were lead to believe that a much bigger market
for them existed than the subsequent sales turned out to be.
On the positive side I think in the long term things will move towards
accessibility partly because ordinary non-disabled people are beginning in some
areas to accept the kind of the technology that most on this list are already
familiar with such as electronic speech for sat navs. On the same front In the
States there is already a push to connect the car to online services using
electronic speech so that drivers can give speech commands and have text
messages and even Twitter Tweets read back whilst driving. I think once the
generation of people who experience that come through and perhaps a few
eventually get picked off into visual impairment due to age related sight loss
issues they will begin expect things to remain accessible.
Regards.
Tristram Llewellyn
Sight and Sound Technology
Technical Support
www.sightandsound.co.uk
Mail:
Tristram: tristram.llewellyn@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Technical: Support@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
General - info@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Phone:
Support line: 0845 634 7979
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-----Original Message-----
From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of
Damon Rose
Sent: 15 January 2010 13:56
To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [access-uk] Re: ocean tv talking set top box
I'd say that the VI community were still around 12 years behind the
curve when it comes to accessing EPG and set top boxes. Sky Digital came
online in 1998 as did the more impressive looking electronic programme
guides which are still pretty similar to what we have today.
We should surely have a raft of solutions by now which stick. Further,
Ofcom should be laying down the law on this stuff more effectively.
And we're on the brink of a huge explosion in accessing video on demand
via your set-top box. A much nicer sit back experience rather than the
sit forward interactive experience of using your computer. Yet still
we're talking about accessing the plain old EPG as far as I can tell. I
forsee us being another decade away from being able to use iPlayer and
other click and watch TV shows on the telly if we're not careful.
The government and the EU are talking a good talk about increasing
broadband bandwidth to 100 or 250 megabits a second. It's high speed and
will enable media services to all sorts of set-top gizmos and household
or portable goods. Broadband will be so much more than just giving
access to the web. It's being touted as part of a new exciting expanding
digital economy. I do hope inclusion, in its widest sense, becomes more
of a serious concern in 2010. We've no idea what we're on the brink of
and what important services we will miss out on. Set-top boxes are set
to give us remote access to the NHS and video conferencing with our
doctor, for instance. There's a good article about the new Manchester
digital corridor today on the BBC outlining this. There's a real
societal need for a future proof solution with legal backup. The
technical access is a breeze, I'ts nothing special at all - it's just
about the will and the politics.
I keep hearing about all these solutions that are on the brink of
possibly happening. I worry that they will allow us to play catchup a
little and hope that they also have an eye to the digital future. Anyone
know anything more about this? But in the context of Sonus digital radio
players not being recomission and Wayfinder disappearing as a product
... I wonder exactly where we are and how VI people can possibly
safeguard our accessible digital future when commercial- tie-ups
seemingly don't work well. New insentives, new ways of working, new
government intervention are surely necessary.
...Damon
-----Original Message-----
From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf
Of Adrian Higginbotham
Sent: 15 January 2010 12:56
To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [access-uk] Re: ocean tv talking set top box
Looks as if the ocean blue is the product developed alongside RNIB:
http://www.oceanbluesoftware.co.uk/chatterbox.shtml
no mention of of when it is expected to come to market though?
Adrian Higginbotham
Manager, leading edge research.
DD: 02476797333
E: Adrian.Higginbotham@xxxxxxxxxxxx
W: www.Becta.org.uk
A: Becta, Millburnhill Road, Science park, Coventry CV4 7JJ.
-----Original Message-----
From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf
Of John Gallagher
Sent: 15 January 2010 12:04
To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [access-uk] ocean tv talking set top box
Hi all Just been on the
www.blindbargains.com
website and looked at the blue ocean talking set top box.
does anyone know when this will be available for sale.? thanks.
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