David,
I’m still waiting for Spectrum to come up with an accessible box. Tomorrow they
are bringing a new internet modem because they discovered that the one I had
for the last two years was the wrong one. Which explains why I keep calling and
asking why my speed on the net was less than half of what I was paying for. I’m
living vicariously through comcast cable subscribers. Laughs!
From: blind-philly-comp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blind-philly-comp-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of David Goldfield
Sent: Wednesday, July 12, 2017 8:54 AM
To: Blind-Philly-Comp <blind-philly-comp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [blind-philly-comp] For Comcast X1 Subscribers: Voice Guidance Feature
Updates
The following text is taken from this Comcast help page,
<https://www.xfinity.com/support/cable-tv/voice-guidance-updates/> which lists
newly added features and known issues with Voice Guidance. Some of these
features have been in VG for a while but some customers may not have discovered
them.
X1 Talking Guide - Voice Guidance Feature Updates
As we continue to make accessibility-related enhancements to XFINITY X1,
frequent updates will be made to the talking guide - a voice guidance feature
that allows customers who have visual disabilities the freedom to independently
explore thousands of TV shows, movies and more.
Learn how the latest changes to X1 impact voice guidance, including what's new
to the feature and any known issues.
For more information, see our overview of the X1 talking guide voice guidance
feature.
What's New
You can now turn Voice Guidance on with voice control – simply press and hold
the voice control button on your X1 voice remote and say “Voice Guidance.” The
voice control button is the third button up from the OK button in the center of
the remote. It is a slightly indented rectangle. Once Voice Guidance is
activated, follow the spoken instructions.
The following enhancements have been made to the X1 Playback Controls, which
appear when you press the down arrow key on your remote control while watching
full-screen video:
• When fast forwarding and rewinding video, you will now hear the selected
speed announced, and after resuming playback, you will hear a timestamp of
where you currently are in the program.
• The Playback Controls timeout has been increased to 10 seconds, so you'll
have enough time to hear the entire voice guidance message before the Playback
Controls fade and return you to full-screen video.
• Voice guidance now announces the state of Accessibility features like Video
Description and Closed Captioning. For example, "Video Description - On" will
now be announced.
• Voice guidance now announces the "jump back" and "skip ahead" functionality
as well.
In addition, voice guidance is now compatible with Highlights mode for
completed X1 DVR recordings of live sporting events. If Highlights are
available and enabled, you will hear a brief introductory message explaining
how to use the feature and a brief description for each highlight included in
the recorded sporting event.
Resolved Issues
• Voice guidance is no longer interrupted after you've used the X1 Voice Remote
to search and find for a program page. For example, "Show me The Blacklist."
• Voice guidance is announcing "Now Playing" program information again when you
tune to a new channel.
Previous Enhancements
Voice guidance on X1 has been redesigned for increased stability and
functionality. The talking guide now speaks on-screen notifications including
but not limited to:
• "Restart this program from the beginning" alerts that appear when tuning to a
program that's also available on your X1 DVR or through XFINITY On Demand.
• Caller ID alerts for customers who also subscribe to XFINITY Voice.
• Security system alerts for customers who also subscribe to XFINITY Home.
• Bonus content related to the programming that you're currently watching,
including Extras or Sports.
• Low battery alerts for your remote control.
Voice guidance on X1 also now includes Transport Bar functionality. Press the
down arrow key on your remote while watching a full-screen video to reveal the
Transport Bar, which includes:
• Option to turn Video Description (VD) on or off.
• Option to turn Second Audio Program (SAP) on or off.
• Option to turn Closed Captioning (CC) on or off.
• Video playback controls (play, pause, rewind, fast forward).
Known Issues and Limitations
If spoken on-screen notifications become bothersome, you can prevent these from
appearing by visiting Settings > Preferences > Notifications. Try turning off
all notifications or only certain types of notifications, such as those related
to XFINITY Voice, XFINITY TV, updates and offers, or other services.
Other general known issues related to the latest version of the talking guide
include:
• Voice guidance is not compatible with apps on X1 at this time.
• The playback controls bar, which appears when you press the down button while
watching full-screen video, does not include orienting instructions, such as
"Press left or right to explore options."
• Voice guidance does not speak the Remote Control battery level at Settings >
Remote Settings.
• Voice guidance is currently not compatible with Surround Sound audio.
◦ Note: If Surround Sound is enabled, voice guidance may repeat initial
instructions and the On/Off notification after the feature is enabled and again
when the "Surround Sound Off" notification is dismissed.
https://www.xfinity.com/support/cable-tv/voice-guidance-updates/
