Another digital set-top box… yawn… but… hang on. This set-top box won’t take my jaded indifference — it talks back, and for a very good reason.
Digital set-top boxes are rather commonplace in the Australian market — I noted at the recent Humax PVR launch that they stated some 82 per cent of Australian homes were digital ready, and while some of those would clearly be via integrated tuners, there’s still an STB market out there. But they’re hardly that thrilling a technology. Bush’s latest STB has one interesting quirk, however — it’s a talking set-top box.
This isn’t just technology for its own sake, however. The $199 BHAS03 was developed in consultation with Vision Australia with an eye towards those with vision impairment and how they might use digital TV services; it’s fairly evident where having spoken feedback for things like EPG selection and general menu navigation could be useful. It’s also got the facility to speak back the name of any button pressed on the remote to help users learn how to use it. [Bush]
Mike
Friday, September 23, 2011 at 11:59 AMTalking STB for the visually impaired…so they can watch digital TV? Coz the quality will be SO much better for them XD
And yeah yeah yeah, I know analogue is being killed, but since when do people, who are so visually impaired they need a talking box because they can’t see the buttons, watch TV in the first place?!
Alex Kidman
Friday, September 23, 2011 at 12:14 PMYou are aware that there are different levels of visual impairment, no? Or, for that matter, that there are digital-only channels?
Tim
Friday, September 23, 2011 at 2:19 PMJust because some people cant read small text on a screen 4meters away, doesn’t mean they cant enjoy watching TV.
Chris
Friday, September 23, 2011 at 3:39 PMAlso, there is the whole thing of visually-impaired people needing to listen to the TV as well… Very useful information only available via TV programs…
smurfydog
Friday, September 23, 2011 at 10:00 PMIf I were visually impaired I would still like to enjoy most of my favourite programmes.
QI, Gruen Transfer, Q&A, 1st Tuesday Book Club, Rockwiz, Spicks & Specks, to name just a few.
Most documentaries, talk shows, and many, many other shows all work pretty well without detailed (or indeed any) visuals.
Chris
Monday, November 28, 2011 at 9:41 PMI’m blind and watch TV all the time. Digital quality is much better than analogue. Having a talking TV guide is good, I don’t have to bounce between my computer and TV to see what’s on each channel anymore.
You can even pipe the DVS through the headphone port so that ignorant sighties like Mike don’t have their viewing experience soiled by the audio description.