[Electronics-talk] descriptive TV

Thu Dec 13 16:51:11 UTC 2012

That's the problem.  The cable providers are all essentially unregulated 
monopolies in their respective markets.  Here in Manhattan, you have only 
two choices: either sign up with Time Warner Cable or go without TV because 
installing a roof antenna, which is required around here to receive digital 
TV broadcasts over the air, is not permitted by landlords in most apartment 
buildings.  Panasonic has demonstrated a TV with built-in speech to help 
navigate the onscreen menus in England, but they have stated that because of 
technological issues, they have no plans to introduce it in the US. I just 
bought a new Samsung 32 inch flat panel LED TV, and it is totally impossible 
to set up or adjust without sighted help.  It doesn't even have dedicated 
power, volume and channel buttons on the set itself, so if the remote gets 
lost or broken, I could be out of business.  I did a lot of research before 
buying this TV, but could not find a model from any manufacturer that is 
even remotely blind friendly.  So it would appear that the TB manufacturers, 
all of which are based in Japan, South Korea and China, have no immediate 
plans to comply with the 21stCentury Telecommunications Act and offer 
accessible products.  Companies likeSamsung,LG, Panasonic Sony, Comcast and 
Time Warner are so big and powerful that they can scoff at such 
regulations,much as the auto makers have been scoffing at gas mileage rules 
for decades.

Gerald

Gerald

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Baracco, Andrew W" <Andrew.Baracco at va.gov>
To: "Discussion of accessible electronics and appliances" 
<electronics-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, December 13, 2012 10:57 AM
Subject: Re: [Electronics-talk] descriptive TV

> Actually, I am a TWC customer, and have been told the same things as was
> Gerald.  Not only about the cable boxes, but concerning the issue of
> pass through of audio description.  My cable box remote doesn't even
> have something as simple as a dot on the number 5.  I would look into
> another delivery source for TV programming, but our HOA pays for basic
> cable, and I don't watch a lot of TV anyway, so I hold my nose and deal.
>
> Andy
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Electronics-talk [mailto:electronics-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of David Andrews
> Sent: Wednesday, December 12, 2012 7:18 PM
> To: Discussion of accessible electronics and appliances
> Subject: Re: [Electronics-talk] descriptive TV
>
> I for one am getting tired of your negativity, and bad mouthing
> everything that is discussed here.  We don't live in a perfect world,
> and change doesn't come quickly or easily, but it does come.
>
> The video communications act, or whatever it is called is less than a
> perfect law, and the complaint process is terrible, but it is a start.
> Let's use it and see if we can bring about more change yet before we
> write off the whole thing.
>
> Dave
>
> At 09:51 AM 12/12/2012, you wrote:
>
>>If this is true, then why does Time Warner, my cable provider, claim
>>that it knows nothing about any legal requirement to offer accessible
>>cable boxes? To be perfectly blunt, I think this law is a big waste of
>>time, and absolutely nothing will come of it.  So what if the cable
>>providers refuse to comply?  Are their executives going to be arrested
>>and prosecuted for violating the civil rights of their disabled
>>customers?  Of course not. Will the companies be fined?  Maybe.  And if
>
>>they're fined, they'll simply pass the cost along to their customers in
>
>>the form of higher monthly cable bills.
>>And we blind customers will still be unable to access described
>>programming. So file all the complaints you want with the FCC if it
>>makes you feel better, but you can be sure that the fat-ass bureaucrats
>
>>there will simply shrug them off.
>>
>>Gerald
>>
>>
>>----- Original Message ----- From: "Larry Wayland"
>><larry.wayland at arkansas.gov>
>>To: "'Discussion of accessible electronics and appliances'"
>><electronics-talk at nfbnet.org>
>>Sent: Wednesday, December 12, 2012 9:50 AM
>>Subject: Re: [Electronics-talk] descriptive TV
>>
>>
>>>I believe it is the Twenty first century communications and video  act
>
>>>of 2010 that says formal complaints can be filed after October of
>>>2013.  The law was signed by the president in August of
>>>2010 and companies have  two years from that time to get their
>>>equipment in compliance.  My understanding the law includes all
>>>communications equipment. It doesn't mean all models a company
>>>produces has to be accessible, but they have to offer models that are.
>>>Larry
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>-----Original Message-----
>>>From: Electronics-talk [mailto:electronics-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org]
>>>On Behalf Of Gerald Levy
>>>Sent: Wednesday, December 12, 2012 6:12 AM
>>>To: Discussion of accessible electronics and appliances
>>>Subject: Re: [Electronics-talk] descriptive TV
>>>
>>>
>>>So waht?  We still can't access this described programming because
>>>there is no way to navigate the onscreen menus of most cable boxes and
>
>>>digital TV's without sighted help to turn on the SAP channel that
>>>carries the descriptive audio. And most remote controls no longer have
>
>>>a dedicated SAP button, either.
>>>
>>>Gerald
>>>
>>>
>>>----- Original Message -----
>>>From: "A. Chew" <a1chew at hotmail.com>
>>>To: "Discussion of accessible electronics and appliances"
>>><electronics-talk at nfbnet.org>
>>>Sent: Tuesday, December 11, 2012 9:58 PM
>>>Subject: Re: [Electronics-talk] descriptive TV
>>>
>>>
>>>>On August 25, 2011, the FCC was finally able to vote (unanimously) to
>
>>>>reinstate video description, effective July 1, 2012.  ABC, CBS, Fox,
>>>>NBC, USA, the Disney Channel, TNT, Nickelodeon, and TBS are each
>>>>required to provide 50 hours of video-described prime time or
>>>>children's programming per calendar quarter.
>>>>
>>>>full text may be found at below link
>>>>http://www.acb.org/adp/tv.html
>>>>
>>>>at the bottom of the linked page will be links to file a complaint
>>>>with the FCC.
>>>>
>>>>I was surprised to received a call from Comcast a few weeks after
>>>>filing a complain.
>>>>issue is still open... (not resolved)  but Comcast claims they are
>>>>working on it....
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>A. Chew
>>>>
>>>>.
>>>>----- Original Message ----- From: "Ashley Bramlett"
>>>><bookwormahb at earthlink.net>
>>>>To: "Discussion of accessible electronics and appliances"
>>>><electronics-talk at nfbnet.org>
>>>>Sent: Tuesday, December 11, 2012 6:05 PM
>>>>Subject: Re: [Electronics-talk] descriptive TV
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>Hi all,
>>>>>this is bad news. You're saying that time warner and Comcast are not
>
>>>>>providing descriptive audio when its now the law.
>>>>>I cannot speak for cox cable as I have not asked. But I suspect when
>
>>>>>I do, they will have no clue.
>>>>>what it is either.
>>>>>
>>>>>My parents can read the options on the screen and we never see
>>>>>descriptive audio. So like Mariea said, I suspect that descriptive
>>>>>tv doesn't exist either for me.
>>>>>
>>>>>If I cannot get it, is there a way to file a complaint with the FCC
>>>>>and how?
>>>>>Is there a way to download descriptive tv shows from online? even if
>
>>>>>its paid, I'd like to have old shows.
>>>>>
>>>>>Ashley
>>>>>
>>>>>-----Original Message----- From: Mariea Harris
>>>>>Sent: Tuesday, December 11, 2012 7:04 PM
>>>>>To: Discussion of accessible electronics and appliances
>>>>>Subject: Re: [Electronics-talk] descriptive TV
>>>>>
>>>>>Time Warner Cable doesn't support audio description either. When I
>>>>>read up on audio description, it said that cable companies use
>>>>>analog and that satellite uses something else, but I forget what. It
>
>>>>>seems that the only way you can get audio description here in the
>>>>>states is via satellite TV. We turned on SAP on our TV and nothing
>>>>>happens. I doubt Time Warner has any clue what audio description is
>>>>>either, so I've not bothered asking.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>Mariea and Valiant
>>>>>
>>>>>
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>>>>
>>>>
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