[Electronics-talk] Cable and DVR

Wed Apr 3 16:46:04 UTC 2013

Hi,
I have to say that at least as it pertains to their apps for IDevices 
accessibility has greatly improved in recent months for the xfinity connect 
app and the xfinity wi-fi app.  The former allows you to access all kinds of 
account related information including emails, voice mails and even 
notifications about who's calling your home phone should you have that with 
them even when you're not home.
the wi-fi app allows you to find their free wi-fi locations and even tells 
you which are in or out of doors.  It doesn't always give the name of the 
establishment in which they're found but street addresses are easily read 
and understood even when dealing with their map interface or list view.
Accessibility of these apps including elements being properly labeled and 
speaking properly had improved greatly and I took the time to let them know 
in writing and publically via their twitter feeds.
I figure like in most human endeavors if I am going to complain about that 
which isn't as it ought to be I should also be willing to praise that which 
improves in the hopes of motivating more forward motion in the direction I 
wish things to progress.
Robin

-----Original Message----- 
From: Kaye
Sent: Wednesday, April 03, 2013 3:55 AM
To: Discussion of accessible electronics and appliances
Subject: Re: [Electronics-talk] Cable and DVR

Comcast and "good things" tipically do not go hand in hand. Sorry.

-----Original Message----- 
From: Dave Bahr
Sent: Tuesday, April 02, 2013 4:19 AM
To: bboyer202 at gmail.com ; Discussion of accessible electronics and
appliances
Subject: Re: [Electronics-talk] Cable and DVR

do you have a contact at comcast you spoke with?
On 4/1/2013 10:31 PM, Brett Boyer wrote:
> Hi all. I haven't posted here in awhile. Just wanted to let you know I 
> took
> a survey for Comcast and I spent about an hour with them on the phone. I
> have a lot to say as some of you know. Anyway I gave them quite an 
> education
> and it seems like they're really taking an interest. I know why they're
> taking an interest but at least they're asking us.
> One of the important questions they asked was. "what does accessible mean 
> to
> you?" And, I stressed accessible means having as much control of a device 
> as
> anyone else. I explained how making 1 or two things talk is not accessible
> but to get the same information and perform the same tasks on a device 
> like
> everyone else.
> I hope this will bring good things though I am a pessimist at heart.
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Electronics-talk [mailto:electronics-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Larry Wayland
> Sent: Monday, April 01, 2013 12:20 PM
> To: 'Discussion of accessible electronics and appliances'
> Subject: Re: [Electronics-talk] Cablevision DVR
>
> Agreed!
> But what we must also remember is requesting accessability means we have 
> to
> tell companies how to make things accessible.
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Electronics-talk [mailto:electronics-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Dave Bahr
> Sent: Monday, April 01, 2013 2:10 PM
> To: Discussion of accessible electronics and appliances
> Subject: Re: [Electronics-talk] Cablevision DVR
>
> amen! to all of that. now we need to lobby for more audio description, 
> which
> by the way is coming into its own on mainstream dvds. And blind people, 
> have
> jobs? Surely you can't be serious! sarcasm there folks.
>
> you asked the customer service people? they hardly know how to operate the
> equipment they sell, if they even know at all. Oh no this has to go right 
> to
> the top of the company. But what we must also remember is requesting
> accessability means we have to tell companies how to make things 
> accessible.
> When I was at a university people would complain that the campus wasn't
> accessible but not give suggestions as to how to improve things. I'm not
> saying that no one will speak up to help, not by any means, but as was
> stated below, if you don't do anything, nothing changes. I just don't like
> to hear complaints that don't have suggestions behind them. sorry not
> meaning to sound preachy here.
>
>
> On 4/1/2013 12:59 PM, Larry Wayland wrote:
>> You may be right, but I have learned in my life time is that progress
> always cost something, especially in the beginning. In this case it may be
> effort on our part in filing complaints, maybe a little extra cost, which 
> I
> expect would be very minimal and unnecessary.  I will tell you this, if we
> don't file the complaints it is for sure nothing will be done.  I am not
> surprised your cable company doesn't know anything about the law, which by
> the way is already in place. It is just we can't file formal complaints
> until after October of this year.  They will not learn anything about it
> until we tell them about it and the best way to get them to listen is to
> file those complaints .
>> I remember several years ago deaf people had to purchase a very expensive
> device to receive the close captioning on their TV's.  They lobbied and 
> got
> a law passed requiring the television companies  to include a chip in each
> TV set that would do the close captioning.  The cost of each TV set went 
> up
> by 50 cents. Very minimal.  I can see the same thing happening here.
>> Also I would like to add  this law is not just for  television, it is for
> all communication devices, which might make it possible for some of the
> blind people on fixed incomes to  be able to find jobs and  increase their
> income.  Also don't forget, when something is made accessable for blind
> people it is made better for everyone.
>> Larry
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> In practical terms, the Telecommunications Act probably won't change
> anything in the near future.  Until all the cable companies get together 
> and
> agree on a standardized, universal set-top box design, they will simply 
> file
> delaying appeals with the FCC to indefinitely postpone the introduction of
> accessible boxes on the grounds of insurmountable technical hurdles.  The
> customer service agents at my local cable provider, Time Warner, seem to
> know nothing about the Telecommunications Act, and they have told me on
> numerous occasions that Time Warner has no plans to introduce an 
> accessible
> cable box anythime soon, if at all.  The practical reality, I'm afraid, is
> that the cable companies will simply disregard the Telecommunications Act
> with relative impunity.  At worst, they will be forced to pay fines for
> noncompliance, which they will subsequently pass on to their customers in
> the form of higher rates.  So at least in the short run, the
> Telecommunications Act may have the effect of actually making things 
> worse,
> not better, for blind cable customers most of whom live on fixed incomes 
> and
> thus can barely afford the outrageously high cost of cable service to 
> begin
> with.
>> Gerald
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Dave Bahr" <dcbahr1 at gmail.com>
>> To: "Discussion of accessible electronics and appliances"
>> <electronics-talk at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Monday, April 01, 2013 11:29 AM
>> Subject: Re: [Electronics-talk] Cablevision DVR
>>
>>
>>> yeah, my fiance has to operate the dvr for me if I want to watch
>>> jeopardy which is kind of my addiction when it's not baseball season. it
> sucks.
>>> hmm, regarding the fcc complaint issue, does that complaint have to
>>> be lobbied against one particular device or company or is it all
>>> across the board of, say, dvrs in general? Because the company making
>>> the device could either discontinue it or make a newer model thus
>>> making the case moot and you might have to file another one. That's
>>> just me thinking aloud, I could be completely wrong about all of that.
>>> On 4/1/2013 8:10 AM, Larry Wayland wrote:
>>>> Because of the Communications and video act of 2010 you will be able
>>>> to file formal complaints with  the FCC after October of this year.
>>>> I suggest we all be ready and willing to file complaints when our
>>>> communications devises are not accessible. Companies are suppose to
>>>> know about this law and will have had two years to develop accessible
> devises.
>>>> Larry
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: Electronics-talk [mailto:electronics-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org]
>>>> On Behalf Of Tracy Carcione
>>>> Sent: Monday, April 01, 2013 7:53 AM
>>>> To: Discussion of accessible electronics and appliances
>>>> Subject: [Electronics-talk] Cablevision DVR
>>>>
>>>> Does anyone else have Cablevision or Optimum with a DVR?
>>>> Their ads say that one can manage the DVR online, but, when I go
>>>> there, the buttons apparently are part of a picture, and all I see
>>>> is "graphics image".
>>>> My husband and I have complained to Cablevision about it, but who
>>>> knows if anything will come of it.
>>>> I wonder if anyone else has figured it out, or if the cell phone
>>>> interface is better, or if anyone else would also complain.
>>>>
>>>> We've been using the remote to control the DVR, but Cablevision just
>>>> changed its menus and made the whole process a lot more complicated.
>>>> Why use 4 moves to do something, when you can use 10?  What idiot
>>>> designs these things!
>>>> Tracy
>>>>
>>>>
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