[Electronics-Talk] Audio description on streaming TV

Thu Apr 18 18:24:05 UTC 2024

Hi Rick, and all others, just discovered many things are going to my junk including this message. Thank you for your report. I am very new to any of these services and have only use them occasionally, because I am such a fan of books. However, I would Love to watch Doctor Who and other things on the services. Thank you Rick for your report and thank you. Everyone else for your comment. – – Sylvia.
Sent from my iPhone

> On Apr 10, 2024, at 11:33 PM, cheez via Electronics-Talk <electronics-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Eh, Rick, that is too funny what you said about the Amazon Customer Service
> Disability rep.  LOL.
> They must have that response in their rebuttal notes.
> 
> Vince
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Electronics-Talk <electronics-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of
> Rik James (MT) via Electronics-Talk
> Sent: Saturday, April 6, 2024 11:51 PM
> To: 'Discussion of accessible home electronics and appliances'
> <electronics-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: rixmix2009 at gmail.com
> Subject: Re: [Electronics-Talk] Audio description on streaming TV
> 
> Yes, the audio description on Paramount+ is not as smooth as it should be.
> And as I said, it does not stay on in Settings. I have to turn it on each
> time I open the app.
> 
> And here is how to turn it on. 
> I still struggle with this. But if I persist I am generally successful now.
> While the program is playing, and also after the early pre-program
> advertisment is done, you can learn if A D is available and turn it on.
> As I said, I am using the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max device.
> I would assume this would be the same using other streaming devices.
> 
> If you have your speech turned on, like in the Fire stick it is called Voice
> View.
> You use the remote, go down arrow and then the up arrow.
> There is a Settings button that becomes visible. 
> I mean the voice should say, Settings.
> But if you can see a little bit, the Settings button is on the right side of
> the screen and it lights up, rather brightly.
> Once it lights up, in other words you are focused on that button.
> Press the Select button to engage Settings.
> The menu pops up.
> The Subtitles are at the top, and below those listings is the Audio
> Settings. If there is A D it will say English Doble A D.
> So then you hit Select on that to get it to have the check mark.
> I generally go back up and down to be sure that I hear "checkmark" on my
> selection for the A D.
> At that point to leave the Settings menu, you then press the Left Arrow. And
> then you are returning back to your program.
> If you hear the A D, you do the happy dance, and enjoy the show.
> 
> I hope this is helpful.
> Paramount+ was working better than this about 5 or 6 months ago. It used
> Paramount+ to
> keep the A D turned on. 
> None of this sstuff is ever going to stop changing, or will it?
> 
> On Paramount, It also bugs me by saying "press any button to return to your
> program." 
> This is my Voice Fiew on the Fire Stick, I guess. But it is only on the
> Paramount+ and it gets annoying.
> 
> One more thing. 
> I recently have been annoyed when viewing programs on Prime Video using the
> Fire Stick.
> I wonder if anyone else is experiencing this.
> When the A D is turned on, for some reason my Voice View will read the
> subtitles! Not all of them but about half the time. It is crazy, as it
> drowns out the dialogue. 
> I told the Amazon Customer Service Disability about it. 
> And boy did they have a grand idea. They instructed me to turn OFF the Voice
> View on the Fire Stick. 
> Well, okay, sure, it quits reading the subtitles. But I have to turn it back
> on when I go back to the menu.
> It is a bug. But a rather nasty one. And absurd to boot.
> 
> Cheers, and here is to the rest of us.
> Rik
> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Electronics-Talk <electronics-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of
> Peter via Electronics-Talk
> Sent: Saturday, April 6, 2024 6:24 PM
> To: 'Discussion of accessible home electronics and appliances'
> <electronics-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Peter <pdonahue2 at satx.rr.com>
> Subject: Re: [Electronics-Talk] Audio description on streaming TV
> 
> Hello everyone,
> 
>    This is exactly why the ability to control accessibility functions
> on tv devices such as audio description need to be added to their PDAS.
> 
> Peter Donahue
> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Electronics-Talk <electronics-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of
> cheez via Electronics-Talk
> Sent: Saturday, April 6, 2024 6:55 PM
> To: 'Discussion of accessible home electronics and appliances'
> <electronics-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: cheez at cox.net
> Subject: Re: [Electronics-Talk] Audio description on streaming TV
> 
> When I use Netflix with my iPhone 8 plus, audio description is always
> activated.
> I found out some of the shows don't have audio description available.
> 
> When it comes to Paramount, I couldn't find the audio describe button.
> 
> Vince
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Electronics-Talk <electronics-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of
> Rik James (MT) via Electronics-Talk
> Sent: Saturday, April 6, 2024 11:21 AM
> To: 'Discussion of accessible home electronics and appliances'
> <electronics-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: rixmix2009 at gmail.com
> Subject: Re: [Electronics-Talk] Audio description on streaming TV
> 
> Tracy and everyone,
> 
> I took a plunge and subscribed to a bunch of these streaming services over
> the last year. 
> It is sort of how I tried to evaluate which one or two that I Might choose
> to keep.
> So if it helps anyone, I will pass along this report.
> 
> I am using the Amazon Fire Stick 4K, the latest one that came out last fall.
> If someone uses the Roku, I would like to anyone who can compare them.
> 
> On some of these platforms, once you turn ON Audio Description in the
> Settings, the feature will remain ON your selected program. In other words
> you will not have to go and turn them on for each film or show. 
> Peacock TV, Apple TV, and MAX, they all do this, in my experience over the
> past year. 
> 
> The balance of sound is not always the best. Sometimes the A D is too loud
> and the dialogue is too soft, etc. But that is another rabbit hole. I will
> say that Apple TV and MAX do have the best balance of sound on my Fire
> Stick.
> 
> 
> Paramount+, on the other hand, I need to go and turn on the A D nearly 
> Paramount+each
> time.  At least each time I log on. 
> Netflix, also seems to always need to be turned ON. 
> 
> But even so, there is the rare incidence when a show will not have it, the A
> D, turned ON. And for each of these, the way to get into the Settings is not
> always the same.  It takes some jiggering with the up and down and left and
> right on the remote, to get there. But by now I have almost learned how to
> do it on each.
> 
> It is also the case with both of these, that you will need to look at the
> Menu on the program itself, to discover if A D is available for that
> program. 
> 
> I had the HULU service for about six months. And as I recall, once you
> turned on the A D feature, each program would have it turned on if it was
> available.
> 
> In the MAX service setup, I like how easy it is to tell if a program has the
> A D available. You can just up arrow and it is stated quickly in the program
> description.
> 
> For me, it is now a strong factor, the decision whether to watch a show or
> not, based on the availability of the A D feature.
> It can take a lot of time to do what I am calling "Shopping," going through
> the array of movies and films, and putting them in the Watch List,  
> 
> On some of these platforms, after wandering down through many many genres
> and suggestions of what they suggest that you watch, you can find a category
> just exclusively listing programs with Audio Description. This is dandy. But
> like I say, I have not found a way to get to that list easily.
> 
> The two streaming platforms which are still quite falling short of having
> very much A D, are AMC+ and SHOWTIME. Although some of the new original
> programs on SHOWTIME are starting to provide it.
> As a big fan of Mad Men, I really would like to put a bug in Matthew
> Weiner's ear to get on it!
> 
> I have left out Disney+ and ESPN+. I had Disney+ long enough to see the
> Peter Jackson film Get Back with The Beatles. But that is now several years
> ago. At the time, their A D was good.
> 
> To any fans of the popular TV drama, Yellowstone, filmed in the state where
> I reside, I can report, that Peacock TV has all five seasons now with Audio
> Description. This was not so at first. So it is a pleasure to now view it
> again, and hear much detail of the landscape and actions. The two
> pre-Yellowstone programs, 1883, and 1923, also have A D, and are on
> Paramount+.
> 
> Finally, one other thing, but not to do with the A D. It is that, I am
> finding that more and more being a complete cord cutter, leaving cable and
> satellite, is possible, if you are willing to wait 24 hours, to see some of
> the news and talking head shows. NBC and MSNBC on Peacock, CBS on Paramount,
> CNN on MAX, ABC on Hulu.  The only thing is that I guess that C-SPAN, C-SPAN
> 2, will likely not be on a streaming service, even though you can use their
> app on a phone or on their website. Since this network is originally funded
> by the cable system,  unlikely for it to be part of the streaming deice app
> offerings. I hope that I am wrong. As a citizen who values this, I very much
> advocate for it.
> 
> 
> That is my report. I may have flubbed up on a point or two. But this is my
> current working model of reality in the ever changing world of streaming.
> 
> Best of luck to all.
> Rik James
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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