[Electronics-Talk] Accessible TV

[Gerald Levy]

No, the cable box still controls most of the functions of your TV, so it 
doesn't matter whether the TV itself has voice guidance capability, and 
buying a new set will make no difference.  I never even bothered to turn 
on voice guidance on my Samsung 32 inch TV, because all the important 
functions are controlled by my Spectrum cable box, which does not have 
voice guidance or speech output, which doesn't matter to me.  I am more 
concerned about the remote, and I use their big button remote to control 
both my TV and the cable box,because it is easy to navigate by touch.  
Spectrum claims that this particular remote is not compatible with their 
accessible cable box, the remote for which is a nightmare to navigate by 
touch. The only features controlled by the TV itself are the power 
on/of, volume up/down and mute, which are programmed into the big button 
remote.  Everything else is controlled by the cable box, including 
channel selection and onscreen menu options. So if you need a new cable 
box, be sure to request an accessible one from your cable company and 
insist that it be installed by one of their technicians, and be sure the 
remote is easy to navigate by touch and doesn't have a zillion buttons 
of similar size and shape.  After all, that's why you are paying their 
outrageous monthly fees in the first place.   Which cable company do you 
have?


Gerald



On 4/15/2025 9:08 AM, Tracy Carcione via Electronics-Talk wrote:
> Currently, my accessibility to my TV is built into the cable box, which is
> getting pretty old, but I'm afraid to switch to the "latest and greatest"
> because the schmoes at the cable company can't tell me if the new box is
> accessible.
>
> Am I right in thinking that, if I get a TV with voice guidance built in,
> like a small Samsung, that it won't matter what cable box is plugged into
> it?
>
> Or, alternatively, I see that Youtube TV has most of the channels I want on
> it, and Youtube is built into Amazon Fire TVs, according to the AccessOn
> podcast.  Can I play audio descriptions on Youtube TV?  If so, can I turn it
> on so they automatically play if they're available?
>
>   
>
> And if people have other remarks about TV accessibility, I'm interested.
>
> Tracy
>
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