New Samsung TVs address accessibility for the disabled community

As a professional reviewer, I saw my fair share of technology product launches. But I can honestly say that Samsung’s First Look 2021 was the first time that a launch presentation brought tears to my eyes.

I am also a member of the disabled community and, at Samsung’s First Look event last week, I witnessed an encouraging example of great technology that covers all skill levels, and in style. Samsung’s new QLED and Neo QLED TVs offer extensive accessibility features that make it possible for more people to use the remote control, find content and experience what’s on the screen. The initiative, called “Screens for All”, offers new configurations that specifically benefit those with visual and hearing impairments. But, as with wheelchair ramps, subtitles and automatic steering, advances that benefit the disabled community tend to benefit all of us. everyone suffers from some kind of disability eventually.)

So, what are the accessibility features?

In a video released last week, Samsung described a number of features specifically aimed at people with low vision, the blind, the hearing impaired and the deaf. (Skip to 11:10 in the video for more information on the subject.) And while it may not meet everyone’s specific needs, it is a promising start.

• Sign language avatar: An on-screen avatar can even guide you through the TV’s functions.
• Caption and position: Closed captions often appear at the bottom of the screen, and this is also where many programs tend to run texts like tickers or weather updates. Two lines of text on top of each other make it difficult to read, but positioning closed captions allows you to move subtitles anywhere on the screen that makes the most sense for the current program. Closed captions can also be set to fill in automatically.
• Sign language recognition: Sign language users will be able to interact with your TV using sign language, just as other people can use voice control.
• Voice guide: For those with low vision, the voice guide identifies the current channel and the volume level.
• SeeColors: Much more advanced than a simple RGB adjustment, SeeColors performs a series of vision tests aimed at color blindness to ensure that the colors on the screen align better with what the viewer can see.
• High contrast: With a redesigned chipset, Samsung’s high contrast setting makes all menus easier to see without affecting the video itself.
• Learn remote control: A special program on Samsung’s newest TVs will allow visually impaired users to learn what the remote buttons do and where they are located. One touch of the button and the TV announces what the button is.
• Learning menu screen: As with the remote learning control, the learning menu screen describes the layout of the menus and what the different selections do.
• Shades of gray: To make text and images more vivid, the entire screen can be converted to black and white.
• Color inversion: Another way to increase visibility for some users is to invert the colors on the screen.
• Multiple output audio: Hearing problems no longer mean that others in the house have to endure the noise of the TV. Multiple output audio allows sound to be directed to the soundbar and a Bluetooth headset, for example, at different volume levels.
• Extend: As the name implies, this feature enlarges the text on the screen for easy reading.
• Audio description: The default caption is not enough. The audio description even describes scenes and hand gestures so that the listener has the complete picture.
• Sign language zoom: Sign language users will be happy to know that another great accessibility feature is sign language zoom. This feature allows users to enlarge the sign language frame of the window by up to 200% for easier interpretation of signs and gestures.
• Remote button repeat: For those with limited motor function, pressing and holding features, such as lowering the volume and scrolling through channels, can be moved very quickly. This option slows down scrolling to make it easier to stop at the right spot.

Prioritizing accessibility

Credit: Samsung

The World Health Organization estimates that, globally, there are more than 466 million people who suffer from “disabling hearing loss” and more than 2.2 billion people with some type of visual impairment. As the world’s largest manufacturer of TVs, with around 20% of the market, Samsung is in a unique position to have an effective impact on the disabled community.

Many of the features described by Samsung were already available on previous models and some, such as the ability to customize closed captions, are common to many brands. Some, however – specifically Automatic Closed Captioning, Sign Language Recognition and Voice Guide – are more recent and have been developed directly with the Royal National Institute of Blind People and people with low vision and deafness.

“At Samsung, we aim to provide them with the same level of viewing experience as all of our consumers,” said JH Han, president of visual display business at Samsung Electronics.

The First Look 2021 video includes some genuinely touching moments when people with various disabilities interact with the new features. The segment closes with Samsung engineer Byungho Kim, legally blind since 1995, who has been a force for inclusive design within the company in a variety of products, including screen readers, an e-learning platform, washing machines and mobile devices.

“My life changed after I went blind,” said Kim in 2018. “I started to think more about how I could help other people like me. I thought about ways to develop classes and volunteer programs and how to allow people with disabilities to use our products more easily. That impulse made me a better person. “

Slow but steady progress towards accessibility

Credit: Samsung

The new accessibility settings will be available on all 2021 QLED and Neo QLED models – premium models in the 2021 line that may be out of reach for many customers.

However, the spotlight that Samsung chose to put on accessibility during a global press event seems like a big step forward. And with big companies like Samsung and Microsoft normalizing affordable design first, there is hope that improved accessibility will become cheaper and more widely available in the coming years.

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