For the first time in the TV industry, Samsung has received ‘Tried and Tested Accreditation’ from the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) for its 2020 Smart TV range.
RNIB awards this distinction to products, websites, apps or services that meet RNIB criteria for accessibility for consumers with impaired vision. The accreditation helps users to make easier purchase decisions and highlights Samsung’s commitment to improving accessibility features on its TVs.
Having worked together since 2013 to ensure Samsung products are accessible for all consumers, Samsung has had an emphasised focus on enhancing accessibility features for users who are visually impaired since 2014.
These efforts can be seen in features such as Voice Guide which enables the TV to read aloud programme information and High Contrast mode that displays graphic information with opaque black backgrounds and white font for enhanced visibility.
In 2016, RNIB recognised these features by awarding Samsung with its ‘Inclusive Society Award’.
Since then, Samsung Electronics has continued to improve and expand the accessibility features on it TVs to better achieve digital inclusivity for deaf and hearing impaired people as well as blind and partially sighted people.
The upgraded Voice Guide feature allows users to listen to key information on programmes as well as instructions for the remote control and accessibility features. Users can also adjust the pitch and speed of the Voice Guide to suit their needs.
A Digital Magnifier is available to enhance and expand text and images on large screens while mirroring the Samsung Galaxy smartphone to a TV. Similarly, the Focus Enlarge feature magnifies specific fonts related to TV control, volume and menus.
Finally, automatic recognition and enlargement of the sign language area is available for the hearing-impaired as well as the ability to adjust and move the subtitle positions.