Ocean Blue Software “World Class Software Solutions for the Digital Home”

Talking TV TechnologyAdvanced User Interfaces and Leading Edge Text-To-Speech

Technology

• As Digital Switchover increases across the world, users are forced to migrate to digital technology.

• DVB technology, because of the greater number of channels available and the extra features it offers, confronts the user with a significantly higher level of complexity.

• More page & text based information

• The user experience for visually impaired people is therefore becoming increasingly more difficult.

The Problem with Digital TV

The Challenge

• The RNIB chose to work with Ocean Blue Software in order to jointly develop an innovative “Talking” UI and EPG

• This project also called for an improvement to the standard TV UI for partially sighted users and those with particular visual impairment (Such as colour blindness)

• “Talk@TV” is an accessible, Digital Tick-compliant, DTV software product

• Designed to be intuitive, provide greater visual clarity in operation and easy to use

• Improved design of user interface

• Talking menus

• Talking TV programming guide

• Talking on-screen prompts

The Solution

“Main menu, there are seven options.

Current option: One

Preferences....”

Visual;• Uses Tiresias font• Simple and intuitive screens• Dynamic choice of

language, font size and colour scheme

Audio;• Talking menus• Talking EPG• Audio feedback• Audio (Video) description• Speech is configurable to

the user’s preferences / requirements

Key features

A large number of languages are supported most with multiple voices A large number of languages are supported most with multiple voices usually including male and female voices all voices come with usually including male and female voices all voices come with 8/11/16/22/32/44 KHz sampling frequencies:8/11/16/22/32/44 KHz sampling frequencies:

CatalanCatalan Danish Danish DutchDutch FinnishFinnish

EnglishEnglish EsperantoEsperanto Galician Galician GermanGermanAmerican American

Australian Australian

British British

FrenchFrench GreekGreek Italian Italian Norwegian Norwegian CanadianCanadian

FrenchFrench

Mandarin ChineseMandarin Chinese PolishPolish Russian RussianSwedishSwedish

Spanish Spanish PortuguesePortuguese Turkish Turkish ValencianValencian AmericanAmerican Brazilian Brazilian

ArgentineanArgentinean PortuguesePortuguese

CastilianCastilian

ChileanChilean

MexicanMexican

Languages Supported

• Market research suggests that greater than 10% of the population would benefit from this technology

• People to benefit consists of the following; The over 75s Blind and visually impaired people aged Severely dyslexic people aged People with Parkinson’s disease People with Dementia

Potential Market

• The United States has already passed a Senate bill mandating accessible User Interfaces for CE equipment and that includes features such as Talking Menu’s and Talking EPG in the way OBS has already implemented.

• In the EEC the DTG, EBU and Digital Europe are looking to harmonise the specifications for accessible User Interfaces, this will start in the UK with the publication of the “U Book” (Usability) in June this year.

• Australia and New Zealand are also introducing the same User Interface for their “Help Scheme” boxes as part of their DTV program.

Global Activity

Thank You

Phil Evans