[access-uk] Re: Response from Virgin Media re accessibility
- From: "George Bell" <george@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 6 Jun 2011 11:58:14 +0100
Waffle, waffle, waffle!
We've just had a cicular from Virgin, extolling the virtues of TiVo.
We were getting quite excited, especially since we could keep the
original V++ box, allowing us to use it in another room.
Finally we get to the last line, the cruch line, as it were. "All
this for just £100 a month"!
Hanged if I'm paying £1,200 a year for so many chanels showing either
repeats, or what was on an hour earlier.
George.
________________________________
From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of Chris Moore
Sent: 06 June 2011 11:30
To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [access-uk] Response from Virgin Media re accessibility
Hi all,
I recently wrote to the CEO of Virgin Media about their plans to make
their TV boxes more accessible to us blind customers.
Please see their response below for your information.
Kind regards
Chris
Begin forwarded message:
From: "Chapman, Katie" <katie.chapman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: 31 May 2011 17:35:20 GMT+01:00
To: christophermoore@xxxxxx
Subject: RE: Accessibility
Dear Chris,
Thanks for your email raising questions on the accessibility
of our TV
product. Stuart has since left the business and I have assumed
the role
of Acting Head of Sustainability & Reporting.
Virgin Media is very mindful of its responsibilities towards
customers
who may have additional requirements due to disabilities of
one sort or
another. This applies across our whole product set and, as
your letter
to some extent acknowledges, we have invested heavily over
recent years
to make our products more accessible. We recognise, of
course, that
there is much further work to be done and, within the
inevitable
financial constraints under which our business must operate,
we will
continue to make improvements.
As far as TV is concerned, a key priority for us was
developing the
technical infrastructure necessary to relay access services
delivered by
broadcasters. Having successfully done so, we are now working
hard to
do the same for our video on demand service, although this
presents a
number of thorny technical challenges. In the meantime I'm
pleased to
say that our new TiVo-powered set-top-box ("STB") does now
support both
subtitles and audio-description on the BBC catch-up service.
Returning to the key points in your email, our TV team has in
the recent
past explored the possibility of introducing a text-to-speech
engine
into our existing and legacy STB's, but this did not prove
viable. Our
current development work in the TV space is focussed largely
on our new
TiVo-powered product, but this has only just launched and we
plan is to
increase its accessibility features as the product is
developed and
refined over time.
Current options for investigation are a talking channel guide,
based on
a red-button application, which will allow basic navigation of
the
scheduled TV channel line-up. This is still at an early
development
stage, however, and users will continue to need to memorise
the channel
number and the location of the button. In tandem with the
above, and
bearing in mind the comments you make about Apple products, we
are also
exploring the feasibility of supporting text-to-speech for the
iPad and
iPhone applications. This should give our TiVo customers full
control
over the electronic programme guide, including the ability to
record and
playback as well as to select on-demand content.
Your letter draws comparisons with our satellite competitor
BSkyB so I
think it is important to point out that, while the digital TV
services
provided by Sky and Virgin may, on the face of it, appear
broadly
similar from a viewer's perspective, it is important to
recognise that
the satellite and cable delivery platforms are worlds apart
technologically. The availability or otherwise of certain
access
services on each platform is not therefore a direct reflection
of the of
the level of concern for disabled customers, but rather
mirrors the
technological complexity involved in providing such services,
and the
need to ensure the stability of all our services to our
growing customer
base.
I of course believe that Virgin Media offers a better
combination of
products and customer service, but each individual's needs a
different.
I hope you will remain a Virgin Media customer and trust that
the above
serves to reassure you that we are committed to ongoing
improvement in
terms of accessibility to our digital entertainment products.
Yours sincerely,
Katie
-----Original Message-----
From: Chris Moore [mailto:christophermoore@xxxxxx]
Sent: 07 May 2011 12:30
To: Poore, Stuart
Subject: Re: Accessibility
Hi there,
I was wondering if you had any information for me yet? I
would also
like to mention that your Electric magazine is also not
accessible to
blind users too.
Thanks
Chris
On 19 Apr 2011, at 12:07, Poore, Stuart wrote:
Hi Chris,
Thanks for your note. This has been passed to me as
the best person to
respond. I'm looking into it for you and will be back
in touch
shortly.
Best regards,
Stuart Poore
Stuart Poore
07948 715864
----- Original Message -----
From: Chris Moore [mailto:christophermoore@xxxxxx]
Sent: Monday, April 18, 2011 05:16 PM
To: Berkett, Neil
Subject: Accessibility
Neil,
I am a Virgin Media customer and sadly went blind a
year ago. The
problem I am now facing is how does someone blind
operate your set top
boxes? I can appreciate VM offers audio description
and have also
consulted the RNIB on what colour scheme to use for
ease of use for
low vision users when creating the on screen colour
scheme. But if
you are blind you have to memorise key presses on the
remote control
to obtain commonly used features.
I would be grateful if vm would consider adding text
to speech to
their set top boxes so blind users can navigate the
various menus on
the set top box to access content they have recorded,
access the EPG
and VM on demand content which we pay for through our
TV package but
can't access without sighted assistance.
I would also like to see VM offer access to VM TV
services via a web
browser and/or Apple iPhone/iPad.
I am a Apple Mac and iPhone user because Apple have a
full commitment
to accessibility and the blind and provide text to
speech facilities
built into all their products. Apple products are
selling huge
numbers to the blind community because of this and
appreciate blind
customers have money to spend too.
I believe Sky are working on a text to speech enabled
service for
their
Sky+ platform, so what do Virgin have planned? I
would like to think
with the government's push into e-accessibility and
the Equality Act
2010 Virgin will start to meet the needs of it's
visually impaired
customers and of those who may have a print disability
or English not
being their first language.
Happy to discuss.
Chris Moore
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