2024-03-25 18:06:32

Hi all.
I'm looking into getting a smart TV for all my media needs. I need it to have a screen reader and to work with the following apps:
Netflix, disney plus, sky showtime, hbo and amazon prime.
Is there a brand I should check out? I have never looked into the market for TV's, so this is all new to me.

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2024-03-25 18:17:49 (edited by Chris 2024-03-25 18:40:12)

I love my standalone Fire TV! I don't know how well services other than YouTube, Netflix, and Prime Video work, but I love the TV itself! VoiceView tells me when I'm switching inputs which is great! Any model should do, so you should be able to find one that fits your requirements and/or budget. I usually use mine as a monitor for my computer. The only major thing you should watch out for when purchasing a device is what version of the OS it's running. I recommend you try to get a TV running Fire OS 7. Unfortunately, Amazon doesn't really indicate which devices are no longer getting software updates, but Fire OS 7 is the latest version available for standalone TVs at this time.

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2024-03-25 18:42:21

TCL do one pretty cheep that does all that although I had issues with mine and replaced it with a more expensive Sony Bravia. That does everything you need but will need help setting up the screen reader. After that it's really simple to use and you can even attach a USB keyboard.

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2024-03-25 18:57:23 (edited by Chris 2024-03-25 19:02:56)

I recommend staying far away from anything running Roku! They use RHVoice which sounds horrible! The screen reader doesn't seem as good as VoiceView either from what I can tell. Anything running Android TV is probably okay, though I've never used Android or Google TV personally. Be careful what you buy if going with this system, as there are tons of fake Android TV devices that come with bundled malware. I've heard Samsung TVs work decently, but they're running a custom OS, and the TTS doesn't sound that great from samples I've heard.

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2024-03-25 19:02:35

Is the voice quality really that important for a TV? I mean, you go to the streaming service you like, choose a film or show and then the voice can shut up or are you using your TV for other things I am not thinking of?

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2024-03-25 19:04:40

Samsung and fire powered tvs are the best from what I have tried so far. I would also stay away from LG as their tvs are slow and is not the most user friendly when it comes to their user interface.

2024-03-25 19:05:48

I'm looking at samsung tv's RN because I have a soundbar from them.I am not sure how usable their OS is though and how well streaming apps work with the screen reader.

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2024-03-25 19:06:18 (edited by Chris 2024-03-25 19:12:01)

This ultimately comes down to personal preference. I want a halfway decent voice, and RHVoice isn't acceptable as far as I'm concerned. I'd rather listen to Vocalizer Samantha, and I hate! that voice with a passion! I struggle to understand RHVoice, and I imagine this is even more important for those with hearing impairments.

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2024-03-25 20:28:34

We have a Samsung TV and it works great. On ours, pressing and holding the Mute button will activate the accessibility menu. It may be different on other remotes, but if you wait for a little bit after turning the TV on for the first time it will tell you how to enter accessibility settings.
The accessibility shortcut screen always talks regardless of whether or not voice guide is on so that's a plus.
Both Fire TV and Roku have decent screen readers from the little bit I've looked at them. VoiceView does have a lot more delay compared to Roku's reader, so that's probably the only advantage of using such a low quality voice.
Like Chris, I think they could've done better than RHVoice, but at least it's something.
Also if being able to use the device in a language other than English is important to you, don't get Roku. The reader tells you that it's only in English if enabled during setup.
LG's screen reader isn't bad, but there's no way to enable it at setup so the TV is pretty much useless unless you can find a way to OCR the screen.
I've heard mixed reviews on Android TVs, so make sure to do your research before buying one.

2024-03-25 20:41:29

How do Apple TVs stack up here? How performant is VoiceOver when navigating? How does it fair in 3rd-party apps?

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2024-03-25 21:08:30

@10, VO is  very performant, the device's hardware is bery overpowered for it, apps open instantly. That's my experience. Some third party apps might have accessibility issues, and the keyboard is annoying to use because it's one long row of letters. Also airplaying to it has pretty low audio latency which is great.

2024-03-25 21:33:18

Last time I used my Apple TV, VoiceOver was very stable. Like post 11 said, the keyboard is not fun to type on, but the dictation is pretty good there.
iOS also connects and brings up a keyboard so you can use your phone to type, or you can connect a Bluetooth keyboard.

2024-03-26 00:18:43

I am going to give my recommendation to my samsung TV. I got the thing out of the box. My parents mounded it on the wall. The TV came up talking and told you exactly what to do. I had no idea how to use one of these and I learned in a few seconds. Samsung will give you the lease amount of trouble when setting up for the first time.

2024-03-27 19:57:03

hey man roku is great disbite the bad voice. It even tells when an input has no signel

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2024-03-28 05:57:15

Samsung and Fire TV do the same thing.
I agree. Roku is a good option, but like I mentioned in an earlier post there are things to consider before getting a Roku product.

2024-03-28 17:19:15

@14 RH-voice really like really sucks with roku tvs and they will get super slow if you have the screenreader running. I have a sharp one from 2017 and if I were to enable the screenreader I can't get around the menus super fast as I have to wait for the tv to respond to the remote VS when it is off I can get around the menus just fine

2024-03-28 18:21:04

really? I have a hisence one and it works like
a charm

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2024-03-28 19:00:31

i'm part of the rou crowd. and yeah while the voice isn't as good it works pritty well.

2024-04-01 19:19:35

I think that it would b good to write down the models of TVs we have. Some of them are newer and have mpore processing power and work well with the screen reader. I will find the model of mine and write it on here.

2024-04-01 20:43:58

The Samsung TV in our living room can be sluggish at times when the screen reader is running.

2024-04-01 20:53:16

I have a Roku as well as a Fire TV. Both are extremely accessible.

2024-04-02 08:10:06

how do you switch accounts on ruko tvs. i'm trying to log in to my account on there but someone else is signed in to it.

2024-04-02 16:45:41

you can only have one account on a roku tv