As Samsung unveiled at its First Look 2021 event, the company’s 2021 TV lineup will harness the latest advances to allow those who are hard of hearing, the deaf, people with low vision and the blind to enjoy their TV experiences in comfort. This will be achieved with the help of Samsung’s new CES 2021 Best of Innovation Award-winning accessibility features for TVs, including Caption Moving, Sign Language Zoom, Multi-Output Audio and Voice Guide. Going forward, Samsung will keep developing new AI-based features to continue making Samsung TVs more and more accessible.

Samsung Newsroom looked at the suite of accessibility features offered on Samsung TVs, as well as the company’s commitment to its new ‘Screens for All’ vision, which is helping ensure that everyone can enjoy their TVs.

SeeColors App: A New World of Color for Those With CVD

The capability of Samsung TVs to reproduce lifelike color is constantly improving, however this is not as evident to those who suffer from color vision deficiency (CVD). Samsung’s SeeColors app¹ makes color adjustments to aid those with CVD and help them enjoy a better viewing experience with optimized colors.

By using the app on their TV, users can identify their CVD type and level and directly recalibrate their screen settings based on the results. The SeeColors app is available to download from Apps, the Smart TV app store.

Color Inversion: For Comfortable Viewing Without Glare

It is also difficult for people with low vision to perceive colors clearly. In particular, black text on a white background can cause glare for people with low vision who are sensitive to light. The fact that their eyes tire easily also hinders comfortable TV viewing.

In this case, the Color Inversion feature can prove helpful. Inverting menu colors so that the text is white and the background is black raises visual perception and alleviates eye fatigue. While inverting the colors of the TV menus to make navigating them easier, this feature leaves the colors of the actual content being displayed the same in order to best meet the needs of users with low vision.

Features are also available to assist people with complete color blindness. These include GrayScale, which can convert color images into black-and-white. Meanwhile, the Focus Enlarge feature allows users to enlarge text and smaller details on interfaces such as Smart Hub.

Audio (Video) Description: To Better Enjoy Exciting Scenes

Spectacular action movies and exciting sports matches can really keep viewers on the edge of their seats. However, those who are blind are often limited to appreciating actors’ performances and athletes’ physical feats purely through their sense of hearing. In these circumstances, the information these users take in through sound effects and dialogue alone is bound to be limited.

Audio (Video) Description is a feature that provides verbal descriptions of the situations and settings being displayed on the screen, in addition to the dialogue or commentary. It helps viewers who are blind enjoy their content more completely by providing explanations of factors that are hard to capture with audio alone, such as characters’ clothing and their body language.

Learn TV Remote: For Ease of Use

A remote control is a handy tool that puts the ability to control channels, volume and TV settings in the palm of your hand and makes viewing much more convenient. However, it is difficult for those who are blind to know what each button does. Thus, it generally takes a long time for them to learn the buttons and get used to using the remote control.

Learn TV Remote is a feature that helps blind users get used to the location and function of each button through repeated practice. If you press a button on the remote control while the mode is on, the name and function of the button will be explained audibly. To return the remote control to regular functionality, press the ‘back’ button twice to turn off learning mode.

Voice Guide: To Better Navigate Channels and Control Volume

When viewers want to catch an episode of a TV show they like, they generally turn on their TV and navigate to the right channel by looking at the channel number or name. However, when they first turn the TV on, it is difficult for viewers who are blind to know what channel they are on, as well as what level the volume is set at.

By telling you what channel your TV is on and what volume level it is set at, the Voice Guide feature eliminates the need to press buttons on the remote control multiple times to navigate to the channel and volume settings you want. The feature additionally enhances convenience by providing information on the program that is currently being aired as well as the upcoming TV schedule.

Accessibility Shortcuts

When you hold down the mute button on the remote control for your Samsung TV for more than two seconds, you will be taken to a menu where you can customize a variety of accessibility settings. In this menu, you will be able to select the most appropriate accessibility features for yourself or your family members. This menu is accompanied by a Voice Guide that allows any user to navigate it without difficulty.

Continued Accessibility Efforts Based on User Feedback

Based on its belief that an accurate understanding of visual deficiency conditions is necessary to developing appropriate accessibility features, Samsung has collected feedback from users in order to make TVs that are also convenient for people with low vision and those who are blind.

To that end, Samsung has been working with the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) in the UK since 2013 to ensure that Samsung products are equipped with the proper features to offer accessibility to all consumers. Due to its continued efforts, the company received the RNIB’s ‘Tried and Tested Accreditation’ for its 2020 Smart TVs, which is the first time the accreditation has been awarded in the TV industry.

In pursuit of its ‘Screens for All’ vision, Samsung will continue to work and innovate to ensure that Samsung TVs provide an enjoyable viewing experience for all.

¹ This app is not intended for use in the diagnosis of disease or other conditions, or in the cure, mitigation, treatment or prevention of disease or medical problem. Any information found, acquired or accessed through this app is made available for your convenience and should not be treated as medical advice.

#1

Who among us has not experienced the frustration of trying to book tickets home ahead of a busy holiday weekend? While some book online from the comfort of their homes, others – many of them elderly – will line up at the break of dawn to reserve tickets in-person at major train and bus stations.

#2

Picture this: Person A recently went to a restaurant, but ended up leaving without ordering anything. Person A uses a wheelchair, and the controls on the restaurant’s self-order kiosk were slightly out of reach. As the staff seemed busy, Person A felt shy about asking for assistance, and chose to visit another restaurant instead.

While at first glance, the two stories above may seem unrelated, they both exemplify the dark side of technology in the digital era. Things like telecommuting, distance learning, autonomous driving, and AI job interviews are proof positive that digital technologies are becoming increasingly prevalent in both business and society. Unfortunately, digitalization is also creating issues.

To help address those issues, digital technology leaders must accept an important new mission: taking on corporate digital responsibility (CDR). In a nutshell, CDR involves developing products and technologies in a manner that protects users’ rights, and taking steps to enable more people to experience the benefits of digital technologies. The pandemic has prompted more sectors to utilize digital technologies, which has led to increasing pressure on businesses to engage in CDR. As a leader in cutting-edge technologies, what is Samsung Electronics doing to become more digitally responsible? Here are several ‘quests’ that Samsung has undertaken with regard to digital responsibility.

QUEST #1 | Consider Users’ Rights When Developing Products

The more useful a product is, the wider the gap between users and non-users becomes. Samsung strives for accessibility in its products, enhancing them with technologies that make it easy for all users, regardless of age, gender, or disability, to utilize them.

Take Samsung’s TVs, for example. The TVs’ Voice Guide function provides an audio guide for TV settings, combining channel and volume controls with tools to help you schedule a viewing, view current and scheduled program information, and browse the internet. When viewing content with sign language, Samsung’s proprietary AI algorithm automatically recognizes the sign language area and can enlarge it by up to 200 percent.

Samsung mobile devices have also introduced a variety of convenient accessibility features. This includes a function that allows those with hearing difficulties to pair a compatible hearing aid to their device via low-power Bluetooth, as well as a fixed-key feature for users with physical disabilities. In addition, Samsung’s Family Hub refrigerator caters to users in wheelchairs with functions that make it possible to move the top of the screen to an easier-to-reach position, adjust the height of the main controls, and launch the menu by tapping anywhere on the screen.

Digital advancements can be incredible, but they can cut both ways. Yes, they tend to make life more comfortable, but they can also create social issues like ‘smombies’¹ and ‘nomophobia’.² From a product design standpoint, helping users enjoy healthy digital lifestyles is a key part of being digitally responsible. Samsung has therefore committed to developing digital well-being tools that are based on five digital well-being values: Digital Detox, Balance, Guard, Wellness, and Safety. For example, Samsung’s App Timer feature (which falls under the Balance category) can help users reduce the amount of time they spend on applications by setting time limits. Focus Mode (Digital Detox) allows users to pause or silence notifications from selected apps temporarily, while the Samsung Kids service (Guard) helps create a safe environment for children to explore, play and develop good digital habits.

Safety is crucial when it comes to smartphones, as we tend to fill them with a wide range of important information, including everything from bank account numbers, contacts and photos. Samsung’s Find My Mobile feature was created to protect that valuable information in the event that you lose your phone. Once activated, it tracks the location of the lost phone, tells the user where it is, and offers them the choice to delete their personal data, including messages and photos, or upload it to Samsung Cloud. The Samsung Knox platform offers defense-grade mobile security, while the smartphones’ Secure Wi-Fi feature allows you to safely browse the internet on public wireless connections without worrying about your personal information being compromised.

QUEST #2 | Share the Benefits of Digital Technology with More People

“I saved two lives that were almost lost.”

“The technology is really useful for finding hidden sparks and embers and putting them out.”

The quotes above are from firefighters who utilized a product of Samsung’s in-house incubation program, C-Lab (Creative Lab), to help protect their community. The product they’re describing is a thermal observation device that uses thermal imaging cameras to help firefighters detect fires’ ignition points and identify and rescue others. It’s just one of many C-Lab innovations that reflect Samsung’s commitments to (1) developing products and services that address social issues, and (2) sharing those technologies with communities that need them.

Lives’Talk, a wearable device for tracking nomadic livestock, is another example of a community-enriching C-Lab innovation. The technology was created to make it easier for nomadic communities in Kazakhstan to find and retrieve their livestock. Once attached to livestock, the device’s GPS transmitter-receiver tracks the animals’ locations in real time. A total of 700 Lives’Talk devices were donated in all, helping farmers in these communities become more self-reliant.

Samsung is also advancing digital education programs that equip young minds with the tools they need to become leaders in creating a better world. The Samsung Smart School initiative provides smart devices and solutions to students in areas with little access to IT equipment, reducing the digital divide while supporting students’ creativity. The Samsung Dream Class program, meanwhile, offers middle school students living in areas with lower access to high-quality education an opportunity to take part in enriching classes covering subjects like math and coding. The Samsung Innovation Campus program offers youth entering the job market for the first time hands-on training in skills that technology-related jobs require, including fields like AI, IoT and data analysis. Together, these initiatives are representative of Samsung’s ongoing efforts to promote digital responsibility worldwide.

QUEST #3 | Uphold the Principles of CDR When Developing New Technologies

Often, when developing AI technology, the ethical beliefs of the people behind the technology will inform the ethics of the AI itself. Having recognized the importance of emphasizing social and ethical responsibility in technology development, Samsung established a set of AI ethics principles to put into practice. The company also established guidelines for employees to raise awareness of AI ethics within its workforce.

Samsung has gone to great lengths to foster an ecosystem of open innovation. Not only has the company introduced more than 130 open source projects, but it also hosts its annual Samsung Open Source Conference (SOSCON) to offer experts a forum to share and discuss new developments.

RESULT | Samsung Ranks in Top Ten of WBA’s 2020 Digital Inclusion Benchmark

Samsung’s consistent, multifaceted efforts to be digitally responsible have earned a ranking in the top ten of the World Benchmarking Alliance’s (WBA) Digital Inclusion Benchmark. Notably, Samsung is the only Korean company to rank in the top ten, and ranks third in Asia and fourth among companies in the hardware sector.

The WBA represents an alliance forged among approximately 176 global, regional and local organizations to shape the private sector’s contributions to achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. The WBA examines companies with a focus on seven key categories, including human rights, the environment, and digital inclusion. The WBA launched its very first Digital Inclusion Benchmark this year, which evaluated companies’ progress in improving access to technology, enhancing digital skills, fostering trustworthy use, and innovating both openly and ethically.

Samsung was noted for being one of the few companies that had established AI ethics principles. The company’s C-Lab program was singled out for its social contributions, while Samsung’s devotion to the expansion of the open-source ecosystem also earned a positive review. The Samsung Kids feature, which encourages children to have healthy smartphone habits, also received a high rating, as did the company’s various social contribution programs, in particular those that are helping communities close the digital divide.

As a company that develops products and technologies that enhance users’ lives, Samsung is committed to promoting digital responsibility. Going forward, the company will continue to explore ways to make it easier for people to access and utilize a wide range of convenient and meaningful digital technologies.

¹ A ‘smartphone zombie’; one who is constantly staring at his/her smartphone

² A term that describes the fear of being without a mobile device

Samsung Electronics today announced that the company has received ‘Tried and Tested Accreditation’ for its 2020 Smart TVs from the United Kingdom’s Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) which is the first time this accreditation has been given in the TV industry.

RNIB awards its “Tried and Tested” accreditation to products, websites, apps or services which meet RNIB criteria for accessibility for consumers with impaired vision. This distinction enables the users to make easier purchase decisions and also underscores Samsung’s commitment to improving accessibility features on its TVs.

Samsung has worked with RNIB since 2013 to ensure that Samsung products are suited with the proper features to offer accessibility for all consumers.

Since 2014, Samsung has focused on enhancing accessibility features for users who are visually impaired, providing features such as ‘Voice Guide’ that enables the TV to read aloud program information and ‘High Contrast’ mode that displays graphic information with opaque black backgrounds and white font for enhanced visibility. In recognition of these features, RNIB presented its ‘Inclusive Society Award’ to Samsung Electronics in 2016.

Since then, Samsung Electronics has continued to improve and expand the accessibility features on its TVs to better achieve digital inclusivity for deaf and hearing impaired people as well as blind and partially sighted people. Features include:

• With upgraded Voice Guide feature, users can listen to key information on programs as well as instructions for the remote control and accessibility features. Users also can adjust the pitch and speed of the Voice Guide to suit their preferences.

• The Digital Magnifier which enhances and expands text and images on large screens while mirroring the Samsung Galaxy smartphone to a TV.¹

• The Focus Enlarge feature magnifies specific fonts related to TV control, volume and menus.

• Automatic recognition and enlargement of the sign language area for the hearing-impaired as well as ability to adjust and move the subtitle positions.

“With a growing variety of content and features, people are now having more fun with their smart TVs,” said Kangwook Chun, Executive Vice President of Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics. “Samsung is fully committed to providing comprehensive accessibility features on its TVs so that every user can enjoy their favorite content much more easily,” he added.

David Clarke, Director of Services at RNIB, said, “RNIB is delighted to award our Tried and Tested certification to Samsung in recognition of the accessibility features within their TV. RNIB and Samsung have worked together since 2013, and each year the accessibility features on their televisions have been improved and expanded.”

¹ Digital Magnifier may not be available on some Samsung mobile devices.

With its TVs, Samsung provides a range of accessibility features so that every user can enjoy their favorite content without issue. From the Voice Guide feature, which provides an audio guide for TV settings, to the Audio Multi-Output functionality, which lets multiple users establish personalized volume settings, to a feature that automatically zooms in on the sign language interpreter screen, Samsung TV’s accessibility features have been developed through the consistent incorporation of user feedback into the development process.

But fortunately, things are changing so that visually impaired people can enjoy their favorite entertainment in the comfort of their homes. Some TV stations, such as Swiss Television (SRF), already offer content with audio description for visually impaired and blind people. Furthermore, Samsung Electronics is cooperating with the Swiss Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (SBV) to showcase how Smart TVs can be operated easily and autonomously by visually impaired individuals.

In this interview, Secretary General Kannarath Meystre and Head of Innovation and Technology Luciano Butera of SBV explain the influence of modern technology on their everyday lives.

(left) Kannarath Meystre, Secretary General, Swiss Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (SBV) and Luciano Butera, Head of Innovation and Technology (SBV) sat down with Samsung Electronics to discuss the roles of modern technology in their lives

Q. How has technological progress shaped the everyday lives of visually impaired people?

Meystre: Digitization has modernized many professions that could previously be accessed easily by visually impaired or blind people. For example, the profession of the voice assistant telephone operator no longer exists. Since many visual tasks have been added to job roles, such as operating IT systems or working at reception, the employment choices for visually impaired people have become more complex. In order to show how a visually impaired person can still be a fully-fledged employee with the right tools, we educate employers and offer job coaching to employees. Of course, digitization has also simplified many things.

Butera: Exactly, new technologies always hold opportunities as well as hindrances. The introduction of smartphones is a good example: the disappearance of the keypad has made it impossible for blind and visually impaired people to use a mobile phone. But when so-called ‘screen readers’ were introduced in addition to the touch screen which read on-screen content aloud, this not only solved the problem, but suddenly offered a number of new possibilities with regard to the use of the internet and apps. To this end, we created the technology department at SBV about five years ago. One example of its innovations is with physical money. Since the tactile features of Swiss banknotes wear out over time, we have programmed an app that recognizes and indicates the value of money.

(left) Kannarath Meystre and Luciano Butera demonstrate the use of screen readers, which greatly improved access to technology for those with visual impairments

Q. Where in your everyday life are the technical barriers most noticeable?

Butera: Public transport is certainly the biggest issue. In recent years, for example, many aids have been developed on smartphones to enable people to use public transport systems independently. At the same time, ticket machines equipped exclusively with touchscreens cannot be operated by us. The ticket must therefore have been purchased through the app. If this does not work for some reason, the whole process becomes difficult. With this being said, a lot has improved in public transport. For example, all stations and exit directions on trains are now announced.

Meystre: Even if such apps can bring great advantages, digital progress cannot and must not replace human interaction. Despite all the enthusiasm for new technology, care must be taken to ensure that digitization does not lead to social isolation. This would clearly undermine the goal of properly integration visually impaired and blind people into modern society.

Butera: Another area in which there is still much to do is the living area. In particular, since the latest kitchen appliances like cookers, ovens and microwave ovens no longer have buttons, we have to be creative in order to be able to operate them. The ever-more complex menus and the sensor-only navigation fields make the simplest of operations a real challenge for us. Nowadays it is possible to equip many things with special accessories, but it is our aim to ensure that the development of new devices going forward also includes barrier-free access for people with disabilities right from the start.

A voiceover artist records voice guides in a studio

Q. Just like the voice guide on the new Samsung Smart TVs.

Meystre: That’s right. This collaboration with Samsung is exemplary of what we’re working towards. While it used to be easy to operate a simple TV with a simple remote control, the complexity of Smart TVs has created new obstacles. The fact that Samsung recognized this and sought our cooperation to solve this is testament to a genuine pioneering spirit and a sincere appreciation of us. We are very proud to be able to make a contribution to barrier-free television for blind and visually impaired people with this partnership.

Butera: The channel navigation that is read out loud enables us to watch television in a much more enjoyable way. Content with audio description has been available for some time, but only with this voice guide that reads out the schedule and current program options is it really possible for us to explore television without barriers. I am also sure that this new standard will be a great relief for others as well as the blind and visually impaired, such as older individuals with diminishing eyesight who previously required special aids to enjoy television. Furthermore, on a psychological level, it really is much more pleasant to encounter a TV that comes with the necessary adaptations built in rather than having to go to the lengths of custom-fitting a TV with specially designed technology.