Blindness

Bristol, UK-based digital TV software provider, Ocean Blue Software, contacted [itvt] Sunday to let us know that it has partnered with the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) to develop a set-top box-based text-to-speech (TTS) technology that will enable blind and other visually impaired people to use at least some interactive TV services. The company says it created a consortium to develop the technology, which turns on-screen text into speech and which will thus allow such services as set-up menus, EPG's and on-screen prompts to be spoken to viewers.