Samsung TV obtains accessibility certification from the Royal National Institute of Blind People in the UK

Continuous Improvement of Features to Address Information Imbalance

[Asia Economy Reporter Dongwoo Lee] Samsung Electronics announced on the 26th that its smart TV has recently become the first to receive the ‘Visual Accessibility Certification’ from the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) in the United Kingdom. Samsung TV is the first consumer electronics product to receive this certification.

Since 2013, Samsung Electronics has been collaborating with the RNIB and has been enhancing accessibility features for TV users with visual impairments. The RNIB grants certifications for products, websites, and app services used by visually impaired people to assist them in purchasing products and using services.

In 2016, Samsung introduced features such as the 'Voice Guide' that reads program information and TV settings aloud, and the 'High Contrast Screen' feature that displays graphic information in white text on an opaque black background to improve visibility, earning a social contribution award from the RNIB.

Samsung’s 2020 smart TVs are equipped with various accessibility features. Through the ‘Smart Magnifier’ function, when the camera of a Samsung Galaxy smartphone is mirrored to the TV, small text or images can be viewed enlarged on the big screen. The ‘Focus Zoom’ feature allows users to enlarge the size of specific text related to TV operations such as channels, volume, and menus for convenience.

To improve the readability of subtitles widely used by hearing-impaired users, functions such as subtitle separation, and changing subtitle size, position, and color are provided. Users can listen to key information of the broadcast they are watching by voice only, and receive voice guidance on how to use the remote control and accessibility features. Voice speed and tone can also be adjusted to suit the user.

For hearing-impaired users, the TV automatically finds and enlarges sign language screens and provides a function to freely move subtitle positions to match the sign language screen.

Cheon Gang-wook, Vice President of Samsung Electronics’ Visual Display Business, said, “We are continuously researching to ensure that all users can equally experience the diverse content and functions of TVs,” adding, “Samsung Electronics will continue to improve accessibility features applied to TVs to eliminate information inequality.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.