In 2010 Hills, along with Bush Australia, were contracted to develop talking set top boxes by the Federal Government’s Digital Switchover Taskforce. Prototypes were distributed to members of the public as part the Household Assistance Scheme in regional Victoria, prior to digital switchover being completed there in May 2011. Bush’s Talking Set Top Box was released commercially last year.
The Hills Talking Set Top Box HD94003G utilises text-to-speech software developed by Ocean Blue Software and the Royal National Institute of Blind People in the UK. The Hills set top box, which was developed with the assistance of Vision Australia, has a remote control with large, high contrast buttons which give visual and audio feedback when pressed.
The box is also capable of receiving audio descriptions, which will be trialled on the ABC1 for 13 weeks commencing in August. Users will be able to plug headphones into the box which will allow them to hear the audio description, while others in the room will hear the audio as normal.
The Hills Talking Set Top Box is available from the eight Hills branches across Australia, or through Vision Australia. Both the Hills and Bush set top boxes cost $199.
Vision Australia has produced a video demonstrating the box’s features:
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