The Hear Daily » Technology

Amazon Unbox more like a Huh?box

Samantha — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:27:31 +0000

When Amazon announced Unbox, I was tickled silly. This new Amazon product makes it possible to download a rental movie (you can buy movies too) from the Unbox site and watch it on your TV or PC. In less than an hour, you can download a movie to watch at home and not be bothered with returning the video to a store. You can even start a download from your PC at work to be ready for when you get home. See why I was so tickled?

But guess what? Closed captioning isn’t included in the download. My first movie, About a Boy, is full of Hugh Grant voiceovers. I missed every word. I complained straight to Amazon. Here’s what they said:

Greetings from Amazon.com.

Thank you for writing to us about closed captioning and Amazon Unbox
videos.

Unfortunately we do not offer closed captioning at this time. The
availability of content through our Amazon Unbox service depends on
our agreements and arrangements with various content owners. We are
constantly working to establish and improve these agreements so we can
offer the largest range of content possible.

It is always important for us to hear how customers react to all
aspects of shopping at Amazon.com. Strong customer feedback like
yours helps us continue to improve the selection and service we
provide, and we appreciate the time you took to write to us.

Thank you for your interest in Amazon Unbox video downloads on Amazon.com.

Bummer.

Join me in telling Amazon that their agreements with their content owners need to include closed captioning. Go to Amazon.com, and look for the contact us button on the side. Surely 31 million people deserve this support!

Read your Voicemail

Samantha — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:45:29 +0000

Every hard of hearing person struggles on the phone at some point. Some phones are better than others, some people speak better than others. My most frustrating moments on the phone are usually voicemail related. My family members are regularly called to assist me in deciphering a message. “What did she say? Did she say anything else? Are you sure? Did she saying anything about ….” I ask. I would love to be more independent and have my privacy back!

This week, Line1 Communications announced new service called Spinvox. Spinvox transcribes your voicemail to your email. Now, if you get a voicemail you can’t understand, you can log onto your email and read it. (more…)

Video Words - Closed Captioning on the Web

Samantha — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:24:57 +0000

AOL and CNN have a few news videos that offer closed captioning. Strangely enough, CNN.com doesn’t have caption options on any of its videos and I was unable to find any other news feeds with the CC box on AOL.

You know what to do: Go to AOL’s support central, click on Rate This Site, and tell them:

I love closed captioned videos! Please expand this feature from a few CNN videos to all your video content. I thank you and so do the other 31 million hard-of-hearing people in the US. Thank you, AOL!

You’ll need an AOL account to do so, but it’s free.

Let me know how it goes!

Take Back the Movies!

Samantha — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 23:18:50 +0000

I love going to the movies. Adventure flicks, foreign films, love stories, you name it. I’ve never met a movie I couldn’t enjoy in some fashion, either by admiring the sets, the costumes, the beauty of the actors or the ridiculousness of it all. I love the movies. Even on the first day of spring, you can talk me into going to the movies.

But, once my hearing deteriorated to the point I couldn’t follow the dialogue anymore, I stopped going. I started renting movies instead, going as far as popping corn, getting the big drink, turning off the cellphone and the whole thing. I turn on the captioning and do my best. But….it isn’t the same. (more…)