Tag: visually
Sony made a $600 point-and-shoot camera for the visually impaired
With models like the A7R V and A7S III, Sony is known for pushing camera technology to the bleeding edge. With its newest release, however, the company isn’t touting the capabilities of its latest sensor or autofocus system. Instead, it’s a device that’s about making photography accessible to those who couldn’t enjoy the hobby before.
Announced today, the DSC-HX99 RNV is a camera kit designed for those with visual impairments. The system consists of two parts: a Sony point and shoot and a viewfinder with a retinal laser projection system. The camera is a Cybershot DSC-HX99. First released in 2018, the HX99 features an 18-megapixel backside illuminated sensor with built-in image stabilization and a 24mm to 720mm zoom lens.
As for the viewfinder, it’s a Retissa Neoviewer from Japan’s QD Laser. It projects a digital image from the camera directly to the retina of a user. Sony notes the technology won’t work for everyone, but for those who it does, the viewfinder will allow them to use the HX99 to see faces, read signs and capture photos and videos. “The laser retinal projection of Retissa Neoviewer is a completely new technology that has been put to practical use for the first time in the world,” according to Dr. Mitsuru Sugawara, the president and CEO of QD Laser.
The HX99RNV kit will cost $600 when it arrives this summer. That means it won’t cost more than a DSC-HX99 on its own. In a show of support for the low-vision community, Sony says it will bear “the majority” of the cost to produce the device. That said, the kit will only be available directly through Sony, and the company will limit purchases to one per person. Sony also plans to work with American and Japanese schools to provide the device to low-vision individuals.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/sony-made-a-600-point-and-shoot-camera-for-the-visually-impaired-174915137.html?src=rss
CES 2023: Samsung previews a new TV mode for the visually impaired
At CES 2023 on Wednesday, Samsung previewed a new TV mode to help people with vision impairment. The feature, called Relumino Mode, has layers of camera technology that highlights outlines, sharpens contrast, and enhances colors. The result is a picture thats clearer and easier to see. It was the last announcement of the event, and attendees and people on Twitter seem happy to see Samsung finishing with an accessibility announcement.
Samsung’s Relumino technology already exists in the form of a mobile app for VR devices. Now, the Relumino Mode will come to Samsung Neo QLED 8K and 4K TVs later this year. A major part of Samsung’s message at CES this year is making consumers’ lives easier by “bringing calm to our connected world” that can “genuinely enable better, more personal, and more intuitive experiences.” Relumino Mode is an example of accessibility initiatives that Samsung and many other tech companies have increasingly focused on with devices like TVs and smartphones. Earlier this year, Apple introduced Door Detection with LiDAR sensors for iPads and iPhones and Amazon announced a “tap to Alexa” feature for Fire HD so that people can use touch instead of voice to activate it.
Credit: Mikayla Whitmore
In addition to a sneak peak of Relumino Mode for TVs, Samsung also displayed a new version of Relumino glasses that first debuted at CES in 2018 along with an updated version of its mobile app.
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‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ trailer promises visually stunning devastation in first German-language adaptation
Germany’s entry for the 2023 Academy Awards, All Quiet on the Western Front, promises a visually stunning, gripping tale of loss and war. Adapted from Erich Maria Remarque’s best-selling novel — the first time it’s been filmed in the source text’s original language — the film follows a group of young soldiers on the Western Front throughout World War I. Daniel Brühl, aka Marvel’s Baron Zemo, appears as one of the diplomats negotiating Germany’s eventual surrender.
Set to have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 12, Edward Berger’s anticipated feature promises a gut-wrenching, enigmatic, and tear-inducing whirlwind.
All Quiet on the Western Front releases across select theaters on Oct. 14, and streams on Netflix Oct. 28.