Comcast Debuts Xfinity Large Button Voice Remote, an Innovative New Product Created for People With Disabilities
November 16 2022 - 9:08AM
Business Wire
In an industry first, the new remote combines
the best of Xfinity’s award-winning Voice Remote technology with
game-changing accessibility features that will help connect more
customers to thousands of hours of aggregated entertainment, news,
and information.
Comcast today launched the industry’s first Large Button Voice
Remote, a groundbreaking innovation designed for users with
mobility, dexterity, or vision impairments. This powerful device,
which is available to X1 and Flex customers at no additional cost,
combines Comcast’s award-winning voice control technology with
industry-first advancements in accessible hardware design,
inclusive packaging, and customer experience. The result is a
hardware breakthrough that allows all viewers to easily navigate
and enjoy all the entertainment, news, and information Xfinity has
to offer.
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COMCAST DEBUTS XFINITY LARGE BUTTON VOICE
REMOTE (Photo: Business Wire)
“For more than 60 years, Comcast has pioneered advancements in
entertainment and connectivity and delivered industry-shaping
experiences to customers,” says Fraser Stirling, Global Chief
Product Officer at Comcast. “Our long-standing commitment to
accessibility has unlocked profound innovation across our portfolio
time and time again - shaping everything we do from the way we
design our products, to the content we create, to the experiences
we deliver. Inclusive design, for us, is just better design.”
The Most Accessible Remote to
Date Innovation is powered by a deep understanding of
consumer preferences and needs. That’s why Comcast’s design team
worked side-by-side with the disability community to test and
refine the creation of its new Large Button Voice Remote.
Accessibility features and functionality were the top priorities
throughout the remote’s development. The result of a rigorous
research and design process is a one-of-a-kind remote unlike
anything available on the market today—one that combines high
functionality with elegant design to offer something for everyone
to love.
New Horizon’s, Inc., an organization that provides housing and
support services for people with physical disabilities participated
in the research and testing. Carol Fitzgerald, CEO of New Horizon’s
says, “Technology can help level the playing field for people with
disabilities. When companies like Comcast design products and
experiences with accessibility at the forefront, they not only
create better products for everyone, but they also help to unlock
more independence for millions of people with disabilities. We’re
very proud to have been part of the creation of the Large Button
Voice Remote which is truly a game-changing innovation.”
Features and Functionality That Enhance
Accessibility The collaboration behind Comcast’s new
Large Button Voice Remote helped create a world-class experience,
from end to end, for people with vision, mobility, and dexterity
impairments.
Easy Navigation At the heart of the remote is Comcast’s
award-winning voice control technology. Users can find what
they want—and find it faster—using voice commands to change
channels, search for shows, get recommendations, and more. The
remote also includes a prominent accessibility shortcut
button that offers quick, easy connection to personalized X1
and Flex accessibility settings. With this button, users can enable
popular accessibility features like Comcast’s Talking Guide, closed
captions, large text capabilities, audio description, and more, to
suit their needs.
Enhanced Visuals Locating and navigating the Large Button Voice
Remote is easier than ever, thanks to its large backlit
buttons and high contrast colors. Plus, the increased
font size on all the remote’s buttons improves readability.
Precision Features In addition to its enhanced functionality,
the Large Button Voice Remote’s physical design provides remarkable
ease of use. A removable wrist strap allows for more precise
handling and control. An innovative battery compartment
features a rubber pull tab design and “press to slide”
battery cover making it easier to change batteries. An
elevated, flat-back design allows for increased
stability when the remote is used on a flat surface like a
wheelchair tray or with other assistive devices.
Accessible Set-Up The inclusive packaging for the Large Button
Voice Remote uses large typography and tactile features,
including braille and an embossed arrow near the package’s opening,
to orient users who are visually impaired. The remote comes with an
audio guide that automatically begins playing step-by-step
instructions upon opening—an industry-first that allows users to
pair the remote to their television in less than a minute. The
remote also uses haptic vibrations to create a multi-sensory
experience that alerts users when pairing is complete.
Leveraging Comcast’s Global Technology
Platform to Improve Accessibility The new Large Button
Voice Remote leverages voice search technology within Comcast’s
global technology platform, enabling customers to easily navigate
the interface and discover programming across hundreds of networks
and streaming services with just the sound of their voice.
Processing more than 40 million commands a day in 5 different
languages, Comcast’s global technology platform powers one of the
largest and best voice engines for content discovery available
anywhere. Combined with the work Comcast announced earlier this
year to integrate accessibility features into its next-generation
platform architecture, the remote further embeds inclusive design
into the ethos of the company, empowering its global teams and the
broader development community to create better, more innovative
experiences for everyone.
Available at No Additional
Cost X1 and Flex customers can request a remote, at no
additional charge, through Comcast’s Accessibility Support
Center, which was one of the nation’s
first call centers specifically created to support customers with
disabilities. Comcast’s Accessibility Support Center is now home to
more than 140 agents specially trained on Comcast products and
services, support for third-party assistive devices, and
information related to Braille or large print bills. Comcast also
offers support in American Sign Language—the fourth most-used
language in the United States—through a partnership with Connect
Direct, a subsidiary of Communication Service for the Deaf.
The Xfinity Large Button Voice Remote is another example of
Comcast’s longstanding commitment to accessibility. From unveiling
the nation’s first Talking Guide back in 2013, to the recent
expansion of the Xfinity Web Adaptive Remote, which was named a
“Best Inventions of 2019” by Time Magazine, these groundbreaking
technological innovations continue to unlock more equitable access
to entertainment, news, and information for people with
disabilities. Comcast is proud to have been recently recognized as
a “Leading Disability Employer” by the National Organization on
Disability for the 7th year in a row and a Best Places to Work for
Disability Inclusion” by Disability:IN and AAPD for an 8th
consecutive year in 2022.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221116005227/en/
Kristen Gohr Kristen_Gohr@comcast.com 215-286-5615
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