Hi, Rob!
They make auto focus cameras for taking pictures the old fashioned way. I
don't see why they can't make them for digital or this type of thing. We
tried the KNFB, with sighted help even, but it did not recognize anything
on the microwave, not even the printed buttons. Ah well, I guess that's
what makes it a dream app. My second objective, using video on Skype, is
to take a picture and send it to a sighted friend for description. I guess
I could do the same with an email attachment or send the photo file via
Skype. Of course, if it's not in focus, that isn't going to help much. At
least on Skype live, they could ask you to move away or closer to get clear
focus.
TTFN,
Marilyn
At 06:35 PM 4/27/2012, you wrote:
Oops, hit send before I finished. You can use the s&c wizard to take still
shots, but there is a problem with that: focus. You won't know if your
shot is lined up well enough to get a clear picture of the item in
question. That is the main problem I have with all these items like the
KNFB Reader and similar devices. You won't know if you are focused well
enough to the item to OCR it until you hit the button to begin
recognition, get garbled text, move your camera and try again. Big waste,
and you paid 2 grand for this? So you have to keep moving and adjusting
and moving and adjusting and for what? Sometimes items just aren't capable
of being OCR'd, and you won't know that, so you keep trying until you just
give up and ask a sighty for aid. No, I don't see the value in OCR apps or
cameras.
----- Original Message ----- From: "Rob Hudson" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, April 27, 2012 8:28 PM
Subject: Re: Dream App, OCR for digital displays
You can use the scanner and picture wizard to take still shots with your
webcam.
----- Original Message ----- From: "M and L Dorn"
<[email protected]>
To: "Post to GW-Info List" <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, April 27, 2012 7:14 PM
Subject: Dream App, OCR for digital displays
I'd love to have an OCR app that could take a picture of a digital
display, such as the time left on the microwave or washer or dryer, and
read it to me. If it could go beyond numbers, it would be handy for so
many digital displays. How about the VCR, yup I still have one, or the
DVD player or satellite TV receiver? How about the numbers on the
radio, electric blanket control, caller ID display? I know there are
some of these items that can be bought that talk, but some of the stuff
we already have doesn't talk. It could be an all purpose thing. Of
course, you'd need a way to get the camera to the device, but maybe with
a phone or even the web cam on a laptop. Since Skype is going to
provide access to the video aspect of their service so that GW can add
it to GW Connect, I'm going to need a web cam anyway. Do any of these
cameras take still photos as stand alone cameras already that might be
able to be then taken to the computer for the app?
TTFN,
Marilyn
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