Four CCTVs That Come Close to the Desktop

This video demonstrates how a portable CCTV can be used to ALMOST reach a desktop experience. It is impossible to achieve a true desktop experience on a portable unit, but if you want something that comes close, these four are the best I've come accross so far. The material I talk about in the beginning, regarding scanning and the Capture Station, refers to the Intel Reader.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• Intel
• Capture Station
• OCR
• Pamtrad
• Freedom Scientific
• Optelec
• CCTV
• Low Vision
• Aid

[bluetech7753]

Try to make a video of the in home demo if you can.

[rml695]

I will if I can. I'm not sure the reps from FS would want to be on YouTube. LOL After speaking to jls1114, I am leaning more towards the Ruby. Her video & my home demo will be the deciding factor, as well as how I get along with my monocular on Wednesday.

[jls1114]

as far as potibility i would not want a six inch screen a four. 3 works great enough for me

[rml695]

I'm debating the advantage, if any, to extra inches on the screen. We'll see when FS comes and when you ahve your vid up this week.

[VideoGuyNC]

I was pretty sure the Reader had some bugs as it is BRAND new. Maybe in a few generations of the product. As for the portable magnifiers - I visited Duke University's eye center (they have an on-site demonstration set up of several types of portable magnifiers, and I found them to be better in concept than reality. Now - they didn't have the Strix there, but they had several models. The problem with viewing writing area is that the view is quite narrow, so you must continually move the device.

[rml695]

I asked FS to come out here, and I plan to ask them to show me the Sapphire & Ruby when they call (hopefully in a few days).

[zkrisher]

P.S.

I got the Amigo for work, and a smaller device wouldn't have fit my needs there, so I guess it is serving it's purpose.

[zkrisher]

I can understand why portability isn't your number one priority, since you don't have a desktop CCTV.

I guess that's why you arranged this lineup of desktop replacement CCTVs.

I can tell you that when I get the chance, the Amigo (which is the smallest unit in this lineup) gets left out of my bag. I basically only take it to work. This is not a good thing.

[zkrisher]

In it's time the Traveler actually won a design prize. Looking at it today it's seems very strange to me as it's square screen is not very useful. text comes in lines and I want to see as much of the current line as possible, not as many lines as possible.

The Sapphire design has the screen facing down when it's closed. This protects the screen, but makes one handed reading, without a flat surface to place the material and Sapphire on, impossible. AFAIK the angle of the screen is fixed.

[zkrisher]

On the basis that you are not legally blind and that up close you can read regular text, my guess is that you could work with a 4"-4.5" screen.

Portability is important. The Magnifier you didn't bother to carry with you because of it's size and weight doesn't help you much.

The ability to hold the magnifier in one hand and the material in the other is also useful on the go. Out of this list, only the Amigo comes close to having this ability and I wouldn't use it one handed for long.

[zkrisher]

I happened to get my hands on a Sapphire for a few minutes yesterday.

Like the Strix, the Sapphire has it's writing capability built in. The Amigo comes with a stand, but it's not part of the device itself and doesn't fit in the carrying case or have a carrying case of it's own. I don't have space in my bag for the writing stand, and if I did carry it, I'd probably break it because it's basically a hollow plastic frame.

As VideoGuyNC stated, no portable device gives a "good" writing solution.