Amazon Fire TV devices get an amazing upgrade for hearing implant users
>
In perhaps one of the most genuinely useful software updates we’ve seen in a while, Amazon has launched a new feature that allows audio to be streamed directly from its Amazon Fire TV devices to hearing implants.
The feature, a collaboration with hearing aid manufacturer Cochlear, uses the open source Audio Streaming for Hearing Aids (ASHA) protocol and marks the first time a smart TV device can stream sound directly to a hearing implant processor.
The feature is now available for Fire TV Omni Series, Fire TV Omni QLED Series, Fire TV 4-Series, Fire TV Cube (2nd generation) and Fire TV Cube (3rd generation) devices and can work with Cochlear Nucleus 8, Nucleus 7, Nucleus Kanso 2 and Baha 6 Max sound processors.
Cochlear already offers direct sound streaming to its Nucleus Sound Processor devices from iPhone or Android phones.
According to Amazon, the new accessibility feature gives Cochlear users a more comfortable way to watch their favorite movies and TV shows, use Alexa, listen to music and hear navigation sounds.
The new Cochlear feature follows Amazon’s recent move to provide ASHA support on Fire TV Cube (2nd generation) for Bluetooth hearing aids made by Starkey, the company that produces the Audibel, NuEar, MicroTech and Audigy brands.
A blog post and accompanying video featuring Michael Forzano, Amazon’s hearing-impaired software engineer who helped test the feature, shows just how profound an impact the new functionality could have for Cochlear users.
In the message, Forzano says he didn’t watch TV because he would “miss 40-50% of words due to echoes and poor sound quality.” Using his implant in conjunction with Fire TV seems to have had a real impact on improving quality of life, with Forzano stating “I’m really excited about the world this is going to open up for me”.
Analysis: Amazon support is an encouraging sign for people with hearing loss
As many as 430 million people live with some form of hearing loss, according to the World Health Organization, and a recent report warning that one billion young people worldwide are at risk of hearing loss (opens in new tab) of listening to headphones at too loud a volume, it therefore seems like a missed opportunity that more consumer technology manufacturers fail to take advantage of the accessibility benefits offered by these new devices.
To some extent, Apple has led the way with many of the accessibility features offered to Made for iPhone-compatible hearing aids, while the Live Listen (opens in new tab) feature on AirPods means they can be used as makeshift hearing aids.
This latest move from Amazon is likely to go one step further with cochlear implant support that will likely make a world of difference to users. Fingers crossed today’s news will prompt a flood of tech companies to get on board – how great would it be to see Cochlear audio streaming compatibility for Apple TV 4K (2022) or Chromecast with Google TV… or really from any smart -TV.