Verizon Fios Tech Support: The Good, The Bad, And The Abysmal
I think the most infuriating part of the 3 1/2 hours spent with Verizon Fios tech support was when the two or three agents had no idea what I was asking for. One of them said, “That is not a service we offer. You need to do that on your smart TV.” One of them told me he understood, then told me to turn on closed captioning and then turn on text to speech. For those that don’t know, closed captioning is for the Deaf and puts the dialog into word so it can be read. I can hear the dialog just fine, but I can’t see what is taking place on the screen or read subtitles. This whole ordeal could’ve, no, should’ve taken less than 10 minutes. Maybe I should bill them for my time… Here are the TWO changes you have to make to get descriptive video service (also known as described audio) on your Verizon Fios. Your mileage may vary, but give it a shot.
Turn on DVS
Open the menu. I do this by hitting the DVR button, then hit the left arrow once. Scroll to Settings. Then to System. Then to Accessibility. Then to DVS. Turn it on and hit the OK button.
Turn on Spanish Language
No habla Espaniol? No worries. I was told this is where the described audio resides. Go to Language. This is in the same menu as Accessibility, just five button-pushes down. Then go to Audio Language. (Be careful here. I hit one of the other choices and turned the guide from English to Spanish. That doesn’t make DVS work…) After you are in Audio Language, hit Spanish, then okay. Boom! You’ve now got Descriptive Video Service!
Find Shows with Descriptive Video Service
The best list I’ve found for a list of DVS show is from the American Council of the Blind. I hope your show is listed there!