In a world first, Amazon has partnered with Cochlear to make watching movies and shows more accessible for folks with hearing loss by streaming audio from a Fire TV device directly to a Cochlear hearing implant's sound processor.
Back in 2018, Google made Android smart devices easier to use for those with hearing loss with the release of the Audio Streaming for Hearing Aids (ASHA) specification. The following year, implantable hearing device specialist Cochlear joined forces with GN Hearing to launch support for direct audio streaming from Android devices to compatible hearing solutions over Bluetooth LE.
Now Cochlear has tweaked Nucleus 8, Nucleus 7, Nucleus Kansa 2 and Baha 6 Max sound processors to allow for direct audio streaming from ASHA-enabled Fire TV devices such as the Fire TV Omni QLED Series, the Fire TV 4 Series and the Fire TV Cube.
The feature is set up by users in the accessibility section of the settings menu on the Fire TV device, after which they can immerse themselves in echo- and noise-free audio from streaming and entertainment apps within 10 ft (3 m) of the Fire TV device.
"TV is a big part of our lives; we get our news and information through television, our entertainment, sports, music," said Cochlear's director of Nucleus product management and marketing, Ryan Lopez. "When we started to work with [Amazon], what really came to light was their dedication to accessibility, effective communication, and collaborating on how we can combine these technologies. At Cochlear, we were really proud to be a part of this."
Source: Cochlear Limited
