Mary, For the most part, the newer receivers are pretty much menu driven with some having dedicated buttons for certain things either on the remote and or the front panel. Once you get them set up however, and memorize some of the more commonly used buttons on the remote, it isn't too bad. The best solution for this in my opinion is a good universal remote like one of the Harmony remotes that can be programmed via the web once connected to your pc via usb. The Harmony remotes work in terms of activities, so once it knows what all of your devices are, you can create activities like watch tv, play dvd, listen to radio, etc. etc. Once your activities are created, one button press sends out all of the signals needed to turn on your device, switch to the correct input, and also set your TV to the right source if applicable. When you are done, another button press turns everything off.
The only inaccessible part of this unfortunately, is adding your devices and this is something that I have been back and forth with Harmony tech support and they haven't fixed it. The screen to add a device has a funky combo box for selecting the manufacturer that is only workable with a physical mouse. Bottom line is that you have to call tech support and they are happy to add devices for you. Other than that, the rest of the remote programming process is very accessible. You have to use FireFox and go to www.myremotesetup.com and log in. IE does not work properly for some reason. HTH Rick -----Original Message----- From: pc-audio-boun...@pc-audio.org [mailto:pc-audio-boun...@pc-audio.org] On Behalf Of Mary Otten Sent: Monday, November 29, 2010 9:35 PM To: PC Audio Discussion List Subject: accessible surround sound receiver? I hope this isn't considered off topic hhere. II've been pretty happy with an airport express connected to my stereo streaming stereo music from the web, Itunes etdf. But I'm about to get an apple tv, because of the accessible netflicks and accessible dvd playing on the mac that I'd like to stream, and I'd like to do it in 5.1 surround, so as to get more of the home theater sound experience. But it seems like all the modern receivers I've seen are so menu oriented that you really can't operate them without sight, unless you have an amazing memory, that is, which I don't. So I wonder if there are any receivers that can be operated by a blind person, more than just turning it on and off, of course. I'm talking switching between various modes and inputs. Thanks in advance for any help. Mary To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank email to: pc-audio-unsubscr...@pc-audio.org To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank email to: pc-audio-unsubscr...@pc-audio.org
