Product Reviews: Digital Magnifiers

Overview

Advances in digital imaging technology have had a positive impact upon the range of magnification systems for people with low vision, providing greater portability and vastly improved picture quality. These systems are typically smaller and more portable than the CCTVs you might be used to – ideal for a student on the move in a busy FE college!

With so many new products, each of which offer different features, we felt the time was right to evaluate their respective merits. I had a look at each of the following magnifiers and evaluated them using the criteria below.

Thinks to think about when evaluating a digital magnifier for use with a student:

Portability: Does the magnifier need to be moved from room to room frequently? Can the student carry the magnifier or will a member of staff need to be responsible for it?

Peripherals: What accessories are necessary? Will the student need to view the magnified image via a PC or Laptop?

Note that these are findings based on usage in the BRITE Centre and not the result of a formal controlled study. Also note that there may be other products and suppliers you might like to try .

MyReader

New to the market, MyReader is very different from previous and existing magnification systems. Rather than transmitting a magnified image from a camera to a screen, the device captures the text and reformats it into a column of text. This text can be presented in the student’s preferred size and colour as you would expect. The text can be set to automatically scroll up the screen at a comfortable speed. This allows the student to focus on reading, rather than manoeuvring an x-y table and trying to find his or her place in the document. It is also particularly beneficial for students who don’t like the constant movement back and forth along the lines with conventional CCTVs.

The controls are intuitive, clearly labelled with large print and chunky with good contrast. The screen is 15 inches, although it is optional, if a student prefers, the unit can be attached to another monitor. The monitor can be positioned at a level comfortable for the student. Overall, the design is neat and modern.

• Context: MyReader’s greatest potential is for students who have a lot of reading to get through. It can also be used as a regular CCTV and there is plenty of space under the camera and screen for handwriting and close work.
• Portability: MyReader folds down into a more portable unit, complete with integrated carry handle. The folding mechanism requires good dexterity and is quite stiff although may loosen with repeated use. This protects the screen and allows for safe transport. At 22lb/10kg it would be too heavy for many students and it would certainly be not be suitable to be carried with the student all day. Humanware have however just launched 2 myReader carry cases, one of which is a protective hard case with wheels.
• Use it with: Designed to be used as a stand-alone product. There is a video input cable which means that the system could be used with a distance magnifier. It comes with its own flat screen, however it is possible to purchase the system without a screen and use a standard PC monitor instead. Not only does this reduce the price, but it also means that – as the flat screen monitor is responsible for most of the weight - the unit is much lighter and therefore more portable.

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PocketViewer

The PocketViewer is a simple digital magnifier with a compact flat screen. It is easy to use, switch it on then hold it over the text to be read. A small camera at one end transmits the image on to the display screen where it is magnified. Designed to be carried around and useful for reading small amounts of text, it comes with a chargeable battery.

Text or objects seen through the Pocket Viewer appear 7 times bigger. The level of magnification is not adjustable; to see more, smaller text on the screen, lift the PocketViewer away from the text. There are 3 different viewing options: full colour, black text on a white background, or white text on a black background. Control buttons are clear and chunky.

• Context: The PocketViewer is useful for reading small amounts of text spontaneously. The viewing screen is 4" x 3". It can also be used when writing by hand. There is a folding stand to prop the magnifier up while the student writes with a pen.
• Portability: The PocketViewer is primarily intended to be carried around. At 0.7lbs/300 grams it is small and lightweight and comes with a case to protect it. When fully charged the battery gives 2 hours of continuous operating time. A full recharge takes 3 hours.
• Use it with: This is an entirely ‘stand alone’ product.
  

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Sentry Magnifier

Tieman's Sentry is a desktop colour magnification system (CCTV) that can be used either for performing tasks carried out by hand or to view activities at a distance using a tilt and swivel camera head (the arm to which the camera is attached is not opposable).

The Sentry can achieve up to x 30 magnification and the image is very clear and sharp. There is an additional focus button to sharpen the image further (particularly if the level of magnification has just been changed adjusted).

The magnified image can be viewed in a variety of text/background colour combinations. There is no split-screen facility in this model to allow the student to view the magnified image and computer desktop simultaneously, e.g. to take notes from a text or presentation. However a split screen model is now available.

•  Context: Can be used to view tasks at the student's desk or pointed towards an area of the classroom to be looked at.

•  Portability: While the Sentry is mobile in a sense it isn't particularly portable, in the sense that it could be carried around by a student and easily transferred from home to college. It is rather large and requires a bit of setting up. It would be most suitable when in a classroom that the student used day-to-day or in a lecture theatre.

•  Use it with: A PC or laptop monitor. An XY table is supplied separately at additional cost

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***Available from the BRITE Equipment Loan Bank***

KeyTools Digital Magnifier

The KeyTools Digital Magnifier is a lightweight and portable camera positioned on an opposable arm. It does not take up much desk space or require a clamp and features a very discrete design.

The image feeds into a PC monitor and has the usual features of colour, black/white and inverse video. There is no auto-focus feature; instead the student would use the focus dial on the camera head.

Setting up is quick and fairly simple. It connects via scart cables; one from magnifier to PC monitor and one from PC to magnifier. The on-screen image is easily alternated via button on the magnifier or remote control. The arm and camera head are easily adjusted. There are 4 red dots of light projected onto desk to show where to place objects for magnification, which may not be noticeable to many people with a visual impairment. As with similar products, it doesn't come with an XY table.

•  Context: Can be used to view tasks at the student's desk or pointed towards an area of the classroom to be looked at, however, it struggles with relatively long distances, especially if lighting isn't very good. No split screen option.

•  Portability: Very lightweight and portable. It comes with a discrete carry case.

•  Use it with: A PC (NB not laptop) monitor. As the PC monitor gets all its input signals via the magnifier, the magnifier has to be on all the time when using the PC

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VisAble Video Telescope

This Video Telescope looks similar to a digital video camera. It can be hand-held and positioned at the student's eye for direct viewing. Alternatively, it can be fitted to a camera stand and pointed at the front of the classroom or slotted into a ‘pod' to create a CCTV set-up (note that a XY table is not supplied).

It can magnify up to x 20 and images can be viewed in full colour or as inverse black and white. A nice touch is that an image can be ‘frozen' to allow the student to access an image after the lecturer has moved on. This frozen image can then be pasted directly into a word document or saved as an image file. Handy for those students who find taking notes tricky.

Why not just use a mainstream digital camera? When asked, the developers, Betacom, responded that while the image as it appears on a monitor might be just as good using a (cheaper) mainstream product, the resolution through the viewer is poor on these products (about ¼ of the quality of a TV) and they felt that it was really important that a user could just hold the magnifier up to his or her eye for speedy access.

•  Context: Can be used to view items on the student's desk or presentations/white boards.

•  Portability: Very portable. Lightweight and battery power for 6-8 hours.

•  Use it with: Can be held up to the eye for direct access to magnified images, or viewed via a LCD screen/laptop. The VisAble Pod attached to a monitor creates a fixed CCTV set-up (XY table not provided).

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***Available from the BRITE equipment loan bank***

Tieman Traveller electronic portable magnifier

The Traveller is specifically designed for portability. It can be battery powered for up to two hours of continuous use or powered by a cable and has its own adjustable screen. It is very compact and lightweight and comes with a neat carrying case.

The screen features a full colour photo mode and two high contrast text modes, giving a range of viewing options for looking at photographs, print or handwriting. The buttons to adjust the magnification level and viewing mode are very simple to use. The magnification range is from 4.5 to 16 times. The design is very sleek and the quality of the integrated LCD screen is very good.

•  Context: Ideal for students on the move. Suitable for accessing documents and performing writing tasks on the student's desk. Cannot be used to view at a distance.

•  Portability: Very lightweight and portable (800 grams). It comes with a discrete carry case.

•  Use it with: Mostly, this unit will just be used on its own, but for more magnification the Traveller has a socket for connection to an NTSC television, or the option for an NTSC-PAL converter.

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***Available from the BRITE equipment loan bank***

Evaluation Summary

As you compare these reviews, you might notice a portability versus image-quality ‘trade-off'. You will need to decide with students the priorities for their learning contexts. Here is an at-a-glance guide to the particular strengths of the digital magnifiers featured here:

Other ideas

Remember that content displayed on interactive whiteboards can be viewed simultaneously on a laptop. This may be useful for students who cannot see the whiteboard clearly. Content can also be saved digitally which relieves some of the pressure of note taking from the student.

BRITE Equipment Loan Bank

The following products are available from the BRITE EqLB. Please contact us for information on how to access this service.

Sentry Magnifier

Visable Video Telescope and Pod

Tieman Traveller

QuickLook pocket magnifier

Prisma Magnifier

ColourCombi

Mimio portable whiteboard capture device

Photographs of the Digital Magnifier, Sentry and VisAble VT reproduced with permission from the suppliers. All other images: Cactus ID.