If you are blind and have multiple computers, and especially if you live on the edge and don't have a monitor hooked up to one of those computers, having a capture card really is a game changer.
I have a cheap one that I need to replace. But even with that cheap one, I was just able to call Aira from my laptop and select the capture card as my video device, rather than my camera.
Then, I hooked the capture card up to a mini PC that needed an OS reinstall, and the Aira agent was able to read the display output in real time.
From that point, it took us about 30 seconds to get into the boot menu of the mini PC and select the USB drive.
Even without account for Aira, having a way to reliably capture the output of a computer is infinitely useful. All you need is an app that can take a picture or video from that device and interpret it as-needed. That could be an OCR reader, an AI describer like Be My Eyes, or a calling app so you can ask a friend to look at it.
It certainly beats needing to position the camera in front of a screen, and in the case of the mini PC, it saves me from having to set up a screen in the first place.
@simon I definitely need one of those.
@FreakyFwoof @simon you are not the only one. I wouldn't know what to get, but I do need to get something like that it sounds like.
@simon I need me one of those.
@simon now that is just slick! I don't actually have one of those at all, but it sounds like I should look into getting one of those, as something like that could be very useful. I wouldn't have any idea at all what to get, but something to look into.
@simon :) I have not yet found a reliable solution for a non-mini PC to do something similar. I thought I did when I discovered wireless HDMI is a thing and you can send your PC's screen upstairs to, say, the tv downstairs, but for some reason those kinds of devices generally don't come on until after UEFI
@simon Is there a way to get signal qr codes on a computer that doesn't have a monitor? I don't want to buy one just for this use case.
@simon I’ve heard a lot about capture cards but haven’t used one. What is the price range, and is there a certain brand of them you recommend? I actually have a mini PC that has a monitor, but obviously I don’t keep it plugged in because I’m not using it.
@simon like it. Then either have a separate keyboard for the other machine or use a KVM switch?
@aiden_gardiner Yep. I have a mechanical keyboard that links with multiple devices, and a USB switcher to extend that further. One keyboard to rule them all.
@simon how does it work on the physical side of things? Plug the capture card into one machine then connect it to the one you're using with HDMI or display depending on setup?
@aiden_gardiner Yeah, exactly. The USB side goes into a computer that's already booted into an OS. It shows up as a video capture device, which is the same category as a webcam. Then the HDMI side goes into whatever computer I need to view, in this case the server I want to install Linux on.
@simon I'd be interested in a recommendation of one or an amazon link so I know what I'm looking for