Dr Ralph Holme, biomedical research manager at the RNID, the charity for deaf and hard-of-hearing people, welcomed the research.

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Just press and hold a button on the remote control and the My Beam function will instantly "beam" the sound in your direction -- useful for the hard-of-hearing or late-night movie fests while the rest of the household slumbers.

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He told BBC News the 92-year old was "almost completely blind and hard of hearing" but still loved "a good joke and a glass of wine".

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Wendy Callaghan, a mum-of-two from Bedwas, is one of 500, 000 deaf or hard of hearing people in Wales.

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