[Athen] RFB&D Downloadable AudioPlus DAISY books

Robert Beach rbeach at kckcc.edu
Mon Apr 27 17:56:07 PDT 2009


I think there's a bit of confusion here. RFB&D offers two products now, the Audio Plus version of the book which is the DAISY format, and the other is the Windows Media MP3 format.

The Windows Media format has always been a download option, not a CD option. It does not have the full navigation capabilities of the DAISY format. It is also the one that requires the MP3 players with very specific specs. It is also the one that allows for downloading parts of the book rather than the whole book if desired. This option has been available for around a year now and I believe it is the one Sandra is refering to.

The announcement that Sam posted refers to the AudioPlus option, which has always been on CD in the past. Now, RFB&D allows members to download the DAISY format rather than waiting for the books to come on CD through the mail.

So, in summary, RFB&D now gives three options: 1) DAISY books on CD through the mail, 2) DAISY books downloaded from their site, and 3) Windows Media MP3 files of the book downloaded from their site.

I do question the statement that they are the first to offer downloads of full-audio DAISY content. NLS has been offering this for some time now. Granted, it has been called a pilot project, but it has been open to any NLS member who wishes to participate. The "Pilot" phase ends on Tuesday of this week and the full public version goes live on Thursday.

Hope this helps clear up some confusion.



Robert Lee Beach
Assistive Technology Specialist
Kansas City Kansas Community College
7250 State Avenue
Kansas City, KS 66112
Phone: (913) 288-7671
Fax: (913) 288-7678
E-mail: rbeach at kckcc.edu

>>> "Sandra Sanders" <SandraS at usca.edu> 04/27/09 2:26 PM >>>

USC Aiken has been using RFB&D's AudioPlus download service since we
helped pilot the program last summer. Beginning last fall, only a
partial list of their books was offered in the downloadable format, but
now the entire catalog is available. Downloading instead of ordering by
mail is quite convenient time-wise, but beware of a few catches.
Choosing an MP3 player that will handle the encrypted files is a little
tricky. The player must support: Windows Media version 10 or higher;
playback of subscription-based protected Windows Media content; and
playback of audio at a bit rate of 32 kbps. Biggest drawback -- RFB&D
books cannot be used on an iPOD! Also, be sure of where you want the
book to be accessed; once you download a book and log in to license it,
the book cannot be transferred to another computer. You have the
ability to sync the computer with a single player multiple times, but
you are not able to move the book to another computer. In other words,
if you download the book to a computer in your DS lab, you cannot then
transfer the book to the student's laptop.

I am happy to offer assistance based on my experiences; feel free to
email off-list or give me a call.


Sandra Eargle Sanders
Assistive Technology Center Supervisor
Counseling Center and Disability Services
University of South Carolina Aiken
471 University Parkway, Box 15
Aiken, SC 29801
Tel: 803-641-3609 Fax: 803-641-3677 TTY: 803-643-6818
Email: sandras at usca.edu <mailto:sandras at usca.edu> Web: www.usca.edu/cc
<http://www.usca.edu/cc>










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