Hi Jenny, Jenny Kennedy (Howard) wrote:
> > Hi guys, > I was listening to a podcast episode of the assistive technology show > and the thing being talked about were audiobooks and where to find > them. > I have access to audible and NLS not bookshare though. I have known > about overdrive audiobooks for two years but haven't listened to any > sense getting my Mac because at that time they weren't playable. > > Well on the podcast it was said that overdrive offers Mp3 audiobooks > and some of these are useable with the mac. You can read the list archives for November 2008 for some discussion of using OverDrive on the Mac to read downloadable audiobooks from your public library. I'll post a link to that discussion at the end of my message, but here are some general notes on what I've found to be the easiest way to navigate and find books at most sites. You may find it easier to use DOM mode for navigating the OverDrive pages. • You can check whether your library offers OverDrive from the OverDrive media locator search page: http://search.overdrive.com/ Use item chooser menu and look for "Search libraries". In the U.S. and Canada it is easiest to search by zip code. You can also search libraries by name and then VO-Space on the links for country and then by state or other region. I think UK participation with OverDrive is restricted to downloadable ebooks, which are DRM-locked and not accessible, but places like Australia and New Zealand might carry audiobooks. • Download the software from: http://overdrive.com/software/omc at the link for "Download OverDrive Media Console" • At your library page use the links chooser menu to navigate to the "Advanced Search" menu for digital media. You can run searches from that page. Set the popup button for format to "OverDrive MP3 Audiobook" I set the results per page popup button to the maximum of "25" to minimize the number of pages I need to check. You can check the box to "Only show titles with copies available" to display titles currently available for checkout. After you run the search, you can use item chooser menu to navigate to "Search results:" Make sure you select the MP3 version of an available title before you add to cart. You can VO-right to hear the options for playing, burning, etc. • When you try to check out, you'll be prompted to enter your library card number. You can also select the "My Account" link on the results page to log in. Books that you've checked out show up in "My Bookshelf". Books that you've requested that are not yet available show up in "My Holds". On the "My Bookshelf" page there is a "Download" button for each digital book you've checked out. Pressing (VO-space) this button will download your temporary subscription license for the book as a file with the title name and a ".odm" extension (shows up as an OverDrive Media document when you QuickLook it). Double-click this file to launch the OverDrive Media Console. You can run this, and the player (OverDrive Media Explorer) with shortcut keys: Command-P to play, Command-T to transfer to iPod, Command-B to burn to CD (if this is allowed); and similarly there are shortcut keys for navigation, playback speed and bookmarking in the Explorer playing window (listed on the menu bar). You might want to set up preferences (Command-P) so that playback always resumes at the farthest played position, instead of at the beginning of the book. • You can transfer the OverDrive mp3 audiobook tracks to your iPod and play them; if they are transferred an iPod with speech enabled, like the Nano 4G, they will be announced. • I've heard that you can play the DRM-protected WMA audiobooks if you run their Windows software on a Virtual Machine. (These will only play on the computer or on a player that is certified to handle downloadable WMA DRM -- note that this is a separate, more restrictive category than devices that handle regular WMA DRM or subscription WMA DRM, and you also have to have the necessary software updates to player that will allow this to be used.) • OverDrive developed support for the mp3 formats to supplement the WMA files so that downloadable audiobook files sold through sources like Borders and W.H. Smith could be played on portable players, according to this Teleread article: http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/11/18/mac-owners-overdrive-media-console-version-released-for-library-audiobooks/ Most of this post is modified from off-list email exchanges, but I think there may be a few more points covered in the discussion thread. Use Control-N (with Safari) to read down to the next post in the thread and Control-P to back up to the previous post. I'm starting at the beginning of the thread: http://www.mail-archive.com/discuss%40macvisionaries.com/msg46099.html (Fwd: MacDailyNews - Mac software introduced for digital audiobook downloads from public libraries) HTH Cheers, Esther --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MacVisionaries" group. 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