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Home > Reference > Factsheets > Digital Audiobook Players

NLS Factsheets

Digital Audiobook Players

April 2007

Introduction

In 2008 the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS), Library of Congress, will begin to distribute digital talking books (DTBs) and digital talking-book machines that will gradually replace the analog audiocassette books and audiocassette machines used today. While NLS moves forward with its digital talking-book program, many forms of audiobooks in a variety of digital formats are also emerging. To accommodate these books, an assortment of players has become available.

This factsheet describes the following:

• specialized audiobook players designed for use by blind or visually impaired individuals
• selected commercial off-the-shelf audiobook players with features that make them usable by blind or visually impaired individuals
• software programs that may be installed on a standard computer to enable users to play audiobooks without an additional device

This factsheet provides basic information about each product together with contact information. Contact each supplier to determine additional features of the players. The capabilities and supported formats of players change frequently. Therefore, features such as search functions, note-taking capability, and variable playback speeds should be verified at the time of purchase. Please note that supported versions of the DAISY audiobook format vary among products, and books produced using later versions of the DAISY format will not play on all products.

In 2002, a NISO digital talking-book standard was approved and adopted as American National Standard ANSI/NISO Z39.86 (2002), "Specifications for the Digital Talking Book." Digital talking books and digital talking-book players under development by NLS will be compliant with the standard, but this factsheet does not address the standard in relation to the players listed.

Audiobook formats covered in this factsheet include Audible, DAISY, MP3, text, and Windows Media Audio (WMA). The medium for each can be CD, CompactFlash, or Secure Digital memory card, or a computer hard drive. A brief description of the formats and the media is provided in the glossary.

Disclaimer

Items listed in this factsheet are not part of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped program. Their listing does not imply endorsement and they may not be compatible with the digital talking book that is under development by NLS. Prices are subject to frequent change and should be verified with the supplier before ordering.

Contents

• Glossary
• Specialized Audiobook Players
• Selected Commercial Audiobook Players
• Selected Audiobook Software Players
• Addresses of Sources
• Selected Bibliography

Glossary

ANSI/NISO Z39.86 (2002)

See NISO.

Audible

Proprietary compressed audio file format tailored for human voices. Developed by Audible.com.

CD

Compact disc.

CompactFlash memory card

A small card that uses flash memory to store data and is used by such devices as digital cameras, music players, and some audiobook players.

DAISY (Digital Accessible Information System)

A set of standards and software developed by the international DAISY Consortium for recording digital talking books designed specifically for people who are unable to read standard print.

Earbuds

Small listening devices that fit in the ear canal. Earbuds may have one earpiece or two for stereo sound reproduction.

Earphones

Listening devices usually consisting of two small speakers connected by wires and designed to fit over the head or under the chin. The speakers fit at the opening to the ear canal, and allow for listening to audio in stereo.

Flash memory

A type of nonvolatile memory that can be erased and rewritten.

Keypad

A keyboard, usually with no more than three or four numbered keys in each row.

Macintosh

Computer created by Apple Computer, Inc.

MP3

MPEG-1 Audio Layer-3. Compression scheme used to encode audio files.

NISO

A digital talking-book standard created under the umbrella of the National Information Standards Organization (NISO) and approved as an American National Standard by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). It is entitled “Specifications for the Talking Book.”

Secure Digital (SD) memory card

A small card that uses flash memory and is used by devices such as digital cameras, music players, and some audiobook players.

WMA (Windows Media Audio)

Multimedia file or streaming audio format created by Microsoft Corporation and used to download and play files.

Windows

Computer operating system created by Microsoft Corporation.

Specialized Audiobook Players

Selected Commercial Audiobook Players

Selected Audiobook Software Players

Addresses of Sources

American Printing House for the Blind (APH)
1839 Frankfort Avenue
Louisville, KY 40206
(502) 895-2405
800-223-2274
(502) 899-2274 fax
cs@aph.org
www.aph.org/

AMIS (Adaptive Multimedia Information System)
info@amisproject.org
marisademeglio@users.sourceforge.net
http://dsidtb.sourceforge.net

Audiofy Corporation
3502 Scotts Lane, Building 12
Philadelphia, PA 19129
(215) 848-8000
866-472-8346
(215) 790-6200 fax
support@audiofy.com
www.audiofy.com

Beyond Sight, Inc.
5650 South Windermere Street
Littleton, CO 80120
(303) 795-6455
(303) 795-6425 fax
info@beyondsight.com
www.beyondsight.com

CAST (formerly Center For Applied Speech Technology)
40 Harvard Mills Square, Suite 3
Wakefield, MA 01880-3233
(781) 245-2212
888-858-9994, ext. 273
(781) 245-5212 fax
cast@cast.org
www.cast.org

Creative Labs
1901 McCarthy Boulevard
Milpitas, CA 95035
(408) 428-6600
800-998-1000
(408) 428-6611 fax
http://us.creative.com/

Dolphin Audio Publishing
60 East Third Avenue, Suite 301
San Mateo, CA 94401
(650) 348-7401
866-797-5921
(650) 348-7403 fax
info@dolphinusa.com
www.yourdolphin.com

EnableMart
4210 East 4th Plain Boulevard
Vancouver, WA 98661
(360) 695-4155
888-640-1999
(360) 695-4133 fax
sales@enablemart.com
www.enablemart.com

Findaway
23 Bell Street
Chagrin Falls, OH 44022
(440) 893-0808
877-893-0808
(440) 893-0809 fax
www.playawaydigital.com

Freedom Scientific
11800 31st Court North
St. Petersburg, FL 33716
(727) 803-8000
800-444-4443
(727) 803-8001 fax
www.freedomscientific.com

gh, LLC
1305 Cumberland Avenue
West Lafayette, IN 47906
(765) 775-3776
866-693-3687 (866- MY-3-DOTS)
(765) 775-2501 fax
sales@ghbraille.com
www.ghbraille.com/

HumanWare
175 Mason Circle
Concord, CA 94520
(925) 680-7100
800-722-3393
(925) 681-4630 fax
us.info@humanware.com
www.humanware.com

Independent Living Aids, Inc.
P. O. Box 9022
Hicksville, NY 11802-9022
(516) 937-1848
800-537-2118
(516) 937-3906 fax
can-do@independentliving.com
www.independentliving.com

Innovative Rehabilitation Technology, Inc. (IRTI)
13465 Colfax Highway
Grass Valley, CA 95945
(530) 274-2090
800-322-4784
(530) 274-2093 fax
info@irti.net
www.irti.net

Kurzweil Educational Systems, Inc.
100 Crosby Drive
Bedford, MA 01730-1402
(781) 276-0600
800-894-5374
(781) 276-0650 fax
info@kurzweiledu.com or
sales@kurzweiledu.com or
technology@kurzweiltech.com
www.kurzweiledu.com/

Levelstar, Inc.
1500 Cherry Street, Suite D
Louisville, CO 80027
(303) 926-4334
800-315-2305
(303) 926-1787 fax
info@levelstar.com
www.levelstar.com

MaxiAids, Inc.
42 Executive Boulevard
Farmingdale, NY 11735
(631) 752-0521
800-522-6294
(631) 752-0689 fax
sales@maxiaides.com
www.maxiaids.com

Plextor Co., Ltd.
48383 Fremont Boulevard, Suite 120
Fremont, CA 94538
(510) 440-2000
(510) 651-9755 fax
sales@plextalk.com
www.plextor.com

Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic (RFB&D)
20 Roszel Road
Princeton, NJ 08540
800-221-4792
custserv@rfbd.org
www.rfbd.org
Plextalk reseller to RFB&D members only

Soulmate Audiobooks, Inc.
1704 Eaton Drive
Grand Haven, MI 49417
(616) 846-5256
800-854-7959
help@soulmateaudio.com
www.soulmateaudio.com

Springer Design, Inc.
3160 Crow Canyon Place, Suite 145
San Ramon, CA 94583
(925) 242-0310
(925) 242-0357 fax
sales@bookcourier.com
www.bookcourier.com

Technologies for the Visually Impaired
9 Nolan Court
Hauppauge, NY 11788
(631) 724-4479 voice and fax
866-689-5672
contact@tvi-web.com
www.tvi-web.com/

Telex Communications, Inc.
Customer Services–Special Needs
12000 Portland Avenue South
Burnsville, MN 55337
(952) 884-4051
800-828-6107, ext. 7498
(952) 887-5595 fax
info@telex.com
www.telex.com

Selected Bibliography

2006 Accessworld guide to assistive technology products. New York: AFB Press, 2006. 229p. Large print. $24.95.

Andrews, David. Which DAISY digital talking-book player is right for you? Proceedings of the Center On Disabilities, Technology and Persons With Disabilities Conference, California State University at Northridge (CSUN), 2006. Northridge, CA: 2006. Online at www.csun.edu/cod/conf/2006/proceedings/2812.htm.

Andrews, David. Reviews and comparisons of DAISY digital talking-book players. St. Paul: Minnesota State Services for the Blind, 2004. 46p.

Bernstein, Neil. Flash-memory distribution of digital talking books. Washington: National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress, 2005. 8p. Free. [booklet]. Also available online at www.loc.gov/nls/technical/flashdistribution.html.

Chevelier, Gerry. Digital talking books–life after the CD. Proceedings of the Center On Disabilities, Technology and Persons With Disabilities Conference, California State University at Northridge (CSUN), 2006. Northridge, CA: 2006. Online at www.csun.edu/cod/conf/2006/proceedings/2757.htm.

Crabb, Nolan. Now you can take your reader everywhere! Dialogue, v. 42, winter 2003: 71–76.

E-Book Crossroads. E-book readers and handheld reading devices. Retrieved Aug. 18, 2005. www.ebookcrossroads.com/ebook-readers.html.

Hodges, Brad. Consumer electronics: crisis at the big box store, part 3. Braille monitor, v. 48, June 2005: 396–407.

Kendrick, Deborah. Marking the road to MP3 player accessibility: a review of the Milestone 311, product evaluation. AccessWorld, v. 7, Sept. 2006. Retrieved Aug. 28, 2006. www.afb.org/afbpress/pub.asp?DocID=aw070505.

Kendrick, Deborah. On the move with MuVo, product evaluation.
AccessWorld, v. 6, Jan. 2005. Retrieved Aug. 16, 2005. www.afb.org/afbpress/pub.asp?DocID=aw060108.

Kendrick, Deborah. Read all day with Playaway, product evaluation. AccessWorld, v. 7, July 2006. Retrieved Aug. 31, 2006. www.afb.org/afbpress/pub.asp?DocID=aw070409.

Leventhal, Jay. A library in your hand: a review of the Book Port and the BookCourier. AccessWorld, v. 5, July 2004. Retrieved Aug. 18, 2006. www.afb.org/afbpress/pub.asp?DocID=aw050407.

Leventhal, Jay, and Janina Sajka. Read me, read me not: a review of four DAISY books players. AccessWorld, v. 5, Jan. 2004. Retrieved Aug. 18, 2006. www.afb.org/afbpress/pub.asp?DocID=aw050104.

Leventhal, Jay, and Janina Sajka. A rosy future for DAISY books. AccessWorld, v. 5, Jan 2004. Retrieved Aug. 18, 2006. www.afb.org/afbpress/pub.asp?DocID=aw050103.

Library of Congress. National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. Current strategic business plan for the implementation of digital systems. Washington, DC. 2006. 57p. Available online at www.loc.gov/nls/businessplan/index.html.

Library of Congress. National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. Frequently asked questions: digital talking books. Washington. 10p. Free. [brochure]. Available online at www.loc.gov/nls/dtbfaq.html.

Library of Congress. National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. Washington. NLS flash. Monthly. Free. Available online at www.loc.gov/nls/newsletters/flash/index.html.

Library of Congress. National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. Reference Section. Facts: selected sources for electronic texts. Compiled by Carol Strauss and Judy Dixon. Washington, 2003. 8p. Free. Available online at www.loc.gov/nls/reference/factsheets/etexts.html; also available on audiocassette upon request from the Reference Section.

National Federation of the Blind. Technology resource list: digital and e-book resources. Retrieved May 3, 2007. Available online at http://www.nfb.org/nfb/Technology_Resource_List_1.asp?SnID=646604117.

NIMAS Development and Technical Assistance Center. Digital talking books. Retrieved May19, 2006. Available online at http://nimas.cast.org/about/resources/dtb.html.

Taylor, John M. Serving blind readers in a digital age. American libraries, v. 35, Dec. 2004: 49–51.

Worsfold, John. DAISY accessibility for the masses using EaseReader. Proceedings of the Center On Disabilities, Technology and Persons With Disabilities Conference, California State University at Northridge (CSUN), 2006. Northridge, CA: 2006. Online at http://www.csun.edu/cod/conf/2006/proceedings/2692.htm.

Reference Section
2007

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Posted on 2007-06-21