Hi
Version 2.3 of the iTunes scripts for jaws is now available.
As well as a few minor tweaks, the support is really for obtaining
Podcasts
and managing them. Below you will find the relevant chapter of the manual
relating to this, however if you do not want to use Podcasts or the radio
stations, there is really no need to update at this stage. If there are
any
difficulties with the Podcast or radio functionality, please do not raise
these on the list, but rather send a message to
Brian.hartgen@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Where the issue will be dealt with in due course.
Thank you.
PART 4: PODCASTS AND RADIO STATIONS
PODCASTS
Put simply, a Podcast is a high quality audio file, usually in MP3 format,
which is prepared for download from the Internet. Podcasts are usually
short programmes which can contain speech or music on a variety of subject
matter. Authors of Podcasts seem to update them regularly.
iTunes allows you to have Podcasts downloaded directly to your computer.
First you need to "subscribe" to a Podcast, which theoretically can be
achieved manually or by browsing the iTunes Podcast directory. If you add
a
Podcast manually, the author will let you have a "feed" (or web address)
for
the Podcast. Ideally since these are rather long, this should be copied
to
the Windows clipboard in preparation for pasting into iTunes when you add
the Podcast to your subscription list. This release of the scripts only
supports adding Podcasts manually.
Adding a Podcast Manually
1. From the Internet, locate the details of a Podcast feed and copy it
to the Windows clipboard.
2. When focused upon iTunes, press "ALT+A" to invoke the "Advanced"
menu item.
3. Use "DOWN" arrow twice until you reach the "Subscribe to Podcast"
menu item and press "ENTER".
4. Paste the Podcast "feed" directly into the Edit Field. JAWS will
say the word "pasted"
5. Press "ENTER" to add the Podcast.
Reviewing Podcasts
To review the list of Podcasts you have available:
1. Press the "Library Key" to move directly to the "iTunes Library".
2. Press "DOWN ARROW" once to reach the "Podcasts" option.
3. Press "TAB" twice to reach the list of Podcasts.
4. Use the "UP/DOWN ARROW" keys to review the list of Podcasts. If
only one item in the list exists, using the "INSERT+UP ARROW" ("Say Line"
command) will be necessary.
What You Can Do With a Podcast When You Have Located It
Downloading Podcasts
Within the "Preferences" Dialogue Box of iTunes, within the "Podcasts"
Property Sheet, you can specify:
The frequency at which iTunes should check for a new episode of the
Podcast,
for example every hour or not at all;
Whether new episodes should be downloaded automatically. If you intend to
be subscribed to Podcasts where episodes are issued on a very frequent
basis, we suggest that you select the "Do Nothing" option, so that you
have
full control over which episodes are downloaded to your computer. If you
have a Broadband internet connection, you may like to select the option
which allows iTunes to check for new episodes of the Podcast
automatically.
When you have used the "ARROW" keys to locate a Podcast name, you need to
expand it in order to view the episode titles which have either been
downloaded to your computer or which are available to be downloaded from
the
Internet. To do this, press "ITUNES MODIFIER+6". JAWS will say the word
"Expanded".
Use the "UP/DOWN ARROW" keys to move through the episodes. If JAWS
announces only the name and details of the episode, you have already
downloaded this to your computer. If however the Podcast has not been
previously downloaded, JAWS will say the words "not downloaded" after the
details of the Podcast.
In order to download an episode to your computer, when focused upon the
relevant episode press "ITUNES MODIFIER+7". iTunes will then download the
episode.
The previously mentioned "Updater Key", ("GRAVE ACCENT"), can be pressed
to
advise you of the download progress.
However the likelihood is that, given the fact Podcast files are quite
large
in size, you will want to place focus away from iTunes and use another
application. When you place focus back upon the iTunes program with
"ALT+TAB", JAWS will check to see if a Podcast is still downloading or if
it
has been downloaded. If so, you will be advised of this information.
To close a list of episodes relating to a Podcast, you need to press
"ITUNES
MODIFIER+6" when at the top of the Podcast, in other words, the actual
name
of the Podcast feed. You will remember that this key is also used to
expand
the Podcast tree to reveal new episodes therein.
If you press this key and you are not at the head of the Podcast to be
collapsed, JAWS will advise you of this. However, if you are at the head
of
the Podcast, and "ITUNES MODIFIER+6" is pressed, JAWS will always advise
you
whether the Podcast is "expanded" or "collapsed".
Playing Back a Downloaded Podcast
As you would expect from working through earlier sections of this manual,
pressing "ENTER" on the name of a Podcast will begin the playback. Any of
the other keys to control the playback functionality will work as you
would
expect when a Podcast is playing. A Podcast will not play until it has
been
downloaded to your computer, including audio scanning. Please refer to
the
section on Podcast downloads within this manual.
Unsubscribing from a Podcast
To unsubscribe from a Podcast, simply select it from the list of Podcasts
and press "ITUNES MODIFIER+8". You must be at the top of the Podcast in
order to unsubscribe. Finally, press the "DELETE" key.
Updating Podcasts Manually
This option is only necessary if you have set iTunes never to check for
updates to a Podcast.
To check for updates manually:
1. Select the Podcast by navigating to it from the Podcasts list.
2. Press "SHIFT+F10" to invoke the Context Menu for the Podcast.
3. Use "DOWN ARROW" to reach the "Update Podcast" item if it is not
already in focus.
4. Press "ENTER" to update the Podcast.
RADIO STATIONS
iTunes allows you to browse through a variety of radio stations by genre,
and then select a radio station within the category of your choice. You
must have an internet connection to take advantage of this functionality.
To access radio stations:
1. Press the "Library Key".
2. Press the letter "R" until you reach "Radio Stations".
3. Press "TAB" once, and arrow through the list of categories.
4. When you reach a category you would like to expand to reveal radio
stations for the genre, press "ITUNES MODIFIER+5".
5. Depending upon your internet connection speed, within a few seconds
the list of radio stations will be expanded. JAWS will announce the name
of
the category together with the total number of streams in the category.
Use
the arrow keys to explore the list. You will hear the name of the radio
station and the sampling rate. If you know about sampling rates, you will
be able to determine what the quality of the broadcast will be like.
6. Press "ENTER" to listen to a radio station. There will be a pause
while the radio station is located, and some radio stations may not work
at
all due to the time they are broadcasting.
7. Press "SPACE BAR" to stop the radio station playing. The volume can
be adjusted independent of the screen-reader in the way you would usually
adjust the playback volume.
To close a list of radio stations:
1. Arrow to the category you wish to close.
2. Press "ITUNES MODIFIER+5". JAWS will confirm that the category has
been collapsed.
If you arrow to the name of a radio station rather than the category name
and try to close it, JAWS will advise you that the category list cannot be
closed and to use the arrow keys to move to the name of a category.
To post a message, send your e-mail to
blindipod@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
To contact the List Owner, Brian Hartgen:
E-MAIL: brian@xxxxxxxxxxx
MSN: brian@xxxxxxxxxxx
SKYPE: brianhartgen
If you want to unsubscribe from this list, please send a message to:
blindipod-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
with the word
unsubscribe
in the subject line.
