Hi, gglad to hear this. The unit could, and probablyshould, be made as wide ranging as possible. It should be relatively asy to get it working with the audio from tv on demand from various services, audio and text books as you say, etc. But saying all that, it becomes quite similar to the Victor Stream and/or Maestro, just with the internet radio/tv added. Sounds to me like a collaboration might actually be in order here.
Cheers Dave -------------------------------------------------- From: "Jamie Cuthbertson" <jamie.cuthbertson@xxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Saturday, March 29, 2008 4:52 PM To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Subject: [access-uk] Re: Orion Webbox review - clarification
Dave,Spot on. This is certainly one of the issues that will be discussed in the forthcoming debate. TTS would also potentially make it feasible to downloadelectronic text files and read them on the local device. Regards, Jamie -----Original Message-----From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf OfDave Taylor Sent: 28 March 2008 23:08 To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [access-uk] Re: Orion Webbox review - clarification Hi, well, I hope all parts of RNIB have input into this. I can't imagine them not prefering to put a TTS system into the product if product development are involved. Then it's simply a case of updating the menu structure and providing regular updates to it which can be downloaded and installed regularly, but i'm sure there must be an exixting internet radio portal they could use for that side of it. Cheers Dave -------------------------------------------------- From: "Jamie Cuthbertson" <jamie.cuthbertson@xxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Friday, March 28, 2008 5:20 PM To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Subject: [access-uk] Orion Webbox review - clarificationHi list,I read Jackie's review of the Orion Webbox with interest and would like toclarify a little of the detail. First a bit of background to explain mylink with the Orion Webbox. I apologise in advance for the length of thisposting. Last year I was asked to run a trial of the Orion Webbox on RNIB's behalf and this started around April/May. We trialled the unit with around 90 participants, living mainly in the Glasgow and Gloucestershire areas. A thorough evaluation of the system was conducted in October. The evaluation report was finished earlier this year.For the purposes of the trial, RNIB made available a selection of internetradio stations, talking books, magazines and newspapers and podcasts, on each of the playlists. This playlist is different from, though similar to, that offered by Sound Talking. Although the official trial period is over, some of our trialists still have their webboxes and can access the playlist that was provided.As yet, however, there has been no decision taken about how long this willbe the case. For clarification, in Jackie's article, she says "In addition, both RNIB and Calibre have included talking books which they say they will update at regular intervals."I cannot comment on behalf of Calibre, however, I think it is only fair topoint out that the RNIB Talking Books that are currently available on the Sound Talking playlist are only sample titles that were made available to the Sound Talking trialists, who participated in a similar trial at the endof 2007 and into early 2008. There is no plan at present to change, amendor add to this list of books - they are only samples to show what can be done. The general feedback from our trialists was that this kind of technology provides very exciting possibilities, but there is a great deal of discussion still to be had around issues such as content, how multiple organisations can participate, standards, features, user control of playlists and so on. In the next few weeks there are due to be meetings to take forward this discussion and these will bring together many of the organisations which currently have a vested interested in the subject. Having completed the evaluation process reasonably recently, it is entirely right and proper that all organisations that wish to investigate a future service of this type, take an appropriate amount of time to thoroughly investigate all the issues in order to ensure that, if a service is to be established, that it meets all the needs of the end users. This is the approach that RNIB is currently taking and I'm sure that you will agree that this is sensible.I hope this clarifies the existing situation. If anyone wishes to be sentacopy of the RNIB trial evaluation of the Orion Webbox, please feel free tocontact me at my RNIB email address: Jamie.cuthbertson@xxxxxxxxxxx Regards, Jamie mentions that both RNIB and Calibre content is available and that-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Jackie Cairns Sent: 27 March 2008 17:33 To: Access UK Mailing List Subject: [access-uk] Solutions In A Box? - Orion Web Box Internet Radio Review Due to popular demand, I have been asked to post the below review to the list. Draw your own conclusions from its contents, and I'm happy to answer any questions that I can. Jackie SOLUTIONS IN A BOX? THE ORION WEB BOX INTERNET RADIO JACKIE CAIRNSThere are now thousands of radio stations worldwide that one may tune intoover the Internet. And this way of accessing radio has become so popular that several manufacturers such as Intempo and Roberts have brought out stand-alone devices that allow you to listen to your favourite programmes without using a PC. But while Internet radio, as it is known, is commercially available and affordable, it isn't accessible for those with little or no sight. With so much material to choose from, operating an Internet radio if you don't have enough vision to read the display is a daunting prospect. But thanks to the collaboration of Dutch company Solutions Radio, and UK charity SoundTalking - which is the commercial outlet of the popular Talking Newspaper Association of the United Kingdom (TNAUK) - an Internet radio with speech feedback is now available. This piece reviews a trial Orion Web Box, supplied by SoundTalking, and outlines what users may expect from the service in the coming months. CONTROLS AND FEATURES The Orion Web Box is a sturdy rectangular-shaped device in contrasting black and grey colours. It is slightly sloped so that the back is higher than the front, with a speaker, all its controls, and small display positioned on the top. When the Web Box is facing you, the speaker grill occupies the portion towards the back of the machine, with small display, five buttons and rotaryvolume control/mute/pause/bookmark facility nearer to the front. A mainsoutlet, RJ45 ethernet connection, two phono sockets and phone connectors are at the rear of the unit. The five round buttons are arranged in a sighted L-shape further to the front of the unit. The first one is up, below which is down, below which is the OK or Accept button. To the right of the OK is Back, followed byOn/Off. The rotary volume/mute/pause/bookmark control is in the middle ofthe L-shape, and is very distinctive to feel and turn. To mute or pausewhat you are listening to, simply press down the rotary control, and pressagain to continue. The control, when pressed down and held, also acts as a bookmark facility. The small display comprises black text on a yellow background. But as a totally blind person, I could not say how easy this would be to use for those with limited sight. In the middle of the front edge of the Web Box is a small round sensor which detects the accompanying remote control. This small hand-held control allows the same functionality as the Web Box itself. Before turning on the Web Box, it needs to be mains powered and connected to the accompanying ethernet cable to provide access to the Internet. Once this is done, press the bottom right button to switch on the device. A few short beeps indicates that the Web Box has power, and is proceeded by the following: "Hello and welcome to SoundTalking Internet radio. Press the OK button when you hear the subject of your choice. You can choose from: Announcements; Bookmark Facility; National Radio Stations; Local Radio Stations; Local Talking Newspapers; National Talking Newspapers and Magazines; SoundTalking Publications; Soundings Magazine; Info Sound; Musicfor Blind; Calibre Books; RNIB Talking Books; Podcasts; Useful Informationon the Orion Web Box." You may intercept this list of choices at any point by pressing the OK button to enter a sub-menu with further choices.Alternatively, if you know the choices off by heart, you can quickly go upand down to find the item you want more rapidly using the buttons describedabove. At the end of the list read out, the voice continues with: "As youhave made no choice, this menu will be repeated." As you have now discovered, the Orion Web Box is more than just an Internet radio. It has been designed to accept the entire range of TNAUK publications which is an annual subscription service. In addition, both RNIB and Calibre have included talking books which they say they will update at regular intervals. These publications may be bookmarked, with a current limit of up to 10. As an avid radio listener, and most anxious to access this aspect of the Orion Web Box, I discovered that the trial unit contains only 25 national and 14 local stations which may be increased on request to SoundTalking. These stations are all easily accessed by choosing either the national or local radio stations list from the main menu, and then selecting the preferred station from the sub-menu. Again, the list will be repeated if you make no selection, and just pressing the OK button allows you to make your choice. A series of beeps ensues while you wait for your selected radio station to commence. The speech menus are clear and straightforward to follow. No prior computerknowledge is required to operate the Web Box, apart from the fact you musthave an Internet connection so that the radio can find the necessary information. For those who prefer to use Wi-Fi, or wireless connectivity, a model of the Web Box supporting this capability is available for an extra charge. I was disappointed to discover that the Orion Web Box is only a mono radio, both from its external speaker and through headphone listening. A supplied lead with two phono jacks at one end can be connected to the rear of the Web Box, with a 3.5MM socket at the other that allows attachment to your own headphones. It looks like a stereo device because of its two phono sockets, but it is, in fact, mono. The Orion Web Box is available in two flavours from SoundTalking. The standard ethernet version costs £279, and the wireless option £315. This is in stark contrast to commercially available Internet radios which cost from£99 to £200. The commercial alternatives also support approximately 6,000stations worldwide, and update automatically when new channels are added. You can choose from country or genre when browsing these radios, and some even offer the facility to allow you to listen to your own music collections from your PC. But, as already stated, such an appetising prospect is impossible without sufficient sight. At present, therefore, we are faced with a limited optionin the form of the Orion Web Box. It is limited because all stations needto be added by SoundTalking. All stations are also tagged, which means thatthey have to be voice labelled so that the user may identify them. When astation therefore goes out of date, or changes its name, the original speech label, or tag, doesn't automatically update, and needs to be altered manually. This is costly for the suppliers to upkeep, and is dependent upon regular maintenance. Both partners in this project have assured me that anyone wishing to have a radio station of their choice added to the Orion Web Box can do so by contacting SoundTalking. They also insist the unit will be updatedregularly with a variety of books and information from other sources. Andthey have stated that they will support anyone who purchases an Orion Web Box regardless of whether or not they take out a Talking Newspapers subscription. CONCLUSIONS This is a compact device with a lot of practicability for those who are not particularly computer literate, yet want to listen to a variety of radio stations, or TNAUK/RNIB/Calibre publications in one solution. It is easy to use, and contains a straightforward set of print and audio instructions. There is clearly enormous potential for the unit to be developed further, particularly the radio aspect. I do have concerns, however, about long term support for the Web Box. While trials and user feedback have been positive, I cannot help wondering what sort of shelf life such a device will have if it needs constant speech tagging and manual maintenance to ensure everything is kept up-to-date. For further information, contact SoundTalking on 01435 862737, send an Email to info@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, or visit http://www.soundtalking.co.uk/internet-radio-service.html. Glasgow - Proud Host City of the 2014 Commonwealth Games----------------------------------------------------------------------------Disclaimer: This message is intended only for use of the addressee. If this message was sent to you in error, please notify the sender and delete this message. Glasgow City Council cannot accept responsibility for viruses, so please scan attachments. 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