[access-uk] Talking books: two questions and a reader's thoughts

  • From: "Ray's Home" <rays-home@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Sat, 24 Dec 2005 11:02:38 -0000

Here's Two questions which could possibly best be answered elsewhere, so feel 
free to email me off-list if you feel that's appropriate.

1.  I have one of the RNIB provided original 'Classic' DASY players.  Most 
anoying thing is that, apart from limited battery life, it appears impossible 
to be able to fast wind/rewind through books if you've missed a sentence or 
paragraph due to distractions.  Is an upgrade to the later machines going to 
give me a rewind/fast forward facility?  Or do I have to buy another machine to 
be able to do this?

2.  Well, I've just answered the question I'm about to comment on, (smile).  
Seems you can buy all the Harry Potter books from RNIB in DAISY format, and the 
Half-Blood Prince is around £17.00. (Presume this is the Stephen Fry version as 
available on BBC Word for Word.)  Now, I wonder, isn't that a bit 
controversial, especially considering the HBP is in the shops for at least 
three times that amount;  on the internet likely rather less?  Good of course 
that RNIB can do this, but am I the only one to wonder if there are going to be 
those with portable MP3 players who might be geting hold of this?  OK, I hear 
the majority of the blind exclaiming,, 'Not our problem'!  Maybe, but I'd like 
to bet that some form of copy protection is going to rear its ugly head sooner 
or later.

Just a final brief comment on my current reading - and I've only now gotten 
around to reading DAISY books.  The spy story I'm reading just now is a scream! 
 Not least because of the cut glass accent in which its being read.  More 
amusing is the phrase 'four letter word' in place of say, 'F.... the party or 
F... the phone etc.  Obviously this was recorded thirty years or more back;  
but more anoying is the poor editing of the CD version.  Obviously banging out 
the titles is important with National Lotteries funding of the 'remasters'.  
All the remastering appears to amount to is some good noise reduction, on this 
recording, but no inserting of silence gaps between chapters.  Also, there are 
large gaps where there shouldn't be.  I'll swear , not a 'four letter 
word'coming on! I can hear a dog in the background sometimes!  All this adds a 
good deal of unintentional amuzement for me, to abook which isn't that good a 
read.

Sorry if much of this belongs elsewhere, but felt sharing of my views and 
questions might be of interest to a few.

Ray

Personal emails:  Email me at
mailto:ray-48@xxxxxxxx


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