[access-uk] Re: Web Radio again - on In Touch

  • From: "Peter Beasley" <pjbeasley@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Fri, 18 Apr 2008 10:54:58 +0100

It is this voice tagging where the problem lies. Why can't they use text to speach as there are someexcellent voices around these days. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Graham Page" <gpage@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> 

To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, April 17, 2008 1:11 PM
Subject: [access-uk] Re: Web Radio again - on In Touch



Hi Ray and others.
I feel it is necessary, as one of a number who have trialed this product to 
clear up some misunderstandings.
First, as I have already stated here and in other places, I think the Orion 
Webbox is an interesting product that moves accessibility forward.  The
product essentially streams audio from a number of sources.
More people seem interested in the Internet Radio side of things and I must 
say I had high hopes there as well.
I should make it clear that the Webbox can be updated remotely so that when 
you turn the unit on it can be recognised by a server and any upgrades can
be performed totally automatically. I should explain that at the time of 
turn on the user is given various menus to proceed through.  In general,
each menu item is a voice tag or a piece of recorded audio.  Station names
or  publication titles take this form.  This is workable with publications
where titles change in a predictable way.
The problem with internet radio is that each station needs a voice tag to be 
set up for it and this requires an organisation such as TNAUK to intervene
directly in order to add this title by creating a voice tag and associating a link to the station's online stream. This takes up work but there is also 
another problem with the interface.  In order to do Internet radio in any
kind of comprehensive way the structure would need to be changed. Currently 
on the RNIB system, radio stations are in 2 lists, one of mainly bbc local
stations and the other called Internet Radio which is a mixture of other
stations.  You need to scroll individually through the menus and when you
finish listening to a station you go back to the top of the list.  Menus
therefore have to be kept short which means stations need to be categorised. 

The work of tagging and categorising stations means in reality that this
product will never offer the range of radio stations carried on commercial
products.  Maintaining and updating the list would be too bigg a job.
I am glad I took part in the trial but in my opinion this product is really 
at the stage of proof of concept.  It is quite good for listening to pod
casts and, if you are prepared to move chapter by chapter it can be used for listening to books though daisy navigation is only available at one level so 
you can only really move by chapter.  winding through text like using the
rewind or forward buttons on a CD player is still really slow.
In the RNIB evaluation, the headline figure in my view is that 85 percent of the trialists were impressed with the web box but the majority of them felt that it needed significant modifications though it was designed quite well. 
Here I agree.   It is a decent prototype, a good first stab.  I have said
this before I know but I really do think that RNIB did a good job trialling 
this product and I think credit should be given where it is due.

I think it is a shame that TNAUK have decided to market the Webbox at this
stage as in my view it is just not really fit for purpose yet though with a little financial input and the right people working on the project I see no 
reason why it cannot be a success in the near future.

Regards

Graham

Regards



Graham Page
Home Phone: 0207 265 9493
Mobile: 07753 607980
Fax:  0870 706 2773
Email: gpage@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
MSN: gabriel_mcbird@xxxxxxxxxxx
Skype: gabriel_mcbird
----- Original Message ----- From: "Ray's Home" <rays-home@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> 
To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, April 15, 2008 10:22 PM
Subject: [access-uk] Re: Web Radio again - on In Touch


Very interesting.  So, was Jackie not offered this over night updating
of all the stations she would have liked?  Or, was this not mentioned to
her?



From Ray
I can be contacted off-list at:
mailto:ray-48@xxxxxxxx


-----Original Message-----
Christopher Maule-Oatway
Subject: [access-uk] Re: Web Radio again - on In Touch


Hello,

Ray, the TNAUK man, Ted Davis, definitely said that the customer
asked to have the two extra local radio stations added, which had
been done by the next morning.

If this box is made available through Wireless for the Blind, I would
certainly be keen to get hold of one, and then would enjoy asking
TNAUK to add the numerous European stations that are bookmarked on my
PC.

Cheers,

Christopher


At 20:54 15/04/2008 +0100, you wrote:

Just heard the guy from TNAUK on In Touch being interviewed about the
web radio.

Confused a little by one thing he said, that someone's web box was
seemingly updated over night to get a local station.  So, is it

possible

after all to do this remotely?  Or have I mis-heard this.   bit of the
programme?

Seems though that Wireless for the Blind fund is now interested so many
might stand to get it for free, so we're led to understand.

I must say though that In Touch and those taking part seem to live in
splendid isolation re. comments on this list over the last month or so.
You'd think this is "Thee Solution" to hear them talk on the programme,
but we all know it isn't.  It will be all the more interesting to hear
what RNIB decides.

Cheers,

From Ray
I can be contacted off-list at:
mailto:ray-48@xxxxxxxx



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