Hi. Because I feel contraversial today, isn't ACB Radio's model a bit dated now, with Podcasting? I find I get a lot more now, for example, from Blind Cool Tech, than I do from Main Menu. All the best -- Computer Room Services: the long cane for blind computer users. Telephone Voice: +44(0)1438 742286, Fax/BBS: +44(0)1438 759589 mobile: +44(0)7956 334938, Email: Steve@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx Web site: http://www.comproom.co.uk -----Original Message----- From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of chairman@xxxxxxxxx Sent: 21 November 2005 15:15 To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [access-uk] Your Chance to Try Out the new ACB Radio Player! From: "Darren Paskell" <darren@xxxxxxxxxxxx> Date: Mon, 21 Nov 2005 02:52:19 -0000 Dear All, I am writing to invite you to try out the New ACB Radio Player software, developed in-house by ACB Radio Staff. If all goes well, this software will be on the new ACB Radio Promotional CDs which could be in your hands from next year's Convention. Before we get into the details of just what the player is, how it works, and what you need to do to get started, it's worth pointing out that this software is still very much under development. As such, you should only proceed to giving it a go if you feel comfortable with normal every-day operations of your computer, and possess that little bit of wreckless enthusiasm for pushing the boundaries of your computing experience just that little bit further than is required <smile>. If you want something which you know will work, then relax safe in the knowledge that some brilliant new gear will be in your hands very soon, and rest assured you'll hear about it when it's out there. But if you are willing to try something new, no matter what the consequences might be, then read on! Essentially, the ACB Radio Player is similar to the popup radio players offered by companies such as the BBC, on their web sites. It allows you to pick the ACB Radio channel you wish to hear appropriate for your internet connection, and adjust its volume, and all from your web browser. What makes the ACB Radio Player stand out from the crowd however, is its unique ability to tell you where abouts you are in the player's interface, without having to have a screen reader installed and running. Below, I have included the readme file for the player, with a little more information. Read on to find out how you can download the player, and let us know how you're getting on. Thank you very much for your help! Yours, Darren Readme for the ACB Radio Player Monday 21 November 2005 Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. System Requirements 2.1. Using the Player with Mozilla Firefox 3. How it works 4. Known Issues 5. Your feedback * 1. Introduction The ACB Radio Player is a set of dynamic web pages which will allow you to listen to ACB Radio in your existing web browser. It is hoped that the Player will end up on the next version of the ACB Radio promotional CD, and will launch automatically when the disk is inserted into a computer. It is designed so that it is possible to navigate among the few controls on the web page without a screen reader. * 2. System Requirements A PC running a modern standards-capable browser. The software should work out of the box with Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher, Netscape 7.1, or Mozilla Firefox 1.0 or greater. Windows Media Player 7.1 or greater is a required component, as it is a hidden instance of this software which is being used to stream the ACB Radio Content. Due to this limitation, the player is currently therefore only compatible on a Windows platform, although support for other platforms can be added in the future, without the need to distribute new promotional CDs. * 2.1 Using the player with Mozilla Firefox In order to use the Player with Mozilla Firefox, you'll need to download the ActiveX Plug-in from: http://www.iol.ie/~locka/mozilla/plugin.htm#download Download the appropriate version of the plug-in for your version of Firefox. Note: I am just about able to run the 1.0.7 version of the plug-in with the latest version of Firefox 1.5, which at the time of this writing is still in development. So, if you're feeling remarkably adventurous, try the 1.0.7 version with the latest Firefox 1.5 Release Candidate at your own risk. * 3. How it Works There are essentially two components to the player. The first set is the self-voicing MP3 files and launch page, which you'll first need to download from here: http://www.acbradio.org/player/player.zip Extract the zip file to its own folder on your hard disk. To run the player, open the file called "start.htm" in your web browser. The browser will then redirect you to a copy of the player web page, stored on the ACB Radio web server. This step is necessary so that the software can be updated seemlessly in the future, as required. * 4. Known Issues You may experience difficulty with the redirection, as the method used is scripted, in order that the start.htm page can inform the main player page on the server of the location on your hard disk where the self-voicing files are stored. The player will only access these files from your hard disk, and as such no form of personal data will be made available to ACB Radio, or any third party. The Player will not store any of the data it generates to work with your computer. Instructions on how to deal with the information Bar in Microsoft Internet Exlorer 6.0 SP2 are given on the "start.htm" page. Once the main player has loaded, turn off your screen reader's web page navigation features and just use the tab key to move among the controls. The first control is a combo box where you can choose what type of internet connection you have. The next box is where you choose the stream you want to hear. Finally, there are a series of buttons to allow you to play and stop the stream, as well as adjust the volume of the stream, and deactivate thAlthough the player has been tested in Firefox, this work is still very much under development. In fact, the whole player is still a work in progress, and as such ACB Radio cannot accept liability for any damage caused to your computing experience as a result r trying out this software. * 5. Your Feedback We need to hear from you! If you're reading this, why not tell us that you've read it, and that you're giving this thing a try? We'd far rather hear from you, than not, no matter what you have to say. even if it's just a quick note to say Hi, send it in! Get writing to: player@xxxxxxxxxxxxx There is also a beta discussion list, where you can share your experiences with other testers, and ACB Radio staff. To join, send a blank E-mail message to: player-beta-subscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxx And to post, address your messages to: player-beta@xxxxxxxxxxxx Good luck, and have fun! Darren Paskell ACB Radio Player Developer This list is a service of ACB Radio, on the web at http://www.acbradio.org -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: announce-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxx For additional commands, e-mail: announce-help@xxxxxxxxxxxx All the best from: Colin R. Howard. ** To leave the list, click on the immediately-following link:- ** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=unsubscribe] ** If this link doesn't work then send a message to: ** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ** and in the Subject line type ** unsubscribe ** For other list commands such as vacation mode, click on the ** immediately-following link:- ** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=faq] ** or send a message, to ** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the Subject:- faq ** To leave the list, click on the immediately-following link:- ** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=unsubscribe] ** If this link doesn't work then send a message to: ** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ** and in the Subject line type ** unsubscribe ** For other list commands such as vacation mode, click on the ** immediately-following link:- ** [mailto:access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=faq] ** or send a message, to ** access-uk-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the Subject:- faq