[Dtb-talk] NLS Digital Players

[Lynn Evans]

What we have here is the best of both worlds.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Andrews" <dandrews at visi.com>
To: "Discussion of Digital Talking Books" <dtb-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, February 15, 2010 2:04 AM
Subject: Re: [Dtb-talk] NLS Digital Players


> Personally, I think NLS is due a lot of credit.  They resisted the 
> pressure to use CD's.  They started this process back in the 90's, and 
> while they can be slow and ponderous at times, they developed a system 
> that works well for most of their target audience.  And ... for those more 
> technically inclined there is the download service.
>
> Dave
>
> At 11:53 PM 2/14/2010, you wrote:
>>These are some of the very reasons we settled on the NLS cartridges. We 
>>have found we can get about 4 books on one. You don't really want more 
>>than that anyway. Imagine hearing that your bookshelf had 100's of books 
>>in it and you had to go one by one to get to the one you want.
>>
>>We thought about using SD card but when we tested such we found them just 
>>too small and easy to loose.
>>
>>
>>Gregory Kearney
>>Manager - Accessible Media
>>Association for the Blind of Western Australia
>>61 Kitchener Avenue, PO Box 101
>>Victoria Park 6979, WA Australia
>>
>>Telephone: +61 (08) 9311 8202
>>Telephone: +1 (307) 224-4022 (North America)
>>Fax: +61 (08) 9361 8696
>>Toll free: 1800 658 388 (Australia only)
>>Email: gkearney at gmail.com
>>
>>On 15/02/2010, at 12:27 PM, Tim Gillett wrote:
>>
>> > David wrote:
>> >
>> > "NLS does not provide blank cartridges or thumb drives.
>> > They are in the business of providing books preloaded on cartridges
>> > - in the way that they have provided cassettes."
>> >
>> >
>> > Yes it's easy to forget the whole purpose of the NLS larger
>> cartridge housing
>> > is to make it easy for the Print handicapped to read books.
>> >
>> > One of the downsides of the miniaturisation of electronics has
>> been its effect on the blind.
>> >
>> > The compact cassette was still reasonably large enough for easy
>> use by the blind.  Whereas
>> > on the modern flash card there is usually not enough room  for
>> adequate braille or printed labelling
>> > for example, let alone reliably inserting such small media into a 
>> > player.
>> > And what if the blind person drops a tiny memory card? How do
>> they find it again?
>> >
>> > Similarly players with tiny control buttons and tiny
>> screens  make them almost impossible to use,
>> > especially for the elderly blind.
>> >
>> > I came across this many times with the blind here in WA when
>> cassettes were the current format
>> > and here in WA. but clients had to find their own cassette player.
>> > The old "shoebox" cassette player with its large piano key
>> operation was fairly easy for most blind to use.
>> > But once it started to disappear from the market and was replaced
>> by smaller, more fiddly Walkmans
>> > the blind struggled to use these players.
>> >
>> > I'm pleased to see the designers of the NLS player specified a
>> largish cartridge
>> > even though it only contains a small memory stick inside. This is
>> practical for the blind,
>> > however antiquated and "uncool" it might appear by sighted
>> people's standards.
>> >
>> > Similarly it's pleasing in the NLS DTB to see other features
>> carried over from the old TBC1 players
>> > such as internal speaker, rechargeable battery, variable speed
>> control, automatic power down etc.
>> >
>> > It's important we stay real and remember  the many blind people
>> in their homes who have to use these devices.
>> >
>> >
>> > Tim Gillett
>> > Audio/Electronics Technician
>> > Perth, Western Australia
>> >
>
>
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