This page contains links to useful resources not previously mentioned. Some of the resources have descriptions accompanying them. The resources include music download sites and programs to convert material into formats acceptable by accessible portable media devices.
Unlike other sections of this site, the links for each resource are included with the specific section.
Download Juice for managing podcasts. Juice is a first class Podcast Receiver which is highly accessible. Indeed it is due to the fact that it is so accessible that the iTunes scripts for JAWS no longer support obtaining Podcasts.
Juice will allow you to download Podcasts into a specific folder of your choice or it can integrate them into iTunes. Each Podcast is downloaded into your iTunes Library, with each Podcast feed being included within a separate iTunes playlist. Within the File menu of Juice, select Preferences, then the Player Property Sheet. Specify iTunes as the default player for Podcasts.
Listen to Dean Martineau's tutorial concerning how to use Juice, originally published within Sound Computing Magazine; a journal which is highly recommended.
Download and purchase Sound Taxi, a utility which converts Audible and dRM content such as music available from Napster to MP3 format. Please note that a subscription to the protected service is required for this utility to function, so you must legally purchase the content first.
You can download JAWS scripts for Sound Taxi. The scripts are very easy to use. Just press the ALT key to activate the special virtual menu bar, and arrow right and left to hear the options with the shortcut keys. Pressing Enter on an item from the menu bar will select the required action, or once you become used to them, you can use the shortcut keys. Hotkey Help is available by pressing Insert+H. You can enable or disable a special percentage count which is present as and when files are being converted. You can if necessary switch to another application and return to Sound Taxi whereupon the percentage count, if enabled, will resume. This setting is retained across Windows sessions.
The JAWS scripts function only with JAWS version 8.0 Build 2173 and 9.0.
The audible UK web site and Audible US site allow you to download popular books either individually or as part of a monthly payment plan. The payment plans enable you to take advantage of a specific number of books each month for a set fee without incurring an additional charge.
Audible books are encased within a special file format with four compression rates, with format 1 being the poorest quality and format 4 the highest.
The Victor reader Stream contains support for Audible books which can be played using format 4. The Zen stone mentioned in these pages can accommodate Audible books up to and including format 3 which equates to the support given by the PAC Mate. The Book Courier and Book Port can play books up to and including format 4. Please refer to other sections of this site for more details.
Anna Dresner produced an excellent audio presentation on this subject.
Replay A V is an extremely useful utility for recording internet audio streams, such as radio stations, and converting the content into any one of a variety of file types and sampling rates. Best of all, you can schedule when the recording should begin and end, together with the frequency of recording such as daily.
Replay A V is extremely accessible and easy to use. Included within the program is an HTML Finder. You commence the HTML Finder, browse to the web site containing the audio, and Replay will find it and allow you to start an immediate recording or schedule it.
The YouSendIt plug-in will allow you to have the recorded program immediately Emailed to an individual or group of people. However unlike the main program, this plug-in delivers some accessibility challenges. JAWS scripts written by me exist to deal with these challenges. ALT+A accepts the licence agreement when the plug-in is first used, ALT+D declines the agreement and ALT+V places the agreement into the virtual viewer for reading with the arrow keys. Under normal circumstances, when entering a YouSendIt screen from Replay, the scripts will automatically activate the virtual cursor so the screen can be read like a web page.
To send a file from your local hard disk by Email, please do the following:
Please check out Petro's Podcasts which teach you how to use this very accessible application.
CDEX is a very easy to use program for extracting content from your CD's to audio format, such as MP3. This program is very popular with visually impaired people as no special script files are required to use it.
MP3 Tag makes it possible for the ID3 Tags of files to be correctly named. Again, this program is accessible without special adaptation.
DVD Audio Extractor, as the name suggests, is a program for the purpose of extracting the contents of DVD titles into a more suitable form for listening on portable media devices, such as MP3. The program is extremely accessible using many screen-readers with no special configuration or script files required.
When a DVD is inserted into the DVD drive of your computer, and the DVD audio extractor program launched, you are presented with a list of titles displayed on the disc. One title may be available for the main movie, another for an audio described version of the same movie, another for a documentary concerning the making of the film, etc. Simply ensuring the relevant title is checked with the Space Bar will allow you to play the title or convert it to an audio format.
A thirty day fully functional demonstration copy is available from the manufacturer's web site, after which a small purchase price is required.
The following sites work well with screen-readers.
Download the Napster audio tutorial produced by Brian Hartgen
Read Janet Ingber's article concerning downloading music from a variety of sources including Napster.